A “Hiking Itch” Is Scratched on the Appalachian Trail
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By Linda Roberts
he Appalachian Trail is a narrow footpath through the Appalachian Mountain Range that traverses 14 states, starts in Georgia and ends in Maine—or visa versa, depending on which direction you start the hike. Virginia stakes claim to owning the trail’s most distance, about 550 miles of its mountainous length. More than 3,000 hikers attempt the entire route each year, with about 25 percent completing the walk. Trail websites estimate the hiker intending to go all 2,200 miles will wear to shreds between four and five pairs of shoes. Photo courtesy of Casey Estep Clarke County’s Casey Estep said he wore Casey Estep, hiking poles in hand at out “four pairs and was working on his fifth” sunrise at McAfee Knob, when he completed the trail in Katahdin, a well-known hiking spot in Maine last year. Averaging 20 miles per southwestern Virginia. day with a backpack weighing about 25 pounds, Estep started last April in Georgia, completing the trip to Maine this past September—minus any injuries save for a few blisters. A 2020 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Estep had planned a road trip to the national parks following graduation, but when Covid shut down the park system, he found a job as a systems engineer. After about 18 months, as Estep said, “I got the itch” to experience freedom from an office job. “I thought I would get over the hiking itch,” said Estep, but his wanderlust led him to tackle the 250-mile Tuscarora Trail that crosses Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. That hike proved to be the opener for his six-month stint on the Appalachian Trail. To his delight, Estep, 25, met others about his age, now lifelong friends he frequently stays in contact with. Following the unique language of hikers, Estep’s adventure resulted in his new “tramily” (trail family). He explained that you
meet up with others along the route that you share common interests with and then end up hiking and camping together. “The trail is not a lonely place,” he said. When it meandered through towns and passed nearby homes, Estep was surprised by the generosity of the local residents his group met. “The “A.T.” trail community is amazing,” he said. From food to showers to a few overnights in someone’s home, Estep said they were met by generous people in every state. “Keeping a positive mental attitude was probably the hardest part of the journey for me,” he said, adding that keeping his spirits up day after day proved far more difficult Photo by Linda Roberts than the physical exertion. Clarke County’s Casey Estep in full hiking gear. “That’s where the ‘tramily’ came in,” he said of his trail friends who came to the rescue when anyone in the group was going through a difficult time. His own spirituality also grew. “I spent time talking to God and to my friends about the spiritual aspects of life.” One of the most important lessons Estep said he learned was the value of slowing down and simply staying quiet. “Our lives are so busy,” he said, “you just need to recognize the value of taking time to look around you.” What’s next? He’s already promised his boss he’ll stay for at least another 18 months. But there’s more future hiking, perhaps for 2025. Estep and his girlfriend, Regan DuHadway, also a hiker, are talking about another long-distance adventure. With the Appalachian Trail behind him, perhaps the pair will tackle the Pacific Trail or the Continental Divide Trail—another part of the hiking world’s “Big Three.” It’s the Triple Crown of distance hiking in the U.S. We’ll see when he scratches his “hiker’s itch” again.
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