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Childhood – Present
Appalachian Trail
White blazes, rocky ridgelines, and a lifetime of miles — from boyhood day hikes in Pennsylvania to the summit of Katahdin.
White blazes, rocky ridgelines, and a lifetime of miles — from boyhood day hikes in Pennsylvania to the summit of Katahdin.
No trail has been part of my life longer than the Appalachian Trail. I've day-hiked stretches of it more times than I can count — from the time I was a kid right up through today — and somewhere along the way it went from a place we visited to a thread running through my whole life outdoors.
Those outings come in two flavors: day hikes — out-and-backs to a favorite overlook, or a long, hard summit push — and multi-day backpacking trips, carrying everything in and sleeping in the trail's three-sided shelters. I've done plenty of both, in five of the trail's fourteen states.
A white blaze on the rock — the AT's marker from Georgia to Maine.
The AT's diamond emblem — you learn to love the sight of it.
The full Appalachian Trail runs 2,197.9 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine, crossing 14 states. First proposed in 1921 and completed in 1937, it's considered the longest hiking-only footpath in the world — protected and maintained by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and thousands of volunteers.
Highlighted = the five states I've hiked · 2,197.9 miles · 14 states · official interactive map ›
It started in Pennsylvania. Growing up, we camped at Blue Rocks Campground and hiked up to Pulpit Rock and The Pinnacle — two rocky overlooks with some of the best views in the state, looking out over the patchwork farmland below. Once I was old enough to drive, I went back to that same stretch with friends more times than I can remember.
Pennsylvania's AT has a nickname among hikers — "Rocksylvania" — and it earns it. The trail here is a relentless jumble of stones that tests your ankles and your patience. But it's home turf, and I've never gotten tired of it.
The kind of valley view that makes the climbs worth it in Pennsylvania.
"Rocksylvania" — exactly as advertised.
A signpost marking the way along the AT.
Boardwalk planks carrying the trail across the boggy spots.
Still coming back to these Pennsylvania ridges decades later.
Beyond home turf, I've hiked pieces of the AT in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maine — each state with its own character, from the rolling green tunnel of the mid-Atlantic to the raw, rocky north.
The northern end is the prize: Mount Katahdin in Maine, the trail's northern terminus, which I've summited three different times. It's a tough climb well above tree line, with weather that can turn without warning — but on a clear day, the views from the top are simply incredible.
At the Katahdin summit sign — the northern terminus of the AT (2013).
Maine, 2005 — one of the earlier trips north.
The rugged country of the trail's far north.
Wind-bent and weathered — life hangs on up high.
Above the trees on Katahdin — big, raw, alpine country.
Katahdin sits in Baxter State Park, and the most memorable way across its summit ridge is the Knife's Edge — a trail that runs along a thin spine of rock with sheer drop-offs on both sides. If you know, you know. It's exposed, slow going, and not for anyone uneasy with heights, but it's one of the most spectacular stretches of trail anywhere.
Summiting Katahdin and traversing the Knife's Edge in one push makes for a long, tough, unforgettable day hike — the kind you're still thinking about years later.
The Knife's Edge — a thin rock spine with drop-offs on both sides.
More recently, I've done a handful of multi-day overnight backpacking trips with my cousin Michele, mostly in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. There's a different rhythm to carrying everything you need and spending the night out — the trail's three-sided shelters, the quiet evenings, and the simple satisfaction of covering ground day after day.
On the trail with my cousin Michele.
A trail shelter in Virginia — home for the night.
The Ed Garvey Shelter in Maryland.
One of the old stone structures the trail passes in Maryland.
The spiritual heart of the trail sits in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where the Appalachian Trail Conservancy — the nonprofit that protects and manages the AT — keeps its headquarters. It's long been considered the trail's psychological midpoint, and thru-hikers traditionally stop in to have their photo taken for the Conservancy's records. I've made the stop myself.
At the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters in Harpers Ferry.
The footbridge across the river at Harpers Ferry, where the AT crosses.
The Appalachian Trail is just one chapter. Explore the other trails, rides, and expeditions.
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