John Ferguson ’17 prepares for 70 day, 4,000 mile journey of a lifetime from Baltimore to Portland, Oregon through 4K for Cancer program
UMass Dartmouth student John Ferguson '17, of Douglas, Massachusetts is preparing for a 4,000 mile, 70-day journey biking across the United States this summer in support of the 4K for Cancer program through the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. John has already raised close to $4,000 and hopes to reach $5,500 by the end of his trip across the country. The marketing major leaves June 3for Baltimore, Maryland, where he will joins hundreds of other young adults biking cross country to fundraise through the 4k for Cancer program.
John’s ride follows some historical trails, such as the Oregon Trail and the Lewis and Clark Trail. After leaving Baltimore’s Inner Harbor his group heads north to southern Pennsylvania where they will strike west through the Appalachians and into the Ohio Valley. The ride continues through farmlands of Indiana before heading north to Chicago. From there riders travel through Iowa, and Nebraska before heading north to Rapid City and the Black Hills. From the Black Hills, they travel the open ranges of northern Wyoming before crossing the Big Horn Mountains. After descending from the western side of Big Horn, the ride will head north through Montana to Missoula, then head west through the Bitterroot Mountains. The route will head down the back side of Cascade range in Oregon before traveling through the Mckenzie Pass and into the Willamette Valley. The team will head out towards the pacific coast before eventually following the Columbia River back upstream to Portland in mid-August.
UMass Dartmouth students Zachary Boyer and Evan Foster participated in the 4K for Cancer program last year raising close to $10,000.
The Ulman Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization that changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, as they fight cancer and embrace survivorship. Since 2001, groups of college students have undertaken journeys across America with the goal of offering hope, inspiration and support to cancer communities along the way.
To learn more about John’s journey, you can visit his fundraising page here.