Susie McNeely decided as a young woman in 1979 that she would hike the Appalachian Trail with two of her closest friends. That trip had a lasting impact on her, as she went on to complete the Pacific Crest Trail in 1983, and then after retiring in 2016, the Continental Divide Trail which made her one of about 200 people to complete the triple crown of American hiking. Richard Judy, from Episode 1, is a longtime friend and hiking companion, and said of her strength on the trail: "When it comes to hiking, I would follow her into hell."

Matt Hall wasn't always sure life would allow him a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. He battled addiction and ran afoul of the law, but when he got clean, he was given the opportunity to hike the Appalachian Trail as the A.T. Chaplain, a position he was selected for through the United Methodist Church. His hike became an opportunity for him to reflect on his past mistakes and the newfound perspective one gains on the walk from Mt. Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, GA.

SHOW NOTES:

The Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy on Facebook

The Appalachian Trail Chaplaincy

Jennifer Pharr Davis has hiked the Appalachian Trail three times, won the 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award, has written five books on her adventures outside and at one point, held the record for the fastest known thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. But before she was an icon in the American hiking community, in 2005, she set out on her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail as a recent college graduate with little knowledge of the outdoors in hopes of taking a risk and finding something else along the way. In Episode 2 she talks about her youth, the tragedy she encountered on the trail, and how she learned to be confident in who she was and overcome her own insecurities.

For Richard Judy, the idea of an Appalachian Trail thru-hike began as a Boy Scout, where he developed a love of the outdoors. Decades later, with two children who have done AT thru-hikes, Richard has been on trails all over the world, has written a novel based on his hike, and continues to make the AT a central part of his life. 

Show Notes:

Thru, An Appalachian Trail Love Story by Richard Judy