High Country’s Andy Rein Hikes the Appalachian Trail
STORY BY TIM GARDNER
Much of Andy Rein’s life has been centered around taking on challenges of various sorts and successfully conquering them. Most of these have been in the sport of wrestling; however, Banner Elk resident Rein’s latest and perhaps biggest-ever challenge has been hiking the entire distance of the longest hiking-only trail in the world, the Appalachian Trail.
Rein is generally considered one of the top wrestling personalities of all-time for his feats wrestling on the high school level, next at the University of Wisconsin, then as head coach there, where he established himself as one of the top collegiate coaches in the nation.
“Wrestling provided me a platform to grow as an individual and work towards excellence as a high school and collegiate wrestler, then later as a coach,” Rein noted. “It allowed me to build self-awareness, truly understand who I was as a person – my strengths and weaknesses, my behaviors, habits, commitments, and how to bounce back from any setbacks I may encounter. It was a great journey, and I am thankful to have had the opportunities wrestling presented me.”
Truly, Rein’s wrestling achievements need no elaboration; only facts.
Originally from Stoughton, Wisconsin, Rein was a silver medalist at the 1984 United States Olympics in Los Angeles after being an alternate for the 1980 Olympics. He captured a gold medal at the prestigious Tbilisi (Soviet Union) International Tournament in 1983 and was a silver medalist at the Super Champion Title Tournament in Tokyo, Japan in 1985. The fourtime National Freestyle champion won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in 1979 while finishing fourth at the World Championships in 1981 and earning a silver medal at the World Cup in 1982.
He was a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) three-time All-America (1978, ’79, and ’80), a national champion, and two-time national championship finalist for the University of Wisconsin, capturing the national title at 150 pounds in 1980. He compiled a phenomenal and perfect record of 40 wins and 0 losses during that season.
Rein was national runner-up in 1978 at 142 pounds. Following an injury, he finished sixth in the national championship tournament for the 1979 season, also at 142 pounds.
Additionally, Rein was a two-time Big Ten Conference individual champion (1980 and ‘78). He also won three Midlands Tournament titles and was a two-time East-West All-Star Meet champion.
Rein had a stellar collegiate career wrestling record of 11913-1.
Before his collegiate career, Rein was a two-time Wisconsin prep state champion for Stoughton High School while also
Andy Rein and his dog, Boomer, train for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Photo submitted.
capturing state and national AAU titles in Greco-Roman and freestyle.
Rein was head coach for the University of Wisconsin Badgers for seven seasons, leading them to Top 15 finishes at the NCAA Division I Championships six times. He coached three national champions and 14 All-Americans while compiling a career coaching record of 81-41-3. He was NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year in 1987 and Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year in 1992.
He also was a National Wrestling Coaches Association AllStar Team coach in 1993 and was a member of USA Wrestling's national freestyle coaching staff.
His stellar other sports accomplishments include: University of Wisconsin Athlete of the Century honoree; Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame induction (2002); Area Sportsperson of the Year Award honoree in 1976 and 1980 from the Madison, Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fame; Midlands Hall of Fame induction; George Martin Wrestling Hall of Fame induction; and University of Wisconsin Badger Legend Award recipient.
Rein’s pinnacle sports achievement is enshrinement in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2022) as a Distinguished Member – its most prestigious milestone.
A Distinguished Hall of Fame Member can be a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport. Wrestlers must have been retired from active competition for a period of five years to be eligible for consideration as a Distinguished Member.
Rein became the tenth and final wrestler of the 1984 United States Olympic freestyle team to be honored as a Distinguished Hall of Fame Member, making it the only Olympic team to
have every wrestler enshrined as such. Other team members and the years they were chosen as a Distinguished Member are Ed Banach (1993), Lou Banach (1994), Bruce Baumgartner (2002), Barry Davis (2007), Joe Gonzales (2015), Randy Lewis (1998), Dave Schultz (1997), Mark Schultz (1995), and Bobby Weaver (2008). Additionally, every member of that 1984 Olympics team’s coaching staff is also a Hall of Fame Distinguished Member with their year of enshrinement as such following their name: head coach Dan Gable (1980) and assistant coaches Bobby Douglas (1987), Stan Dziedzic (1996), J Robinson (2005), and Bill Weick (2007). That also makes it the only Olympics team ever with not only all its wrestlers, but also all its coaches inducted as Distinguished Members.
Wrestling provided me a platform to grow as an individual and work towards excellence as a high school and collegiate wrestler, then later as a coach. It allowed me to build self-awareness, truly understand who I was as a person – my strengths and weaknesses, my behaviors, habits, commitments, and how to bounce back from any setbacks I may encounter. It was a great journey, and I am thankful to have had the opportunities wrestling presented me.
- ANDY REIN
Andy Rein and his family at his 2022 induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. (L-R): Brady & Hannah Rein, Susy & Andy Rein, Jenna & Kit Zipf. Photo submitted.
Rein said being a National Wrestling Hall of Fame enshrinee, especially a Distinguished Member, provides a special elation.
"It's a tremendous milestone of which I'm most proud," he declared. "I owe a lot of people deep appreciation for their part in my journey to this Hall of Fame – especially my family, athletes I've coached who meticulously strived every day to improve and
become the best they could be, my staff members, my teammates who I wrestled alongside, administrators I've worked for, my coaches, and opponents I competed against as a wrestler and as a coach for the challenges, as well as lessons learned, from the wins and losses. To have the opportunity to be in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with such other outstanding contributors to the sport is a thrill.”
Rein’s newest challenge – one unlike any other he has attempted and among his most monumental – is hiking the entire distance of the Appalachian Trail.
The spry 66-year-old set out in early April to hike the entire 2,197.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail, which he is currently in the process of doing. He is dedicating this hike to “Power Beyond,” the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s first-ever endowment campaign to help secure its future.
Rein chose to benefit the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with his hike because one of its goals is to inspire future generations.
“In the future, I’d like to get involved more with youth wrestling, as I believe I still have some advice and help to give to make really young wrestlers better at the sport,” he stated. “I got my start in third grade. Without youth wrestling, who knows where I would
In the future, I’d like to get involved more with youth wrestling, as I believe I still have some advice and help to give to make really young wrestlers better at the sport,” he stated. “I got my start in third grade. Without youth wrestling, who knows where I would have been. And it’s very important to me, both professionally and personally, to give back to the sport, which helped me so much and has been such an integral part of my life for a long time.
- ANDY REIN
Andy Rein wrestles in the 1982 World Cup. Photo by Dennis Bronte.
1984 USA Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. Kneeling (L-R): Andy Rein, Dave Schultz, Randy Lewis, Barry Davis. Standing (L-R): Coach Bill Weick, Coach Dan Gable, Mark Schultz, Ed Banach, Lou Banach, Bruce Baumgartner, Coach Stan Dziedzic, Coach Bobby Douglas, Coach J Robinson. Not pictured: Bobby Weaver and Joe Gonzales. Photo submitted.
Andy Rein was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2022. Photo submitted.
have been. And it’s very important to me, both professionally and personally, to give back to the sport, which helped me so much and has been such an integral part of my life for a long time.”
Those who desire can help Rein as he dedicates his “Thru-Hike” of the Appalachian Trail to secure the future of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by making financial donations to its endowment campaign. Details about doing such can be obtained by going to nwhof.org/exhibits/powerbeyond-2024.
Donors who give to the "Power Beyond" Endowment Campaign in recognition of Rein’s Appalachian Trail thru-hiking efforts can elect to receive an email each Sunday from the Hall of Fame which features photographs and narrative from the previous seven days of Rein’s hiking experiences.
Also, those who want to can follow Rein’s Appalachian Trail journey via Instagram @ nationalwrestlinghof or @andyrein84, as well as on Facebook @andyrein84 or @nwhof.
“I’m most grateful for the support I’ve received and will receive in the future in this hiking journey through the well-wishes and prayers of all who give them and for the donations given to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame,” Rein stated.
The history of the Appalachian Trail is “unique and fascinating,” Rein declared. It was first proposed in 1921 and was completed in 1937. Improvements and changes to it have continued since. It became the Appalachian National Scenic Trail under the National Trails System Act of 1968. It is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships, and managed by
Andy Rein is using his epic hiking adventure to raise money for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s “Power Beyond” Endowment Campaign to help secure the Hall of Fame’s future. Photo submitted.
the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Most of the trail is in forest or wildlands, although some portions traverse towns, roads and farms. From south to north it passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The Appalachian Trail extends from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. The section that runs just below the summit of Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is along the North Carolina and
Tennessee state line and is the highest point on the trail at 6,643 feet above sea level, while the lowest, Bear Mountain State Park in New York, is only 124 feet at such.
From some of the trail’s tallest peaks, 80 to 100 miles, as many as seven states are visible. But from some of the lowest peaks, less than a mile or so, just that same state is visible.
Rein estimated that he will hike an extra-colossal “five million steps” during his venture through the fourteen states that the Appalachian Trail encompasses. He added that this mammoth journey will take him at least five months and maybe more to complete, which will happen “likely in the end of August into September, or maybe even into October.”
In 2016, after reading Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods,” Rein told a group of his friends and fellow, poker-playing neighbors that he wanted to hike part of the Appalachian Trail. When they met to play poker again the following month, Rein’s friends told him they would join him on the hike, but they thought he only intended to do a 40-to-50-mile section hike, not the whole trail. Over the next several years, the hiking buddies, known as the “Stick Snappers,” hiked together for a week each year on challenging and beautiful trails across the country.
Rein shared, “We had a lot of fun doing so. As we did, I was often in the lead ahead of my buddies, which earned me the trail name ‘Blazer.”
On their 2018 hike, various medical issues kept some of Rein’s same friends from hiking again with him, so he spent three days then hiking alone, covering parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
“That’s a whole new and unique experience, being by yourself on such a long hike,” he noted.
The Stick Snappers on their first of many section hikes (L-R): Andy “Blazer” Rein, Cliff “Krinkles” Wright, Mike “Flash” Chirnside, and Bernie “Talking with Someone” Holicky. Photo submitted.
Fortunately, others are planning to join him for a day or more during this year’s hike, including his son-in-law, Kit Zipf, a Marine and an airline pilot. Susy Rein, Andy’s wife and a Strategic Initiatives Consultant for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is going to guest hike with him approximately 70 miles in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia as well as another 120 miles from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, through a bit of Maryland and into Pennsylvania this spring and summer.
Also, making this grand trek is Boomer, Rein’s 8-yearold GoldenDoodle, who will start out for “perhaps 70 miles and possibly later another 120 miles,” Rein said. Boomer has been trained to carry his own food and water on the hike.
“Boomer hikes up a mountain road, carrying cans of beans and other items in his saddlebag to become accustomed to a load that will gradually increase,” Rein said.
The Reins enthusiastically proclaimed that other friends and Hall of Fame supporters will also join Andy for part of the Appalachian Trail hike.
“We rookie or not-to-experienced hikers all tend to pack too much when starting such a long journey hiking, but I’ve learned that you can get by with fewer clothes, food, and accessories than you ever may have thought,” he said.
Following his coaching career, Rein worked for a quarter century as a Strategic Accounts Manager at SKF USA, Inc. SKF USA is a subsidiary of Swedish ball bearing giant AB SKF and a global supplier of bearings, seals, lubricants, linear motion components, and condition monitoring systems. It also specializes in related services, from repair and rebuilding to consulting, logistics, and training. Its repair stations also provide bearing inspection, repair, and overhaul services. With
I don’t want to be held back from doing anything I want to do because of being overweight or from a lack of being physically fit in other ways. I’m going to stay physically fit and within the weight considered to be a healthy number of pounds the rest of my life. Hiking such a long distance would be nearly, if not totally, impossible had I not lost weight and got my body in better physical condition.
- ANDY REIN
hundreds of manufacturing, sales, and authorized distribution locations across the United States, SKF USA's offerings are geared at a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction, machine tooling, and alternative energy.
Seven years prior to his retirement from SKF USA, Rein said he realized that he needed to change a lot of his routines while also adopting new ones.
“When you get involved with another professional career, as I did with SKF USA, you have to stay focused on it,” he stated. “I didn’t take time to do a lot of physical workouts like I did as an athlete and even during my coaching career. At one point when I worked for SKF USA, I weighed 195 pounds. I realized I needed to lose weight for health purposes, so I made a commitment to reprioritize health and physical fitness in my life then, which I have continued to focus on.”
Andy Rein takes in the long-range views from 6,643 feet above sea level atop Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Photo submitted.
Rein proudly proclaims that he weighed 168 pounds when he began his Appalachian Trail hike this spring, which is much more near what he weighed when he was a star collegiate wrestler in his late teenage and early twenties years.
“The physical lifestyle change has been very important to me,” he said. “I don’t want to be held back from doing anything I want to do because of being overweight or from a lack of being physically fit in other ways. I’m going to stay physically fit and within the weight considered to be a healthy number of pounds the rest of my life. Hiking such a long distance would be nearly, if not totally, impossible had I not lost weight and got my body in better physical condition.”
Because of his extensive expertise in wrestling as a wrestler and a coach, Rein well knows a hiker’s need for what he terms “rest and recover.”
He explained, “An ability most wrestlers have is to push through pain. And through wrestling, many valuable lessons are learned. One is ‘Listen to your body.’ That is of major importance as I’m taking on hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. An incline taxes your lungs, a decline taxes my knees and my knees aren’t as good as they used to be years ago. So, I’m mindful of not overextending myself too much physically as I make the hike and to take my time as I do it. I can’t hurt myself physically as I’m hiking or it would be very detrimental to me finishing the hike.”
The Appalachian Trail is relatively safe. Most injuries or incidents that have been reported on it are consistent with comparable outdoor activities. Most hazards are related to weather conditions, human error, plants, wild animals, diseases, and hostile humans encountered along the trail.
“I know there are many obstacles to always be on alert for while hiking the Appalachian Trail, some of which, like the weather, are beyond anyone’s control except the Almighty’s,” Rein noted. “But I‘m taking all precautions to try to avoid any problems I might encounter as I hike the trail. I keep the necessary supplies with me to handle any emergencies that might happen.”
“Of course, I keep food, drink, clothing, and sleeping items like blankets and pillows with me. I usually sleep in a tent or a shelter that has been built for hikers along the trail, eat and drink what I have, and use outhouses that have been constructed or installed on the trail. Sometimes, I eat and drink what some ‘Trail Angels’ as they’re known, have left along the trail for hikers. I also go into towns, cities, and communities off the trail to eat at restaurants, rent a hotel room to shower and sleep in, and shop at stores to buy food, drink, clothing, and any supplies I need as I hike.
And I eat, sleep, shower, and use restroom facilities in the homes of some more ‘Trail Angels’ in cities, towns, and communities off the trail who invite me to do so.”
He added, “Wrestling has many allimportant core values such as work ethic, discipline, commitment, self-awareness, perseverance, and humility. And I take these same values with me to keep my mindset as it should be as I hike the entire Appalachian
Andy Rein hikes the Appalachian Trail. Photo submitted.
Wrestling has many all-important core values such as work ethic, discipline, commitment, self-awareness, perseverance, and humility. And I take these same values with me to keep my mindset as it should be as I hike the entire Appalachian Trail. These same traits that are so needed in wrestling are so very much needed to hike such a long distance as the entire Appalachian Trail. It’s a tremendous challenge, but that’s why I’m doing it – I relish conquering challenges.
- ANDY REIN
Trail. These same traits that are so needed in wrestling are so very much needed to hike such a long distance as the entire Appalachian Trail. It’s a tremendous challenge, but that’s why I’m doing it – I relish conquering challenges.”
“Just like in every match I wrestled, I started out somewhat nervous hiking the Appalachian Trail. But after I took that first step, it’s been one step after another, one mile after another, and one state after another, until I finish hiking the whole trail. Even though it will take five months to do it, before you know it, it will be done. That provides me with great excitement, which also translates into great self-satisfaction. And both will be at their zeniths once I finish this hike. And God-willing, I’m going to finish it. There’s an old adage that ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ And I have the ultimate will and desire to finish the trek and with God’s help, I’m making a way.”
Andy Rein has been married to Susy for nearly 41 years and proclaimed that hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with her is his “favorite part of the whole excursion.” They have a daughter, Jenna, and a son, Brady. Andy and Susy Rein have three grandchildren: grandson, Willson, and granddaughter, Tenley, born to Brady and his wife, Hannah, and another grandson, Roland, born to Jenna and her husband, Kit Zipf. Jenna and Kit
are also expecting another child.
“I truly cannot express how blessed I am,” Andy Rein declared. “I have so much to be thankful for. Among the foremost include God allowing me the opportunity to grow up in such a wonderful family and on a farm in Wisconsin. My parents taught me the value of hard work, which was especially helpful as I worked on our farm, in my wrestling career, later in my coaching career, and certainly in my life in general.
“And I got to marry a beautiful, magnificent, and talented woman. She and I have two wonderful children and three awesome grandchildren with another grandchild on the way. I’m happy that my wife and I will celebrate another wedding anniversary and will have our fourth grandchild around the same time that I complete hiking the Appalachian Trail. Of course, all my sports achievements have been a blessing. And having the opportunity to live in the North Carolina High Country of Banner Elk and Avery County, which are among the most beautiful places on Earth and has some of the greatest people anywhere, is another tremendous blessing. And now, having the opportunity to hike one of the most majestic trails from one end to the other is yet one more amazing gift to me from God.” t
The 66-year-old Rein must navigate all sorts of weather, terrain and elevation changes as he thru-hikes the entire Appalachian Trail. Photo submitted.
Andy Rein began thru-hiking all 2,197 miles of the Appalachian Trail in April. He estimates that the hike through 14 states from Georgia to Maine will take him five months and 5 million steps to complete.Photo submitted.