Every summer, my family and I spend a long weekend camping in Gifford State Park, Vermont. The Appalachian Trail runs through the middle of the campground, and I’ve always found it inspiring to see the hikers make their way through that short, flat, paved section of the trail. It’s crazy to think about where these people have been, how long they've been hiking and what has led them to the trail. I love to hike; hardly a week passes by where I don’t go on at least one small mountain or trail hike, but hiking 2,189 miles from Georgia to Maine? A hiker needs to be extremely determined to accomplish that.
Recently, ultramarathoner and Colorado native, Scott Jurek, became inspired to not only hike the Appalachian Trail, but to run it and beat the record set in 2011 by hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis. According to Runner's World, Jurek completed his 2,189-mile journey at the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine in 46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes. He hiked Mount Katahdin alongside his wife, Jenny, to finish off the long journey. Celebration ensued after he completed his hike, and the outpouring support on social media continues.
Jurek attracted a large social media following throughout his hike. With daily posts on Instagram and a GPS that allowed people to track Jurek on the trail, his supporters were able to feel as if they were on the journey with him. The connection Jurek chose to maintain while on his hike was truly inspiring to many. Search #scottjurek on Instagram, and not only will you find pictures from his hike, but you will find pictures of other hikers and inspired athletes explaining why Jurek inspires them to believe in the impossible.
Jurek may have stayed connected with his 60,000 Instagram followers while on his hike, but other smaller connections are made on the Appalachian Trail too.
My Uncle Pete hiked the Appalachian Trail about 17 years ago. He wasn’t hiking the trail to set any records or run any mountains, but he was hiking as a therapeutic retreat. On his hike he made a connection, not with 60,000 people like Jurek did, but with one woman named Liz who was also hiking the trail. That connection has built 17 years of friendship and 15 years of marriage.
Every summer, when I camp at Gifford State Park I think about my Uncle Pete and my Aunt Liz and how they hiked through there on their journey up the Appalachian. This year when I go, I will think about not only their connection and story that the trail gave them, but I will think about Scott Jurek and his connection with the trail that he chose to share with thousands of people. I think there is something special about the Appalachian Trail; it's able to connect people in many ways. Maybe my connection to it will always be camping next to where the hikers walk through, or maybe I will find a connection to it in another way, someday.
