I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Since I was a Boy Scout I’ve been fascinated with the idea of a through hike and even as an adult I still think that some day I might just give it a try. I’ve read books like Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods and Robert Alden Rubin’s On the Beaten Path and I once even talked with a guy who had hiked the entire trail but that’s about as close as I’ve come. Nope, beyond a few multi-day Appalachian Trail hikes I really haven’t come close to truly understanding what it takes to be a through hiker.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I understand the seriousness and difficulty of an Appalachian Trail through hike which makes Ben Davis’s attempt to run the entire Appalachian Trail in just two months seem completely crazy. Although Davis’s attempt won’t break any speed records for the trail (the unofficial record time seems to be 48 days, 20 hours, 11 minutes held by Pete Palmer), he is hoping to raise awareness for ALS research through his journey. As of yesterday Ben and his support team were in Vermont - hopefully they make it out of New England before it starts getting too cold!

From 2175forALS via Serious Running.

Related posts:

1. Appalachian Trail News
2. Backpacking: Appalachian Trail - Wayah Bald to Cold Springs Gap
3. The Pacific Northwest Trail
4. Hiking trail maps posted
5. Hiking every trail in the White Mountains

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 5:59 am and is filed under hiking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.