COLUMBIA, S.C. — Brice Janvrin graduated from USC and didn't have the job that he wanted.
"So he and I were talking and I said ‘you’ve always wanted to do the Appalachian trail’ and he said ‘ok, I’m going to do it,’" Gina Janvrin, Brice's mother told us, "So he planned it in a month and most people take a year to plan the Appalachian trail.”
Janvrin said they packed up the entire family and went to Maine where Brice would be starting the 2,200 mile trail southbound to Georgia. He is currently passing through Pennsylvania which is his seventh state out of 14.
Hiking this well known trail isn't the only thing Janvrin is hoping to accomplish.
He called his mom about a month ago and said he wanted to do more. Brice is now raising money for a scholarship for a student at his former high school Richland Northeast.
“Obviously you have a lot of time to think out on the trail, and basically what it came down to was a couple of things," Brice told us, "One was that being out here and doing this is a fairly selfish thing and I figured I could find a way to give back. And also, when I first decided to do the four state challenge in general think it was actually my mom who thought of the idea to come up with a scholarship with the money we could raise.”
The four state challenge is what Brice is using to promote the scholarship: it consists of hiking 42.9 miles in 24 hours and traveling across four states: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
If the timing is right, Brice will take on this challenge in about two weeks and hopefully raise enough money to give back to a student at his alma mater high school.
Here is what Brice sent to Richland Northeast High School Education Foundation:
"What is the Appalachian trail?
- The AT is a 2,192 mile long trail stretching from Maine to Georgia. My overarching goal is to thru-hike from Maine to Georgia in one continuous push.
What is the 4 state challenge?
- The 4 state challenge is a challenge to cross the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia along the AT in a single day. The distance covered in this challenge sits around 43 miles and is done while carrying all of my possessions on the trail with me.
When will I be attempting the 4 state challenge?
- Although it can be difficult to judge exactly when I will arrive at a certain point on trail, it is likely that I will be making my attempt in about 2 weeks.
Why create a scholarship?
- Although I consider my thru-hike of the trail to be important to my own self improvement, I realized it has been a largely selfish endeavor. I figured I could use this as an opportunity to give back to the school and community which helped shape me.
What is the scholarship for?
- Perseverance. One of my favorite things about attending Richland Northeast was watching the way that those around me persevered through difficult times and rose above the difficulties they faced. If possible, I would like this scholarship to showcase a student or students that have shown perseverance when facing down a challenge whether it be academic, athletic, personal, or anything in between. Completing this 43 mile stretch in one day will take some perseverance of my own, so I believe the theme connects well."
“I’m really proud of him because its quite a feat to do this alone," Brice's mom said.
Gina hopes to have Brice home by the holidays.
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