7/1/25

We are heading home after taking shuttle with same drivers to the Bangor Airport. Able to book flights at a very reasonable price through Expedia. 

Lessons learned:

1. Dreaming, extensive planning and training about a lifelong goal are necessary but don’t necessarily result in a successful finish.
2. The world is not a better place to live whether I finish the AT or not.
3. Completing the AT thru-hike is not worth risking a major injury or death. (Multiple opportunities to do so occurred going up and down the Hunt Trail to Mt. Katahdin and about 75 miles of the 100-mile wilderness.)
4. The AT Conservancy registers thru-hikers, but does not keep up with who finishes first, last or not at all. 2000-mile hikers register to receive a certificate and patch. The hiker number assigned at the start for each hiker is totally random.
5. Very few 70+ year olds have ever experienced the view from the summit of Mt. Katahdin or 70+ miles of the 100-mile wilderness other than through the window of an airplane.
6. Based on conversations with several NOBO thru-hikers on the AT, many have extensive running backgrounds at the marathon and ultra-marathon levels. Many were hiking to support a great cause and had multiple donors.
7. Other than training in Maine, nothing prepares you well for the very rugged and mountainous Maine terrain (rocks, roots, large boulders, rapidly flowing streams requiring fording, tall mountains). Hiking the Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the most southern 42-miles of the AT in Georgia were no comparison to the Maine mountains.
8. God was with me the entire time protecting me in a remarkably personal and intimate manner. He provided Marion Hoffman just 2 weeks before the trip through a mutual friend. I would not have made it home safely without Marion’s help. Many were praying for me, and those prayers resulted in a rapid and safe departure from Skycap Mountain when I was dealing with a left great toe injury causing great pain intermittently. 
9. I was pleased to be able to share about Jesus with several hikers and put a Gideon Bible App in every shelter visited. Most hikers I met really need Jesus as their personal Savior. I was blessed to spend an afternoon with Rev. Daryl and Mary Witmer in Monson. After eating probably the best deli sandwich and fruit salad at the Monson General Store, they treated us to fresh strawberries and ice cream the gave me a tour of their Anchor Apologetics Center. Despite being wheelchair-bound, Daryl ministers directly to hikers coming through Monson.
10. My next hiking goal will be based on what I am physically and mentally capable of doing as a 70-year old man. I am likely going to hike the 1,400-mile Florida Trail from Pensacola to the Everglades in the next 6 months. Marion is interested in going with me.
11. I was blessed to have experienced some of the best and worst aspects of thru-hiking the AT. Best experiences included unexpected trail angel, gorgeous lakes and mountain top views, small animals including many squirrels, chipmunks, 2 non venomous snakes, bird sounds, Shaw’s Hiking Hostel in Monson, Maine. Shaw’s Hostel provided a great bed in a personal room, hot showers, washers/dryers with clothes to wear while washing very malodorous clothes, Wi-Fi, incredible breakfast with eggs, bacon, potatoes, unlimited blueberry pancakes and coffee, wonderful shuttle service and helpful staff, hiker box and outfitter store all at a very reasonable price. My worst experiences included the extreme fatigue after 12-hour hiking days and marked elevation increases with listless feeling, no appetite, and discouragement. I also learned that freeze-dried food whether cold-soaked for 4 hours or heated on a burner tastes horrible. I had to eat most days with intermittent dry heaves just to get calories in me. Moving forward I think food like beef jerky, trail mix in different varieties, Pop Tarts, peanut M&M’s, twizzlers, Cliff Bars is the way to go. Eat the healthy food while in towns along the way. 
12. Keep pack weight as low as possible (less than 30 pounds ideal). Keep enough water to get to the next water source. Pack food in individual packets for each meal. Items to leave out on next hike: cook kit, sunglasses, cold weather gear (unless major climate change expected), bear spray (unless known high-bear activity). Need more on next hike: Liquid IV electrolyte powder, extra water filter.  I will likely use a tent with a sleeping pad in the future since much easier and quicker to set up and take down (weight similar). 

Unfortunately, since Delta took extra time getting 5 people off the plane due to weight balance issues and east coast weather conditions, we missed our original flight to Fort Myers. Marion was able to get a seat on the last flight of the day to Fort Myers, but I was initially reassigned to a flight on July 2nd. However, I spoke with a very nice Delta gate attendant at the gate where Marion’s flight was to leave, and he was able to get me on that flight which ended up being delayed until 11:30 PM. We arrived home about 1 AM. Kathy picked both of us up and took Marion home.

6/24/25

Hiked out of Baxter State Park: stopped at Abol Bridge Store to buy ice cream, cold drink, Hydrolyte; charged phone and Garmin, then hiked to Hurd Pond Lean to at SOBO 18.6. Good water source and privy. I was extremely tired, had no appetite, and thought during the night to go back to Abol Bridge Store and wait for ride home. I actually camped 0.5 miles before Lean To and good water source. I heard a NOBO hiker come by about 1 AM! By the next morning I felt much better and met Marion at Hurd Pond Lean To.

6/25/25

We decided to limit hiking day to 10 hours/day and take breaks every 2 hours (remove pack, rehydrate. Eat snacks) and this really helped! Hiked to Rainbow Springs Campsite at SOBO 26.3. Only problem was that I injured my left great toe when getting up during the night; required duck tape to hold skin flap in place so I could hike.

6/26/25

Hiked to Waleigh Stream Lean To at SOBO 38.2. Met very nice Christian youth group called Trail ? (Response to change in Boy Scout direction). Great leaders and boyshiking 100-mile Wilderness NOBO. Uneventful camping near lean To. 

6/27/25

Woke up about 4:30 AM, packed, ate breakfast, and the hiked to PotaywadjoSprings Lean To at SOBO 48.3. Our first trail magic at road crossing by husband of NOBO thru-hiker from Bradenton, Fl. Drank 2 cold drinks.emptied trash and ate package of Pop Tarts; thanked trail angel for this wonderful surprise! Only Marion and I camped at site. Feeling a bit down from fatigue, low appetite, missing Kathy and dogs, but Marion was very encouraging. Filtered water, used privy, rinsed off with stream water, cooked supper, journaled and went to bed.

6/28/25

Hiked to Antlers Campsite at SOBO 51.8; able to get cellular service! Hiked on to Cooper Brook Falls Lean To at SOBO 59.7. After getting up at 1 AM to put up my hammock tarp after hearing lots of wind, got through the night with all dry things staying dry. Packed up under the tarp and had blueberry breakfast. Marion late waking up, so I began hiking at his request. Very smooth hike to Cooper Brooks Fall Lean To at SOBO 59.7. Walked in rain most of the way – no bugs and cool! Sleeping in shelter for the first time – full house, but dry! Able to hang hammock from front to back poles with some work. Met several people including West Point graduate, nanny taking 4 weeks off, recent high school graduate. Heading to Logan Brook Lean To at SOBO 71.4 tomorrow.

6/29/25

Extremely difficult hike up Little Boardman and Skycap Mountains at 2400feet. Several difficult river crossings. Camped near Logan Brook Lean To. My left great toe is now throbbing and very tender. Discouraged and do not feel I can go further with several 3,000+ mountains ahead. Nearly every step is fall hazard and river crossings very dangerous. 

6/30/25

During the night, I made the decision to come off AT before a major injury or death occurred. Closest road 2 miles north and next major road SOBO 13 miles ahead, so decided to go back down Skycap Mountain and try to get shuttle to Monson. Marion had turned off airplane mode before going down mountain, and he heard sounds from text messages coming in about 3/4 way down mountain. For only about a 6 foot distance could a 1 bar signal be detected,  but I was able to call Daryl Witmer in Monson and then Shaw’s Hostel who sent a driver to pick us up. This was an incredible divine gift from God that still brings tears to my eyes! The driver arrived within 45 minutes after we arrived at the designated gate on a logging road. We had a wonderful conversation with this young couple who met on the AT and were recently engaged at Springer Mountain, Georgia. We arrived in the beautiful little town of Monson, Checked into this famous hostel, put out items to dry, took a hot shower, washed our dirty clothes, and the had the best sandwich and fruit bowl at the Monson General Store. We also met Daryl and Mary Witmer who treated us to strawberries and ice cream, then showed me through their Apologetics Center. Daryl was pastor of the Monson  Community Church, an Evangelical Free Church, for30 years. He is now in a wheelchair after acquiring Gillian Barre disease many years ago, but he continues to minister to AT thru-hikers. I am so thankful that I experienced the AT for this past week but did not think risking my life continuing on the trail was wise.

I know some of those reading this story will be disappointed with my short AT hike, but I know that I gave my maximum effort with a lot of training and planning. Very few 70+ years old people have hiked Mt. Katahdin and 70+ miles of the AT. I can assure you now from personal experience that the AT is an extremely challenging hike with lots of opportunities for major injuries or death. We fly back to Fort Myers tomorrow after getting a shuttle from Monson to Bangor, Maine.

After a good but somewhat restless night of sleep in Ft. Myers anticipating the start of my 2,200-mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (AT), Kathy drove me to the RSW Airport where I met my new friend, Marion Hoffman.

Marion is a 76-year old former farmer who has run marathons in every state and already completed the AT in sections. He heard about my plans from a mutual friend, Bill Schroeder, who serves with me as an Elder at McGregor Baptist Church.

When Marion last hiked the mighty Mt. Katahdin, Maine, the fog was so thick that nothing could be seen from the summit. He wants to climb this mountain again to get a better view and just enjoys hiking.

Marion and I had uneventful flights to Atlanta and Bangor, Maine and met a former faculty member, Dr. Jim Jarvis, and his wife, Dianne, who gave me a grand tour of Bangor, a city of about 35,000 people.

Bangor felt like a small, rural town in the south with much cooler weather and lots of trees and green grass thanks to a very rainy spring. We enjoyed a great meal at a local restaurant on the Penobscot River. It’s the largest river entirely within Maine and a significant part of the state’s history and economy. 

Jim and Diane were gracious to put me up in their beautiful home, treated me with some great ice cream at DQ, and will drive Marion and me to Baxter State Park located about 2 hours northwest of Bangor on Sunday.

We will camp in Katahdin Stream Campground on Sunday, June 22, 2025, hike up to the summit of Mt. Katahdin and back to the campground on Monday, then begin hiking through the 100-mile Wilderness on Tuesday. Minimal cellular signal and no resupply are available in this section. I am very excited to begin this lifelong dream but also a bit anxious thinking about what may await us.

I serve and fully trust in God who created everything we will see over these next 5-6 months. I also know that many friends are praying for me on this journey.

I am excited about placing a Gideon Bible App card in all 262 AT shelters and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ using some Gideon Personal Witnessing Testaments for those I meet along the trail needing to know Jesus as their personal Savior.