Eight-week journey covers 600 miles

	Bryan Gregg '06 enjoys a break along the Appalachian Trail.

For Bryan Gregg '06, the phrase "take a hike" isn't an insult — it's a call to action.

Shortly after graduation last June, Gregg joined three friends on a road trip that took them along the Appalachian Trail from Richmond, Va., to New York City. The 600-mile journey lasted eight weeks — because the group traveled the entire distance on foot in an effort to raise awareness about and funds for global issues.

The project raised $15,000 for the International Rescue Committee and Doctors without Borders, which used the money to support relief efforts in Darfur and Pakistan.

Gregg, who completed a self-designed major in "Modern Globalization of Culture and the Media" that included courses in both film and international studies, captured the trip on videotape. A version of the resulting documentary aired on mtvU in a segment called "Global Summer." Since then, Gregg and a fellow hiker have edited a longer version titled "A Long Walk Home."  

The project had other life-changing consequences for Gregg. He was able to parlay his work on the film into a full-time job as a production coordinator for mtvU, a position he began earlier this month.

"We wanted to find a creative way to connect people — particularly students — with the issues they learn about so they will get more invested in the causes," Gregg said when asked how the project got started.

Since their journey, the four have worked to create a nonprofit organization to further their efforts. Long Walk Home will provide innovative ways to connect people with pressing humanitarian and environmental issues and provide a forum for them to express their viewpoints.

Future goals include socially-conscious film festivals at Connecticut College and the University of Richmond. While those plans — and other projects, including a trip to Indonesia to film the ongoing tsunami relief efforts — are still in the works, Gregg is confident that Long Walk Home will open people's eyes to the world around them.

"We're building a foundation for something that could help share the experiences of Conn students, allowing people to better connect to global issues," said Gregg. "With adequate funding there's potential for it to grow into something great."