In the spring of 2021, in the middle of a pandemic that had driven me and the rest of the world half crazy, I found myself in Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia ready to walk north with over 2000 miles of trail ahead of me towards Baxter State Park in Maine. For the second time in my life, I planned to walk across the United States carrying everything I needed to brace the elements and sleep in the great outdoors on my back.
87 days later, on a perfect afternoon in mid-August, I summited Mount Katahdin and finished my journey with a heart filled to the brim with the overwhelming cumulation of joy and hardships I had accumulated over the course of walking through 14 states. I had never been more tired in my life, but I was elated with the satisfaction of my own accomplishment. The trail stripped me down and exposed my limitations in a way that I couldn’t ignore, and in so doing showed me the kind of true pride and happiness that can only come on the other side of meaningful adversity.
The footpath along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains took me through landscapes and towns that left an impact with their beauty, charm, and surprising variety. The flowering shrubs and grassy bald mountains of the South impressed me, while the drawling locals made me feel at home with their hospitality. The Mid-Atlantic tested me to appreciate the experience with its rocky trails and blistering heat and humidity. A tropical storm and incessant rain and mud in southern New England made me realize what I was really made of. And finally, the wide-open alpine areas of New Hampshire and Maine brought me to the end of my adventure surrounded by wonder.
In addition to walking all those miles, I documented what I saw and felt along the way through writing and photography to share with my loved ones back home and with anyone that might be inspired by my experience. Every day, I wrote in my journal and shot pictures that offer and insight into that difficult, wonderful summer, and I’m sharing them on this site along with some writing I did about the trail after I got home.
