Templeton resident to hike Appalachian Trail for 9/11 charity

TEMPLETON ― Dave Manca is dropping out of society for a good cause.

The 71-year-old will spend the next three to four months hiking the 2,179-mile Appalachian Trail alone to raise money for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was founded in the wake of 9/11 to support first responders and military families.

“Everybody walks for this and walks for that, so I had to make a decision who to walk for,” Manca said. “And I strongly believe in Tunnel to Towers – it’s a wonderful organization.”

Manca, who is the nephew of former Gardner mayor Charles Manca, was hoping to raise $10,000 for the foundation, which was founded in tribute to FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who died during the attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

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“Not a penny of the money raised will go to me; it all goes to the charity,” he said. At press time, over 30 supporters had raised $3,200 for the cause.

Manca, who is 71, admits that he’s never been much of a hiker. But he said he had been spending plenty of time at the gym climbing stairs in preparation for a journey that will take him across some hilly terrain.

“This whole hike is up and down mountains,” he explained. “People don’t realize how many mountains there are in Georgia and South Carolina because everybody is used to the coast. There are one or two mountains on the trail that are over 6,000 feet.”

The longest he’d ever hiked before was one or two days at the most, Manca added.

Hike originally set for last year

Manca was originally scheduled to make the trek last year with two friends, but a nasty fall from a tree stand during a hunting trip, which resulted in some major back surgery, put an end to the idea. In fact, he said he was certain that his dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail was finished for good.

“I shattered my vertebrae and fractured two more, so they put rods in my back with a bunch of screws – I figured I’d be walking with a cane for the rest of my life,” he said. “But I came out of it pretty good because I had a good surgeon.”

Follow Manca's journey

Manca, who will be hiking under the trail name “Solo Grampa,” will begin his epic northbound trek in Georgia on Saturday, March 11. He’s hoping to complete his journey, which will end in Maine, in 112 days, but said he was prepared for the inevitable delays along the way.

“That is my own lofty expectation for my schedule, but that could turn into 150 days – I have no idea,” he said.

Manca’s progress along the trip can be followed at trailjournals.com. He said he was hoping to post updates at least once per week, while he stayed at a hostel for a night to take a shower and wash his clothes.

“I don’t know when I’ll have service,” he said. “I won’t be posting daily because I’ll have to save the battery on my phone. My phone will be off during the day.”

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Food boxes to be shipped along the route

Manca said he had been busy preparing boxes of dehydrated food, power bars, and instant oatmeal that his wife, Pat, will ship to him at various points along the trail. The trick, he said, was knowing beforehand where he would be so that his food boxes could be sent to the right location.

“There are a lot of logistics to work out, because (Pat) has to wait to hear from me to find out where to ship them to – that’s going to be the hard part, working that out,” he said. “I don’t want to get somewhere and then have to wait for a box.”

Manca’s youngest daughter, Lindsey Manca Smith, said the hike has been something her father has been wanting to do for a few years.

“If anyone can do it, it’s him,” Smith said. “I have no doubt he will accomplish it. He’s 71 years old and probably in better shape than most 20-year-olds. He’s truly an inspiration.”

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Were his family and friends prepared for Manca to drop out of society and go off the grid for a large part of the spring and summer? Maybe, he said.

“I think deep down inside, not really, but they know I’m going,” he said, adding that if he was forced to abandon his journey for a family emergency or any other reason, he was committed to returning to the trail as soon as possible and completing the trip.

Anyone who would like to donate to Manca’s hike can do so by clicking here: Solo Grampa/ Hike for Tunnel to Towers - Campaign (t2t.org).

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Dave Manca Templeton Appalachian Trail Tunnel to Towers Foundation