Completed Thru-Hikers
Congrats to These 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers! (Week of Aug. 6)
It's officially August and summit season is underway. A huge round of applause for these brand-spanking-new thru-hikers! Whether youre going northbound, southbound, or flip-flopping, we want to
The Appalachian Trail Needs You (and Your Sweat)
Volunteer maintainers are "graying out" and nobodys replacing them. It took more than 1,600 miles of walking on the Appalachian Trail before it struck me how important volunteers are to...
Pacing Problems: Why I Split Up with My Original Hiking Partner
I always tell people that thru-hiking with someone is bigger than living with someone. Even if you share a tiny studio apartment with an intimate partner, youll usually have some...
Parenting in the Woods: The Changing Parent/Child Dynamic During a Thru-Hike
Through years of push and pull, parents and children develop a dynamic all their own. What happens to that dynamic when thrust into the extremes of long distance hiking?
When You’re Going Through Mosquito Hell, Keep Going
The mosquitos got bad around Christie Springs, just after Ashland, Oregon. Actually, thats not accurate. They got bad around Hyatt Lake campground. They got biblical around Christie
How Thru-Hiking Changes Your Relationship to Your Body
Some people want to thru-hike in order to lose weight. But here is ACTUALLY what happens to your body when you do a long distance backpacking trip.
Slow Motion: Reflections on my Seven-Month AT Thru-Hike
Thru-hiking the AT is hard. So is being okay with doing it slowly, but don't let it stop you.
77 Glorious 2017 PCT Thru-Hiker Completion Photos
Here at The Trek, we would like to extend our heartiest congratulations on your incredible journey. Whether you started in the desert, at the Canadian border, or somewhere in the...
126 Glorious 2017 AT Thru-Hiker Summit Photos
Each year, we invite Appalachian Trail thru-hikers to send us their finish photos, whether they're lifting their pack over their head atop Katahdin, touching the sign at Springer, or giving...
In a Thru-Hiker’s Head: Contemplations During a Climb
My body, tired after working a 15-plus-mile day, was aching. Yes, working sounds odd in this situation, although it does fit. Walking may seem like a chore in certain environments....