View Full Version : Youngest Thru-Hiker
Anybody have any idea how old and who the youngest confirmed thru-hiker was? Any guesses before somebody arrives with the answer?
(I'm sure some wacko has done it, but I wouldn't count someone who walked with a child in one of those harnesses on their person)
papa john
11-23-2008, 22:51
6 yr old boy in 1980. Flip-flopped with parents.
From http://gorp.away.com/gorp/books/excerpts/thruhike.htm
Thru-hikers are a remarkably diverse group. The youngest to hike the entire trail was Michael Cogswell, who was six in 1980 when he hiked with his parents, Jeffrey and Reina. Jeffrey had previously bicycled across the United States and canoed the Pacific. In an article Jeffrey wrote after they completed the A.T. (in eight and a half months), he quoted Michael as saying, "I learned that anytime I can't do something, all I have to do is try harder."
Damn, 8.5 months? Maybe we need a time constraint. Perhaps single season.
88BlueGT
11-23-2008, 23:17
I heard 9 yrs old somewhere... nothing to back that up though.
papa john
11-23-2008, 23:20
I was in the local gear shop here talking to the shoe fitter. He SOBO'd in 1993 at the ripe old age of 15, by himself.
shelterbuilder
11-23-2008, 23:21
6 yr old boy in 1980. Flip-flopped with parents.
I think the kid's name was Michael Cogswell, but I'm not 100* sure. Hiked with his parents - only 6 yrs old.
I think the kid's name was Michael Cogswell, but I'm not 100* sure. Hiked with his parents - only 6 yrs old.
See the post immediately following shelterbuilder's.
I have memories of a family in the last few years where the parents had three? children with them.. one of whom I thought I remembered being 4? My memory is that they started with pretty minimal gear and were doing a section hike, but decided to do the whole think and several folks donated equipment to better equip them. Right any bells with someone?
--mark
I have memories of a family in the last few years where the parents had three? children with them.. one of whom I thought I remembered being 4? My memory is that they started with pretty minimal gear and were doing a section hike, but decided to do the whole think and several folks donated equipment to better equip them. Right any bells with someone?
--marksamurai hillbillys from 2006?
I googled A picture titled "Homer, Therese, Taylor and Bennett Witcher celebrate their ascent of Mount Katahdin and the completion of their 2002 thru-hike" here on WB. URL is below. Bennett and Taylor are their children and Bennett would have been the younger of the two. Not absolutely sure of his age, but he's likely to have been six or seven at the time. I met and stayed with them one night while hiking in the Troutville VA area
http://www.aldha.org/witcher.htm
Outlaw
(walessp)
shelterbuilder
11-24-2008, 10:24
I found this link: http://www.hypernews.org/HyperNews/get/trails/Appalachian/205/3.html .
Dated 1997.
SouthMark
11-24-2008, 10:33
6 yr old boy in 1980. Flip-flopped with parents.
Backpacker magazine did a feature article on him and his family.
Correction - Bennett was eight, so he was probably not the youngest AT thruhiker.
Outlaw
i think youngest pct thru hiker was oblivious.. he hiked with his dad in 07. i am guessing he was 12. They are doing the Cdt next yr. he will the youngest triple crowner.
i think youngest pct thru hiker was oblivious.. he hiked with his dad in 07. i am guessing he was 12. They are doing the Cdt next yr. he will the youngest triple crowner.
I believe Scrambler was younger in 04' when she hiked the PCT with parents. Troll was laughing at the KO this year that he wanted to cross-breed Scrambler and Oblivious to make the most bad assed little thru-hiker kid.
Oh, wow... even younger ! good grief ! I remember a 15yr girl hiking with her dad awhile back as well. TUFF....I met troll and them at musk rat in 05. I could tell that he was a special kid... nothing much fazed him.
i think youngest pct thru hiker was oblivious.. he hiked with his dad in 07. i am guessing he was 12. They are doing the Cdt next yr. he will the youngest triple crowner.
That's what I was going to say... The Troll Family Rocks!
The Solemates
11-25-2008, 17:23
we met the 6 yr old at white house landing in 04. he really had no desire to hike the trail again although he was out hiking then. oblivious was 10 yrs old...at least 4 yrs past the "record"
Bare Bear
11-25-2008, 22:19
I had a 17 year old girl hike a few days with me in 06 that was thru hiking by herself. She was trying to ditch the young men who were stalking her! Cute kid, but I worried as I have a daughter myself and I would not want her out there alone. Once the boys saw she was going to hang with me for a while they hitched to town to party and she went on alone. I can not remember her name.
I think Oblivious has the record for the Pct though and will for the Cdt.
yeah bb, I worry a bit about the young girls hiking alone but there are alot of folks looking out for them.
Bare Bear
11-26-2008, 17:02
It is funny how they can spot us 'dads' out there!
Three times in 06 alone, I had young women ask if they could hike with me for a few days to rid themselves of the pink blazers.
Maybe I should have been insulted that they figured I was too old to be a danger?
There are two six-year-old boys (one in 1980, one in 2002) who have reported completing thru-hikes with their families. The more recent hiker also had an 8-year-old sister, who became the youngest female thru-hiker.
Laurie P.
ATC
Hikerhead
11-26-2008, 19:23
There are two six-year-old boys (one in 1980, one in 2002) who have reported completing thru-hikes with their families. The more recent hiker also had an 8-year-old sister, who became the youngest female thru-hiker.
Laurie P.
ATC
The last two were Mudslide and Cascade.....right?
Bigglesworth
11-26-2008, 21:39
I was in the local gear shop here talking to the shoe fitter. He SOBO'd in 1993 at the ripe old age of 15, by himself.
We had a 16 year old guy out there this year. Does anyone know if he made it (Pull-up was his name?). I last saw him in Hanover. Nice guy.
fancyfeet
11-27-2008, 02:30
There are two six-year-old boys (one in 1980, one in 2002) who have reported completing thru-hikes with their families. The more recent hiker also had an 8-year-old sister, who became the youngest female thru-hiker.
That would be the "Idaho 4", I believe. They signed all of the registers with little cartoons of themselves. My favorite was the depiction of their day...raining cats and dogs.
lol bare bear... sad day when we don't become a ' threat ".... we are getting old !
What about "The Family From The North?" I think the younges of their five children was two years old...........
fancyfeet
11-27-2008, 17:10
What about "The Family From The North?" I think the younges of their five children was two years old...........
I heard about them. Unfortunately never met them, they sounded cool. I don't think they finished the trail, but it's some kind of accomplishment to hike any distance with that number and age of children.
wcgornto
11-27-2008, 17:16
Pre or post birth. I read about a couple who hiked the AT while the woman was pregnant. They named her Georgia something i believe, in recognition that she was on the trail during her motherīs pregnancy. Of course, since she did not use her own legs, perhaps she shouldnīt count.
fancyfeet
11-27-2008, 23:50
That's true. They named her Georgia Maine. The mom was pregnant for the whole way. She didn't know at first, but then started to suspect early into the hike. The doctors told her she'd be fine if she carried a very light pack with no hip belt. That was back in the 70's, I believe.