10th Anniversary of a Thru Hike - Part 3 - How a Dream is Born

It's always good to reminisce about those crucial pre-hike events that spawned the long distance adventure like back in '07 when I did the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. So it was in early Jan of 2007 when I reminisced about my older brother and the hikes we used to take long ago when I was a teen - helping to spawn a 30 year fascination with the trail and a desire to walk it all.

Here is my post from ten years ago honoring big brother for that and for his encouragement.

And if you are looking for an inaugural event to kick off an AT dream, the trail through Shenandoah National Park is a good place to start, and a place where dreams are born!


"I start off the New Year in anticipation of my hike just a mere two months. Hard to believe. But what

Getting the idea for the AT at age 15. 

better way to begin this year than with a word about my older brother, Rob.

You see, Rob and I first did a part of the AT back when I was a young teen. We did a day hike together, a section in Shenandoah National Park from Stony Man to Big Meadows. I never forgot it. We stopped at the Rock Spring Cabin where he cooked me up some soup on his stove. I felt like a real hiker, even though I was carrying my candy cane striped daypack ( I have a picture of the daypack on my hiking web site). We had a great time discovering views, a blooming chestnut tree, and just being hiking buddies.

Big brother on our hike in Shenandoah when I was a teen.
He fired up his stove and made us soup at Rock Spring Hut

Today I talked on the phone with him, and we shared about my upcoming hike this year. And he had nothing but encouraging words for me. To go for it all the way. To live my dream. And to do the hike for himself and his family.

I was so touched. But then again, I was touched too, long ago, on that section of the AT in
Shenandoah.

Rob, this hike's for you! Thanks for being there."

AT wander with big brother in Shenandoah - I did nine miles that day from
Little Stony Man to Big Meadows and was excstatic