People you Meet

When I decided to hike the Maine AT, I knew I would meet through hikers (Georgia to Maine or NOBO’s and Maine to Georgia or SOBO’s) and section hikers. However, I did not know WHY people would hike the AT. One of the greatest gifts of the trail is meeting people; it is an instant community you join and frequently you find yourself sleeping together in a small group lean to. A few observations:

Most hikers are 18-25, more men than women probably 70%-30%. They are taking a gap year after HS or during college, or need time to figure out what they want to do with their lives, or just have the time for an adventure.

Th next biggest group was a surprise to me 25-35 year olds who have started down one path in their lives, and are not happy or satisfied. What they thought would be a good career, isn’t working. Or they’ve tried one thing and are ready for something else Like the man who just got out of the navy, or the woman who was an artist for an ad agency and hates it, or the one who finished a PhD and doesn’t know what’s next. They are searching for soMething deeper than a job and money.

Young retirees 60-70 years are a small but significant group. They finally have the time to hike the AT. Incredibly, several I have met started the AT immediately after retirement. One couple I met was about to finish the AT at 66 and 71, after doing a section a year for 17 years. Some are incredibly fit, keeping up with the 20-somethings, and others plod along at their own pace.

The smallest group seems to be people like me: middle aged people. I have only met couple my age and they have also taken a short hiatus from their jobs.

Everyone has a story about their journey. Some share freely, and others are more reserved. A favorite memory was arriving at a lean to in early afternoon, and someone else had just arrived. While I took a short nap, she built a fire. How wonderful to wake up to warmth on a chilly afternoon! A couple college students arrived seeing the smoke from the distance. A woman on “vacation” from a job she’d like to leave showed up. We all gathered around the fire and shared our lives for one evening, curling up in the shelter when the rain came, and leaving one by one into the rain the next morning. Each of us had something on our hearts and minds and for a few hours, we found warmth, community, and rest on the AT.