Hugs across America: Biglerville man on trek for Alzheimer's fund

clipped from www.eveningsun.com Every journey starts with the first step, and in Josh Howell's case, it also started with the first hug and the first dollar. Howell, 33, of Biglerville, is on his hike to raise $1 million for the Alzheimer's Association. It's a campaign he calls Hugs for Humanity. He's doing it for his mother, Diane Howell, who has Alzheimer's. He will be hiking across the country along the American Discovery Trail. He left from Cape Henlopen Park, Del., Saturday, and he hopes to have his trek of embraces completed by Thanksgiving. "My feet are a little sore, but it's going along pretty good," he said on a cell phone from downtown Annapolis. He has a lot of support, including a huge e-mail list of friends and supporters he'll keep in touch with along the way. He has a MySpace page to update along the way for his cyber-hiking friends. And, he'll meet many more on his trip as he hugs his way to trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's, the disease that afflicts his mother.