Announcing My 2021 Appalachian Trail Thru-hike!

 It's finally beginning to feel real.  I have wanted to do this for so long I thought the day would never come.  Beginning in March 2021 I will begin my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail!  Unfortunately, I will not be doing this in conjunction with The Quest for Sustainability in the United States documentary.  I will not have the proper gear or funding to do it right now.

History and Goals for Divinum Sustinieri

This is the second video to make the migration from my Gecko's Trails YouTube channel to my new Divinum Sustinieri YouTube channel.

Divinum Sustinieri Introduction

I decided it was time to separate the 2 topics on my Gecko's Trails YouTube channel.  I have moved all of the videos related to my philosophy, Divinum Sustinieri to this new YouTube channel.  Enjoy and Subscribe!

The Last Bit of My Family (almost) Has Been Found!!!

Well, it's official.  The last bit of my birth family has been found, with the exception of a half-sister on my birth mother's side...Barbara Jean Wells.  I had a cousin on my birth father's side email me through MyHeritage.com asking me why, if we were so closely related, she hadn't ever heard of me? I explained to her about being adopted and she told me that I looked just like her uncle Richard.

The cousin, Jennifer Young, put me in contact with Richard's daughter, Jodi Young-Vinson.  Jodi told me that her father and his brother, Ray Young, used to hang out with my birth mother, Mozell Wells, and her brother Odell when they were teenagers.  Richard, who is still alive by the way, says that he doesn't remember ever being with Mozell intimately.  His brother, Ray (who died in 1977 in a car accident) was only 14 years old at the time (Mozell was 18 or 19), so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Ray could have been my father.  Jennifer and I convinced Jodi to get an AncestryDNA kit.  If her results matched mine as a close family member then Richard was my father and if they matched mine as a 1st-2nd cousin then Ray was my father.  The results came back as a close family member...Richard Young is my father!  Richard is still kind of confused but he has accepted the newest addition to his clan...they are big on family.  By finding out that Richard is my father I gained another 6 half-brothers and half-sisters!!!  Everybody wants to meet me...they are all excited!!!  It turns out that both sides of my birth family are from Baytown, Texas.

Well, that is the latest family update.  Talk to everyone later!

Jan 3, 2020 - First Hike of the New Year

This Gecko's Family Just Grew Bigger!

October 25, 2019

Recently my wife, Michelle, convinced me to do the Ancestry.com DNA test.  As you may or may not know I was adopted when I was 4 years old and never knew who my birth family was.  I had heard stories and rumors over the years from the DePelchin Faith Home that I was adopted from and my adopted mother, but nothing was ever proven other than my last name at birth.  My adopted mother had heard that my birth surname was either Hill or Wells.  I went to the Terrell Genealogical Library in Beaumont, Texas and researched both names in the Texas State Birth Index that had on microfiche.  It turns out that there was a list for a Billy Wayne Wells born on my birth day, in the county I was born in, and with the same birth number that is on my birth certificate with my adopted name, Billy Wayne Mitchell.

So, I collected my spit in the test tube from the DNA kit and mailed it in to the Ancestry.com testing facility and in about 2 weeks my results were ready online.  With the information it gave me my life was changed forever.  I found not one, but TWO half-sisters, Kelli and Katheryn, from my birth mother's side of a family tree that I could now trace back!  Not only that, but I found out that there was a third half-sister that still needs to be found, Barbara.

It gets even better, though...

Both of my half-sisters live in Baytown, Texas and last weekend my wife and I had to attend a wedding in Houston.  We all got together for lunch the day before the wedding at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Baytown!  I got to meet my sisters in person for the first time!!!

 L to R: Katheryn, Kelli, Billy (me)

L to R: Billy (me), Katheryn, Kelli

Since then, I have been in contact with several other new family members such as an aunt and numerous cousins.  They are all so eager to meet us!

And there is even newer news!  I just came across a marriage license for my birth mother, Mozell Wells and a man named Charles Moore Siedlecki from 1969...I was born in 1970!  This guy could be my birth father!  I got into contact with a guy on Facebook named Louis Siedlecki who might be Charles' brother, but he hasn't responded to my Messenger message yet.  He DID however accept my Friend request.  Better news still....Louis lives right here in my hometown of San Marcos, Texas!!!  Here's to hoping that the search for my birth-father is over!

So to all of you fellow adoptees out there...DNA testing works!!!

August 2, 2019 Gecko's Overlook Dayhike

The Upper Purgatory Creek Natural Area entrance to Dante's Trail has to be my favorite trail section in San Marcos, Texas because it takes me to what local trail maps call 'the Overlook'.  I have renamed it 'Gecko's Overlook'!

*SPOILER ALERT*  In this video I talk about the movie 'Tolkien' and some revelations I have made after watching it.  I also talk about some upcoming video projects that I would like to do, including the Panther Canyon Trail in Lambda Park, New Braunfels, Texas and some trails in Palmetto State Park outside of Luling, Texas.

I didn't mention it in the video, but I'm going to make another video showcasing the ways subscribers and viewers can contribute to my hiking and thru-hiking endeavors, which creates new content for you guys to enjoy.  These modes of contribution include Patreon, GoFundMe, PayPal, my REI Wishlist, and a few others.  I'm continuing to save money on my own but it is very slow going...with you guy's help I can get there much faster!  Every single donation...financial and gear...will be used exclusively in getting me out on the trail which gets you guys more new and exciting hiking adventures to watch.

Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/GeckosTrails
GoFundMe:  Upcoming
PayPal:  https://www.paypal.me/geckostrails
REI Wishlist:  http://www.rei.com/lists/344344806

So stay tuned!!!  Don't forget to hit the 'Subscribe' button and the 'thumbs up' icon if you enjoyed this video!