Welcome to the Appalachian Trail

Mark and Tim on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

 While stumbling down an unknown footpath deep in the Green Mountains of Vermont sometime during the mid 1980s, a pair of recreational vagabonds pondered the ultimate backpacking adventure. When they spoke of this 2000 mile journey, it was as if they were speaking of an unattainable dream, a golden quest, an epic of legend. They spoke of grand adventure and endless bliss in a pristine wilderness. It was on that day, during that walk, the decision to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail was made. These two intrepid travelers were about to embark on the trip of a lifetime.

     This website chronicles the recollection our 1987 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I’m not going to bore you with the historic details of the Trail or give exhaustive descriptions of mountaintop vistas. There are plenty of great books for that out there… These stories reflect the experiences of Mark, my hiking partner for the entire expedition, and myself. The many wacky adventures and misadventures that are included within this website represent what the Appalachian Trail was really about for Mark and myself.

     Our six month journey was more than just a walk in the woods, it was a half a year off from work! Six whole months of walking along the Appalachian Trail was, without a doubt, the best 180 days of my life, hiking and partying all the way to Katahdin. Mark and I experienced both the good and the not so good as we walked north on a thin slice of America. From that very first blister to that very last mountaintop scramble, hiking the Appalachian Trail was not always what we expected. The adventure was not confined to the Appalachian Trail and the journey sometimes went far beyond the footpath. So drop your backpack, fill your water bottle, grab a handful of gorp and settle back for a delightful account of two hikers on the Appalachian Trail and their adventure from Georgia to Maine.

Tim and Mark in the Smoky Mountains

The Adventure by Chapter

  1. Journey to Springer Mountain
  2. White Blazes From Now On
  3. Cast Party at Neels Gap
  4. From Winter to Rainbow Springs
  5. Balding Mountains and the Fontana Hilton
  6. Smokin’ Thru the Smokies
  7. New Boots and Pancakes
  8. Of Shelter Mice and Hiking Men
  9. Walking With Spring to Hot Springs
  10. Hiking Along the Borderline
  11. Greetings Uncle Nick Gindstaff
  12. Virginia Creeping on the Virginia Creeper
  13. Trail Days and Ramp Eating
  14. Southern Hospitality, Southern Hostility
  15. Dismal Creek and Woods Hole
  16. Greener in Virginia
  17. Flight of the Heartbroken Hiker
  18. Blue Ridge Walk to Waynesboro
  19. Shenandoah, Land of Beer and Deer
  20. Walking Among the Insects
  21. Its Happening in Harpers Ferry
  22. Half Way in Pennsylvania
  23. From the AT to Washington, DC
  24. Party at Port Clinton
  25. Rockin’ Thru Painsylvania
  26. Out of the Gap and Into Some New States
  27. Off and On the Appalachian Trail
  28. Return to New England
  29. Snoots Up in Connecticut
  30. Our Turn on the Mass Pike Bridge
  31. Croo Life on Greylock
  32. Vermont, Land of a Zillion Flies
  33. Dog Days in the Green Mountains
  34. Walking Away From the Long Trail
  35. Entering the White Mountains
  36. Life in the White Mountains
  37. Out of Gorham and Into Maine
  38. Mahoosic Moose and a Speck Birthday
  39. The Pain In Maine is Mainly the Rain
  40. A Ride in the Gravy Boat
  41. Hundred Mile Wilderness
  42. Kette-Adene; the Greatest Mountain
  43. Back in the Real World
  44. Appalachian Trail Sketchbook