With less than 650 miles to go, an Evergreen man is about two months away from completing his quest to hike the world famous Appalachian Trail.In a phone interview with The Courant from Upper Goose Pond, Mass. on Tuesday morning, Jeff Daniels, 53, of Evergreen reported that he’s hiked 1,540 miles of the trail, commonly called the “AT,” since the start of his trip. Daniels began his trip on March 13 in Springer Mountain, Ga. and plans to finish the 2,181-mile hike in mid-September at the trail’s end in Katahdin, Maine.
The Appalachian Trail is arguably the most famous hiking trail in the world. Stretching from Georgia to Maine, the trail passes through a number of other states, including North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. While some portions of the trail cross through towns along the way, most of the trail is surrounded by vast stretches of wilderness.
The trail attracts hikers from around the world, but Daniels is one of a small percentage of hikers, called “thru-hikers,” who attempt to hike the trail’s entire length in one trip.
“It’s been a lot of fun, but it has also been the most physically challenging thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Daniels said on Tuesday. “I’ve struggled to maintain my bodyweight because of the added physical activity. I weighed 174 pounds when I started, and now I’m in the high 140s. I just try to eat as much as I can, when I can, and get as many calories down as I can. Most folks can make it on 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day under normal circumstances, but on the trail, carrying a 35-pound pack, I go through that pretty quick.
“It’s also been very demanding from a mental standpoint, just knowing every morning when you get up that you’re still on the trail and have to get going in order to get all the way to the end.”
Daniels knew in the beginning that thru-hiking the AT would be no easy task. Such trips normally take between five and seven months, and historically less than 25 percent of the hikers who set out to thru-hike the AT finish the trip.
Daniels noted that a year of preparation prior to the trip has helped him stay focused and on the trail for this long.
“A lot of it is just putting one foot in front of the other,” he said. “I just get up each day and set small goals, and it’s gotten me this far.”
Daniels tries to log 16 miles per day, but he has covered as much as 24 miles in a single day, he said.
“The terrain and weather have an impact on that, but I try to do at least 16 miles a day,” he said.
Daniels also noted that the trip would have been impossible without the support of his family, especially his wife, Kelly, and their four children.
“It’s been hard being away from my family this long, but they’ve been great and very supportive,” Daniels said. “And on my birthday, they met me at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and we spent four days together there as a family. That was a big boost for me at the halfway point of the trip.”
(Daniels is keeping an online journal of his trip, and it can be read at www.trailjournals.com/moondoggie. Also, look for continuing updates about Daniels’ trip in future editions of The Courant.”)
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