According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, in 2017, an estimated 3,735 hikers embarked upon the epic 2,200-mile journey, traveling from Georgia to Maine.
Known as NoBo (Northbound) thru-hikers, many of them begin their journeys on the spring equinox. They gather at Amicalola Falls State Park, the location of the AT's southern terminus, with backpacks, trekking poles and a diverse array of life experiences.
But of the thousands that start, only about 20 percent finish.
» On March 20, photographer Doug Strickland was on the trailhead to capture the first few steps of this season's aspiring thru-hikers. We first shared their stories in "On the Trail: Meet 11 Appalachian Trail thru-hikers as they begin their journey," published in early spring.
» Then, in mid-June - which should have marked the halfway point in the typically six-month journey, according to the ATC - we decided to try to track down these hikers to find out about their travels. Were they still on the trail? Had they answered the existential questions which led them to the AT three months prior?
Here, we present the hikers and their thoughts.
Jeremy SorensenJeremy Sorensen
Trail name: Onstep
Age: 32
Hometown: Crestview, Florida
Pack weight: 32 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Why are you here? I'm at a crossroads in life. I was divorced a year ago, quit my dead-end job and now I'm scouting for a new place to live. This is the ultimate adventure, a really cool way to see lots of different places.
Favorite motivational quote? "One step at a time."
» JUNE 17
Where are you now? I'm currently approaching mile 1,200.
Any major life revelations? I'll probably move to Johnson City, Tennessee, after the trail and start a new career.
What have you missed the most? Apart from my three beautiful children, there is really nothing at all that I miss.
Koty LewisKoty Lewis
Trail name: Lit
Age: 25
Hometown: Binghamton, New York
Pack weight: 31 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0):
What's your biggest luxury item? An Anker [phone] charger that's way too big. My mom got it for me for Christmas. She really wanted me to have a charged phone on the trail.
What do you anticipate missing the most? Having a car.
Koty LewisWhere are you now? I'll be hitting 900 miles tomorrow.
What do you actually miss the most? I remember at first I said a car, but being [in] a car now is scary! The thing I miss most is dry clothes. It's rains A LOT out here.
» Lewis ended up leaving the trail around mile 1,100, and touched base with us again. "I got off at the halfway point for a family emergency. I'll be finishing the northern half next year," he says.
Tony DiorioTony Diorio
Trail name: Romeo
Age: 27
Hometown: Binghamton, New York
Pack weight: 35 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0):
Why are you here? I crashed my car, quit my job and broke up with my girlfriend. This is a good, hard reset button.
» When we spoke with Koty "Lit" Lewis on June 14, he told us that Diorio, with whom he started the trek, left the trail about three weeks earlier. "He said he felt accomplished," Lewis said. "I think he was kinda tired of it because we had a long stretch of rain and bad weather every day for like a month."
Jamie WorcesterJamie Worcester
Trail name: Juke Box
Age: 28
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Pack weight: 36 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0):
How did you train? Ate a lot of cheeseburgers.
What do you anticipate missing the most? A good beach day, a good glass of wine.
Where are you now? I have about 900 miles under my belt and will hit the halfway mark next week, so I average out to complete the thru-hike in a six-month period.
What do you actually miss the most? A chair with a back on it and fresh fruit [and] produce. After all, it's the simplest of things we take for granted.
Any major life revelations? Life has funny ways of placing you where you're meant to be. And that saying goes beyond the trail. This revelation came about when I was having my first hard day out here, as I felt hopeless in ever catching up to some friends that were a few days ahead of me. I came upon a hiker named The Missionary. (If you're reading this now, I thank you with the most sincerity.) He asked me how my hike was going, and when I replied honestly he responded with, "Well, maybe you're just meant to be here now." That one simple response has brought me relief many times since then and I think back on it often as a reminder to embrace where I am in the moment and in the span of this adventure.
Bridget NoyesBridget Noyes
Trail name: Energy
Age: 26
Hometown: Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Pack weight: 33 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0):
Greatest luxury item? A book, "Stillness Speaks," by Eckhart Tolle. I'm hoping it gives me peace if I'm not feeling peace.
Why are you here? I hope to get a greater understanding for what it means to be happy in life.
Bridget NoyesWhere are you now? I have traveled 1,311 miles. [I am] currently in Pennsylvania near the town of Carlisle.
Any interesting stories from the trail? So I was talking to KTom (AKA, Aaron Thomas, also featured in this article) in Pearisburg, Virginia, as we sat on the porch of [Angels Rest Hiker's Haven]. We both recognized each other. KTom asked me what day I started and we were surprised to find out we started on the same day! All excited, I asked him, "Did you get interviewed?" KTom said, "Yes," and I said, "No way! Have you seen the article?" KTom said, "No," so I forwarded it to him. He loved seeing it and I thought it was so cool that his father was in the article, too.
Then KTom read my section of the article and said, "No way! I'm reading 'Stillness Speaks' right now!" Then he continues to say, "I actually found it at Blue Mountain Shelter," a mere 50 miles into the trail, but at the time, in the cold, it felt like 500 miles. He says, "Yeah, the person who left it even ripped off the front and back covers." As I'm processing what he's saying, I can't even respond - because my mouth is dropped as it sinks in that this person has picked up the book that I left next to the fire pit. [It] was a gift from a friend the day before I left on the trail.
There is magic on the trail and through this article. My intention was to find peace through this book, and peace is found in between each thought and breath, but more importantly, the peace and joy is found between people!
Richard StrombergRichard Stromberg
Age: 48
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Pack weight: 70 pounds, between a backpack and a push cart
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0):
Greatest luxury item? A frying pan.
Why are you here? I'm a prepper. Not like a doomsday prepper, really, but this isn't just a trek for me; it's a test for my prepping skills. I wanted something epic, but I'm not rich. My lungs are scarred from pneumonia. I couldn't do Everest, but the AT in vertical footage is like summiting Everest [16] times.
» JUNE 9:
Are you still on the trail? No. I only made it to the [Nantahala Outdoor Center] - 158 miles. I got in a good enough routine that I knew I could do the whole thing, which then made it so that I didn't have to finish. I then got bored. I will continue to hike but won't do anymore long distance thru-hikes - I will be packing prospecting tools into backcountry next.
Bob HartBob Hart
Trail name: The Mayor
Age: 62
Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Pack weight: 42 pounds. It was 36 pounds yesterday, then my wife put a lot of health foods in it.
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Item you couldn't live without? My 9-ounce pack of Fritos. That's 1,440 calories in one pack.
Why are you here? Sometimes I set out to do things and I never finish them. I want to say I completed something I really set my heart on.
» Hart could not be reached for a followup interview.
Jennifer SelzerJennifer Selzer
Age: 49
Pack weight: 27 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Greatest luxury item? My cellphone with all my pictures of home.
Why are you here? I'm doing this for my 50th birthday. This is a reset - a hard reset. I want to find a new intention for life.
» Selzer could not be reached for a followup interview.
Aaron ThomasAaron Thomas
(son of Danny Thomas)
Trail name: KTom
Age: 47
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Pack weight: 26 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Why are you here? Midlife crisis. I retired from the Air Force a few years ago. I'm hoping to gain clarity, meeting people along the trail and get some different perspectives on life.
Aaron ThomasWhere are you now? I'm at mile 1,500.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey? I would say it's been challenging mentally, physically and emotionally. Physically, it's the elements. Mentally, it's the grind - getting up every day and doing it over and over and over again. You have to grind those miles out. When you have this much time to yourself, you have to start getting to know yourself. You bring up issues you didn't know you had. For me, it's been realizing how much I miss my daughters.
Do you feel you gained the clarity you were after? Yes, though sometimes I feel more clearheaded than others.
Danny ThomasDanny Thomas
(father of Aaron Thomas)
Age: 66
Hometown: Denair, California
Pack weight: 24 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Are you feeling prepared to hike 2,200 miles? No. I'm not trail-ready.
What section of the hike are you most excited about? The end of it - Maine.
» When we spoke with Thomas' son, Aaron "KTom" Thomas on July 19, he informed us that Danny left the trail at mile 113, about two to three weeks into the trek.
Bob GarveyBob Garvey
Trail name: The Lorax
Age: 59
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Pack weight: 43 pounds
» MARCH 20 (Mile 0)
Greatest luxury item? About 2 pounds of electronics - charger, cellphone, keyboard, iPod and Nikon camera.
Why are you here? I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's disease in 2011. I had a pretty poor prognosis back then. I met with my oncologist last Friday and he said I was clear.
» Garvey could not be located for a followup interview. However, we did find his online trail journal. His last entry is dated June 20, 2018. An excerpt reads:
"They say don't end your hike on a bad day, that you'll regret it very soon after ending it. But honestly, I've not had fun out here for over a month. I've even taken several days off from the trail to refocus and it hasn't really worked out. So while [my wife] Cathy was visiting me last week, we continued our talk about me ending my attempt at a thru hike and perhaps approaching it as a 'section hiker' sometime in the future. With that, my summiting McAfee's Knob on June 15 with Cathy at my side was my final hike as an AT thru hiker. I returned home to Michigan with her on the 16th and have been adjusting to my former 'normal' life all week.
"The attempt of the Appalachian Trail thru hike is the hardest thing I've ever attempted in my life. In total, I've completed nearly 630 miles of which I'm proud and I'm glad I could share it with you. I hope I kept your interest and you all enjoyed it."
You can read more at trailjournals.com/journal/about/22364.