Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

tw, Hikers end first known continuous West Coast trek By MICHELLE MORGANTE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BORDER FIELD STATE PARK, Calif. — A pair of hiking pioneers touched the rusting fence at the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday just as the sun was sinking toward the Pacific Ocean, completing the first known continuous trek of the 1,800-mile trail down the nation’s Pacific coast. A Nate Olive and Sarah Janes, . f ecologists from the University of Georgia, held hands and kissed as they reached the end of the so-called West Coast Trail, a path running from northwestern Washington state to this point in the southwestern corner of San Diego County. “We didn’t know it was going to be possible just four or five months ago ... and now the West Coast Trail is reality,” Olive said. “It’s hard to put into words. This is amazing that we’re done.” Janes said, “Now more people are going to be coming to hike it." Mexican men and children pressed their faces up to the fence separating the two countries and shook hands with the couple, who stuck their feet through the gaps in the barrier to touch Mexican soil. Olive, 28, of Atlanta, and Janes, 23, of Slidell, La., began their journey at Washington’s Cape Flattery on June 8. H Averaging nearly 20 miles a day, the pair have threaded their way across beaches, rainforests and farm country. They marched around, and sometimes through, military bases. In mostly urbanized Southern California, they had to clamber over sea walls and jetties, many erected by homeowners trying to curb erosion, as well as dodge sewage contaminated rivers. Their path and schedule largely were set by the moon, which shaped the tidal fluctuations that allowed them either to walk across dry sand or forced them to wade. With the moon in its full phase Tuesday, the pair crossed their final waterway, the Tijuana River at low tide. The border fence separating the United States from Tijuana, Mexico, lay a short distance to the south. The pair aimed to promote and mark the West Coast Trail, parts of which are not yet linked, for the Portland, Ore. based National Coast Trail Association. About 190 of 200 miles of the trail are marked in Washington; 350 of 400 miles in Oregon; and half of the 1,200 miles in California. They also documented the trip online, and Olive is writing a book, “Dancing the Tidal Line.” AI LePage, the association’s executive director, has walked the trail in three separate legs, but knows of no other hikers to finish the journey in one trip. It’s unlikely that American Indians, or even early day explorers, did so because the route was not practical for food collection and other reasons, according to LePage. A solo hiker attempting the feat is about two months behind Olive and Janes. “They made history today,” LePage said Tuesday. “For years and years forever, these people will be remembered as the first thru-hikers on the West Coast Trail.” Sarah Janes, left, and Nate Olive, right, ecologists from the University of Georgia, celebrate the finish of their 1,800 mile journey in front of the UfS. Mexico border fence at Border Field State Park. The pair took 3 1/2 months to walk along the coast from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. DENIS POROY/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Liberal Arts senators launch > constituent site on Blackboard By TAYLOR SMITH THE GAMECOCK A group of Student Government senators has incorporated SG news and contact information into the Blackboard Web site, something they say student organizations have never done at USC. The liberal arts delegation of Student Senate announced Friday that Blackboard would have a “constituent-oriented” extension that would allow students in the liberal arts college to communicate with their senators. “This is the first group of students to ever do anything like this,” liberal arts Sen. Tommy Preston said. “This Web site will have some of the latest news and contacts for their senators.” Preston said the delegation considered starting the site to improve communication between senators and their constituents. “Basically, we felt that r ~ ■ n communication was a problem between us and students,” Preston said. “And this gives them a way to have voices heard.” Preston emphasized the deal was only possible because of how closely the Student Senate has been working with John Skvoretz, the interim dean of the Liberal Arts College and associate dean Thorne Compton. “The College of Liberal Arts has one of the most sophisticated and organized Blackboard operations on campus,” Preston said. “So we can now use these resources to better serve our constituents.” Because the content on this extension of Blackboard is so timely, Preston anticipates the Web site should be updated daily by one of the eight senators spearheading the Web site. “Definitely, we think this is a new transition for the university,” Preston said. “And I hope that even after we senators are gone, this will continue for years to come.” Preston said the link is available at the Blackboard Web site and accessible to all liberal arts students. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocbiews@gwm.sc. edu »“ 61 fmry fay* .ml Liberal Arts students can access Student Government news and communicate with their senators through an extension on the Blackboard Web site at http://blackboard.sc.edu. ■ TEACHER Continued from page 1 ’ meetings to discuss deaf rights in the work place and by being an interpreter. Johnson also helps with the association’s newsletter and Web site, where they are writing a mission statement for the association. It was difficult for Johnson growing up because she lived with her mother, who did not know sign language until Johnson was in middle school. “It was hard to communicate with my mother because I had to write to her,” Johnson said. “I said ‘finally’ when she learned how to sign.” Johnson used to have to wear a hearing aid attached to her body that she said she absolutely hated. She did not know sign language until she was 6 years old when she began to attend the Texas School for the Deaf. Johnson said she believes most of her success comes from the accomplishments she made in school. She was on the honor roll and was class secretary, dorm president and salutatorian. This is also where Johnson learned how to lip read. Johnson said her biggest influence was one of her deaf teachers in school, Franna Camenisch, “because she influenced me to write English, go to college and to be a leader.” Johnson married her husband, Chris, five years ago. Chris is a Columbia native, which is the reason Johnson moved to South Carolina. Johnson said she is thinking of going to graduate school for linguistics, but meanwhile, she will continue to teach ASL and do what she loves, including taking landscape and portrait pictures. Comments tm this story? E-mail gamecockneTVS@gwm.sc.edu The Gamecock is looking for editorial i cartoonists. If interested, call 777-7726 A ggbalt “Sen SfierrHoH (Suit Qolke^ po kol ikay kad lo lacoste come if am... r\nf* ■ a _ U&V7 ■ Mm jW EW.GWWWU bait 1633 Main Street Downtown Columbia j v Religious Directory Your guide to places of worship in Columbia Ebenezer Lutheran on the corner of Richland and Sumter WtCC 1 Ce Ceft behind’ Simply put, no. God made sure of this 2,000 years ago with the gift of Jesus. Here's the bonus: Believing in God makes of big difference not only in the next life but in this one as well. Come and see. We offer traditional and contemporary 11:00am services. For more info call 765-9430 or visit our website at ebenezeriutheran.org college ministry of irst baptist church IBBBHBat£ of Columbia join us Sundays worship @ 10:30 FREE lunch @ I 1:45 WIDEopen @ 12:15 six blocks from USC at the comer . of Hampton and Sumter streets 256.4251 •fbccola.com/college.htm n IVJV.VJ/VI l\V^IWV.W>H.VVM • » To advertise on this page call 777-5064