Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Douglas “Doug” Craw has been trekking across the United States since April 9.
During that time, he has encountered people, animals, climates and absolutely everything else; but this was never a ride just for the joy of it. On Thursday, June 23, Craw was finally able to return home and sleep in his own bed after completing the final portion of his trek.
While Craw is very much a traveler at heart and enjoys bike tours, the trip was meant to raise funds for the New Hampshire-based organization he works for, Granite State Independent Living (GSIL).
There, Craw promotes independent lives for disabled individuals and at-risk students by assisting them where needed in order to see them pass all the requirements to be presented with a GED. He also helps where needed in the areas of job applications and preparing them for job interviews.
After returning home on June 23, Craw was up again the next morning to ride into the GSIL headquarters, located in Concord, as the official end of his trip despite reaching the coast the evening before.
During the entire trip, Craw’s mother, Margaret Throgmorton, a local of Madison County, has been keeping careful track of Craw’s progress across the country.
Throgmorton has also been working behind the scenes to help raise funds to send to Craw.
Craw’s trip was entirely unsupported; if he needed food, water, bike repairs or lodging, it was all from his own wallet, which could add a strain on fundraising.
According to Throgmorton, however, the trip was wildly successful, with Craw raising almost $16,000. Eight thousand of that, Throgmorton said, was cash or checks that members of the Madison County community had given her to send to Craw.
While Craw himself is not a resident of Madison County, the community moved to support the son of a local and helped massively in providing productive results for Craw’s strenuous trip.
According to Craw, he is already willing to start a new bike tour; it’s what he loves doing, as Craw has always been adventurous and willing to thrust himself into new experiences.