Why are you doing the A T?

[Night Train]

Because I can.

[Old Hiker]

I'll see you in 2016 old hiker as i will be on the trail in April

29 Feb 2016, amigo ! See you then !

[Ron Haven]

All of you have a nice holiday. We will play some music when all of you come back through..

[T-Rx]

All of you have a nice holiday. We will play some music when all of you come back through..

Again I thank you Ron for all the support you provide to hikers. I also look forward to sharing in the music with you. We will see you in a few months! Merry Christmas!

[Carbo]

My head has a hundred reasons why I should not do the AT. My heart tells me a different story.

[Ron Haven]

My head has a hundred reasons why I should not do the AT. My heart tells me a different story.

I like this answer !!!!!!

[stephanD]

Is it a dream, or just to see if you can?

I'm in the midst of preparing for my 2015 thru. I'm doing it for the mental and physical challenge. to visit places i have never been to, and probably will never visit again. I'm doing it to meet people i would otherwise never meet.

[Speakeasy TN]

Hey Ron!
I've wanted to hike the Trail since I was a kid. I bought my first maps around '90. My wife gave me the go-ahead after meeting the people at the Bash in 2010 and I had to jump off in '11 due to a death in the family. Short answer is I can't help it! Unfinished business I suppose! See ya in April if not before. Merry Christmas!

[polechar]

Ahhh the trail, its been a little over a year since I've finished and not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about how great of an experience it was. My reason for hiking was my love for hiking, camping and the woods, my reason for doing it all at once was for the challenge. The problem now is that I want to do it again (if that's a problem).

[1234]

To stop the world if for just a moment.

[Grunt]

First it's a dream; in the early 70's I read an article out of NatGeo about the Trail and that was something exciting; however, like so many career and family came first. We car camped in the mountains of VA and MD and occasionally came across the "blaze" and something stirred within. Retiring in 05 presented the opportunity and standing onto of Springer 06 for my first section hike was truly mystical. Ten years and 600 miles later the dream has faded but now it is the challenge and at age 62 the physical demand is very real. I have to say that I ALWAYS enjoy the souls I meet along the trail (even a few knuckleheads); most are younger and it gives me hope for humanity and the guys I meet my age are always fun to be around. The only way for me to really experience God's creation is to live and breath and eat and sleep and walk and walk and walk.

[RangerZ]

In 2017 I'll have 37+ years of federal service including 23 in uniform. It's already past time for a change. The overnights and long weekends that I've been doing show me that there are other better things to do than be in an office all day. We all know how still and quiet the woods can be. There is just too much of America that I haven't seen yet. Plus it will be a return to some of the challenges that I met in my now long departed youth.

[ALLEGHENY]

I needed it and I need some more.

[YC 15]

So many reasons, in short.. I'm at my best when on the trail

[Pringles]

I've been section hiking since 1986, and while I've put a dent in the 2180 miles, I'm still not terribly far. I ask myself that question a lot, especially when I'm driving to and from hikes, and when I'm at the bottom of a hill, looking up. While I have lots of little answers (I like hiking, I like nature, I like being out at dawn and dusk, I like the people I meet), I have figured that when I really answer the question "Why do I hike?", I probably won't need to any more. So I keep puttering along, thinking about it, and watching the birds and the snakes and meeting you all and putting just a few more miles on the record. I never have "nothin'" to do, I can always think about the trail.