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Jane Mackay (Healdsburg, CA)

Jan 07, 2010
Jane Mackay is backing 2 other projects.
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Deborah Lee Soltesz (Flagstaff, AZ)

Jan 08, 2010
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Miriam Robbins

Jan 08, 2010
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Laura & Henry (Flagstaff, AZ)

Jan 09, 2010
Laura & Henry is backing 3 other projects.
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Peter West Carey

Jan 09, 2010
Peter West Carey is backing 7 other projects.
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TheBackpackerTV

Jan 10, 2010
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Benjamin Bogosian

Jan 10, 2010
Benjamin Bogosian is backing 2 other projects.
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Roy Scribner

Jan 11, 2010
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Jason Wells (Cumberland, RI)

Jan 11, 2010
Jason Wells is backing 47 other projects.
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Andrea Hogberg

Jan 11, 2010
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Joseph Denis

Jan 14, 2010
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Jeffrey Hall

Jan 14, 2010
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Addy Bell

Jan 17, 2010
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Nancy

Jan 17, 2010
Nancy is backing 1 other project.
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Joy Palethorpe

Jan 18, 2010
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Bob Braudy

Jan 18, 2010
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Deborah Bothe

Jan 25, 2010
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Gary Brown

Jan 30, 2010
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Russell Cook

Feb 01, 2010
Russell Cook is backing 1 other project.
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Mike Taylor

Feb 11, 2010
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Elaine and Bobby Cowley

Feb 21, 2010
Elaine and Bobby Cowley is backing 57 other projects.
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Renee

Feb 21, 2010
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Beth Polidoro

Feb 23, 2010
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Marsha Camblin

Feb 23, 2010
Marsha Camblin is backing 1 other project.
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Laurel Fan

Feb 24, 2010
Laurel Fan is backing 2 other projects.
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Marian Krueger

Feb 28, 2010
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Randy Marlatt

Mar 01, 2010
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Jacki Lenners

Mar 03, 2010
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rosa fuentes

Mar 05, 2010
rosa fuentes is backing 1 other project.
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Marjorie Joy

Mar 07, 2010
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Just hike (Fountain Hills, AZ)

Mar 10, 2010
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Elise Wilson

Mar 12, 2010
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Jodi Cullen

Mar 12, 2010
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Michelle

Mar 12, 2010
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Meghan Pheley

Mar 12, 2010
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Paul Andrews

Mar 14, 2010
Paul Andrews is backing 1 other project.
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Kim Manley Ort

Mar 16, 2010
Kim Manley Ort is backing 4 other projects.
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Malcolm Foster

Mar 17, 2010
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Anne Buhlig

Mar 17, 2010
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Sueanne

Mar 21, 2010
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Annette Coffey

Mar 23, 2010
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Barbara Speelman

Mar 24, 2010
Barbara Speelman is backing 1 other project.
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Stacey Wittig

Mar 24, 2010
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Aaron Dick

Mar 26, 2010
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Tammy Winand (Orlando, FL)

Mar 28, 2010
Tammy Winand is backing 2 other projects.
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Rebecca Hb. (New Orleans, LA)

Mar 28, 2010
Rebecca Hb. is backing 11 other projects.
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Janis Lauman

Mar 28, 2010
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Jayne Lauman

Mar 28, 2010
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Barbara Madley

Mar 30, 2010
57
Backers
$4,322
pledged of $4,000 goal
0
seconds to go

Funding Successful

This project successfully raised its funding goal on April 7, 2010.

Pledge $5 or more

3 Backers

I will be grateful for your pledge and acknowledge it on Twitter and on my "Deb's Search & Rescue Stories" blog, along with a link to the (family-friendly) website of your choice. I'll also post your name and, if you have one, link in the list of supporters on my Squidoo "lens" about the project.

Pledge $10 or more

6 Backers

In addition to the reward above, I'll send you email updates during my 3-month stay in Nepal and thereafter during the writing process.

Pledge $15 or more

0 Backers • Limited Reward (1 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards, I'll give you $13.75 in Bookman's Entertainment Exchange credit. Bookman's has six locations in Tucson, Mesa, Phoenix, and Flagstaff, but the Flagstaff store is currently being rebuilt (to open sometime in the Fall of 2010, they're saying).

Pledge $25 or more

6 Backers

All of the above, and I'll send you a CD slide show of photos from Nepal.

Pledge $25 or more

1 Backer SOLD OUT (0 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer gifts, I'll send you a handmade "Grannies a Gogo" tote bag. All net proceeds from the sale of these bags go towards bereaved grandmothers in Sabie, South Africa, who are raising their orphaned grandchildren as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. See granniesagogo.com for more information.

Pledge $25 or more

3 Backers SOLD OUT (0 of 3 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards, I'll send you a Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal t-shirt (you'll need to send me a message with your size request) once I return from Nepal.

Pledge $25 or more

1 Backer • Limited Reward (8 of 9 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards, I'll send you the interactive DVD, Backpack The Grand Canyon. For more information on this DVD, see http://www.backpackthegrandcanyon.com/

Pledge $30 or more

1 Backer SOLD OUT (0 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards, I'll send you a $25 REI gift card.

Pledge $50 or more

17 Backers

All of the above, and you'll receive a signed copy of the book once it's published.

Pledge $75 or more

1 Backer • Limited Reward (34 of 35 remaining)

All of the above, and I'll add a signed copy of my first published novel, "I. Joseph Kellerman."

Pledge $75 or more

0 Backers • Limited Reward (1 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards and a signed copy of the book, you'll receive a certificate for 1 hour of professional computer repair (an $85 value) in either Flagstaff, Munds Park, Doney Park, Parks, or Williams, Arizona.

Pledge $80 or more

1 Backer SOLD OUT (0 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards and a signed copy of the book, you'll receive a certificate for 2 hours of professional editing service (a $90 value) via email for brochures, manuscripts, website content, programs, sales materials, articles or annual reports.

Pledge $100 or more

5 Backers

All of the above, and I'll send you a 5x7 print photo from the Nepal trip.

Pledge $150 or more

1 Backer SOLD OUT (0 of 1 remaining)

In addition to the $5 and $10 backer rewards, the CD slideshow from Nepal, a signed copy of the book once it's published, and a 5x7 print, I'll send you a HRDSN t-shirt (which I'll bring back with me from Nepal) and the "Backpack the Grand Canyon" DVD.

Pledge $200 or more

1 Backer SOLD OUT (0 of 1 remaining)

All of the above (except limited rewards) plus a brand new Garmin Legend H handheld GPS unit.

Pledge $200 or more

0 Backers • Limited Reward (1 of 1 remaining)

All of the above (except limited rewards) plus a brand new Osprey Kestrel 38 backpack (adult size M/L)

Pledge $250 or more

1 Backer

In addition to the website promotion, email updates, CD slideshow, 5x7 print and signed copy of the book, your name will appear in the acknowledgment section of the book as a supporter of the project.

Pledge $500 or more

0 Backers • Limited Reward (1 of 1 remaining)

In addition to all of the above (not including the limited rewards like the backpack), you'll receive an original 16x18" painting by Himalaya Rescue Dog Squad Nepal member, Karna Dura. (See project updates for examples of his work.)

Project By

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The happy girl in that photo above is me, the hiker otherwise known as Ramkitten, at the end of my 6-month Appalachian Trail adventure, excited about the accomplishment and looking forward to being home again but a little sad inside, too, because an amazing journey had come to an end.

That was in 2000 but feels like yesterday, as I remember everything in such detail. That's often how it is when you're moving through life at no more than 3 miles per hour along the simplicity of a trail. And as I often say, walking a trail frees my mind to wander. It was on the Appalachian Trail that I conceived my first novel, "I. Joseph Kellerman," later published in 2003, though the book has nothing to do with backpacking or the trail I was on when I wrote the first draft.

Since then, I've written a second novel, an award-winning essay titled "A Man Called Screamer" (which you can read at http://www.squidoo.com/screamer) and more than 100 online articles. I was also a contributing writer to Sasquatch Books' "Guide To Southern California."

As much as I enjoy cozy nights at home, curled up with my dog and a good book, I also thrive on adventure, which is why I just love being an active Search & Rescue volunteer in the second largest county in the United States. That's also why I jumped at the invitation from the founder of the Himalayan Rescue Dog Squad to travel to Nepal for three months in 2010 for this project. And, for me, my adventures wouldn't be complete if I didn't write about them and share them with others.

You can follow along with my treks and Search and Rescue pursuits on my various websites and blogs, including "Deb's Search & Rescue Stories" (http://debssarstories.blogspot.com) and my "Hiking Writer" website at http://www.hikingwriter.com. I will also be blogging about my experiences in Nepal and those that follow, when I return to my home in Flagstaff, Arizona, to write the book.

  1. debssarstories.blogspot.com
  2. hikingwriter.com
  3. squidoo.com
  4. sarstories.com