Hiking 'the fight'

In the early morning hours of July 4, as the sun began to rise over the Snowy Mountain Range, people began to gather in the parking lot of the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC) to register for the 2018 Cancer Walk/Run. As people sipped coffee and registered, they also listened to music from The Bird and The Bear, Garry "The Bear" Wood, being a cancer survivor himself after a battle with non-hodgkin's lymphoma.

A large contingent of those participating in the event had been touched in some way by the effects of cancer, whether they were survivors, family and friends of survivors or had lost a loved one to the disease. Two people who were present at the Cancer Walk/Run, however, were there for a different but no less important reason.

Will Rogers, who uses the pseudonym Lapsang, and Katharina Mieslinger, who goes by Footprint, were in Saratoga the same time as the cancer walk purely by coincidence. Rogers, who is originally from Florida, and Mieslinger, who is originally from Germany, are currently hiking the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) to raise money for Camp One Step. Camp One Step is a program started by Children's Oncology Services, Inc. and "is a leader in providing empowering, supportive, educational and fun experiences for children (5-19) who have been diagnosed with cancer." according to Camp One Step's website.

"We did some hikes before and we decided if we hiked together we wanted to do it for charity," said Mieslinger.

The couple first met while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) two years ago. The trail, which extends 2,650 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, takes approximately 5-6 months to hike. The two met on the fourth day of the hike, but didn't end up hiking together. Rogers, however, was persistent.

"I hiked 36 miles in one day to try and catch her," said Rogers.

When they first met, Mieslinger's English was still a work in progress and was mostly broken.

"Her English was a little more broken, but it was amazing. We were able to communicate without even, like, her being able to speak at length. We were still able to communicate the same ideas we are now, just with less words," Rogers said.

"I was surprised that he didn't have a southern accent and my English was pretty bad, so he was like an English teacher for me, which was really nice," said Mieslinger.

After the PCT hike, the two became friends and, eventually, a couple. Approximately two years after meeting, the duo made the decision to hike the CDT and raise money for Camp One Step.

"It's an amazing organization. We've been working with then and they've been amazingly helpful," said Rogers.

The couple started their hike in Colorado, where the two shaved their heads and donated their hair to Wigs for Kids, an organization that creates hairpieces for children going through cancer treatment. While Mieslinger had plenty of hair to donate, however, Rogers fell a little short of the mark.

When Mieslinger and Rogers came into Wyoming, they made the decision to exit at the CDT Gateway Community of Encampment and make their way to Saratoga to use the free hot springs. It wasn't long after Rogers stuck out his thumb for a ride that he and Mieslinger were picked up by Carbon County School District No. 2 Superintendent Jim Copeland.

While the hiking duo did enjoy the hobo pool, they also made the decision to stay for a few days after being offered a place to stay by William "Bill" and Sally Patton. When they saw the banner for the cancer walk/run displayed alongside the Hotel Wolf, the couple decided they had to participate in the event.

"It really lined up with the values of our hike," said Rogers.

Both Rogers and Mieslinger said they had enjoyed their experience in the Cowboy State so far, with Mieslinger adding that Lollypop's, owned by Bobby and Danyel Chitwood, had the best ice cream she had ever had in the United States.

"The people are just amazing," said Mieslinger.

"Unbelievably friendly and hospitable," added Rogers.

Before leaving, the couple expressed their amazement at the amount of turnout for the cancer walk/run.

"I thought it was a fantastic turnout. A lot of people. I saw a lot of cancer survivors out there as well," said Rogers.

"It's really great," added Mieslinger. "It's a good way to come together."

After enjoying Fourth of July festivities in Saratoga, the couple resumed their hike along the CDT. Their adventures can be found at their blog at thelafoo.com/blog.