By Kelly Virden
Pine River Journal Editor

For Trevor Thundershield, a more than six-month adventure hiking the Appalachian Trail taught him about physical perseverance and the best sides of human nature.

The 2003 Pine River-Backus graduate was living in Florida when he got the idea to hike the entire trail from a friend.

He didn’t know much about the 2,178-mile long trail that stretches through 14 states, starting in Georgia and ending in Maine, but decided to do it anyway.

Thundershield started his journey on March 29 by himself.

“But when you hike the Appalachian Trail you’re never really by yourself. There are so many other people that are hiking it as well that you just make a lot of really good friends,” Thundershield said.

And, in his case, a sweetheart as well.

He started with hiking boots, a 65-pound pack and a 5-pound hatchet. As the trip progressed he swapped his boots for lighter-weight trail runners.

“I’m the kind of person who likes to be quick on his feet,” Thundershield said of the switch.

His pack winnowed to a base weight of 40 pounds. He unloaded the hatchet as well, but not before it earned him the trail name “Hatchet.”

Three-sided wooden shelters for hikers to rest in are located about every 10 miles on the trail. In the summer months, Thundershield opted for a Sierra-design flash-lite tent to keep the mosquitoes and flies at bay.

At the shelters, hikers sign a logbook and jot down experiences, comparing notes with other hikers.

After Thundershield’s first week on the trail a snowstorm hit. He hiked out into the mountains where it snowed for two days and got down to 10 degrees.

“It was just a bunch of hikers huddled together in a shelter,” he recalled.

“I was so out of shape when I started,” Thundershield said. “My legs were cramping up every day.”

But after two-and-a-half to three weeks, he was good to go.

He hiked an average of 15 miles a day, but he didn’t hike every day. Rather, he hiked a stretch of three to four days followed by a day of rest.

Sometimes he woke up and walked a few miles, found a ledge that was beautiful, perfect camping and maybe stopped by a lake and just enjoyed the day.

“You’ve just got to enjoy yourself while you’re hiking,” he said.

Those light hiking days are referred to as “Neros,” not quite zero hiking, but close.

Sometimes the hikers would build a fire, usually heating food over a Lightweight Pocket Rocket stove with Isobutene canister.

“We got so exhausted everyday from hiking so much … by the time we hit camp the last thing we’d want to do is build a fire,” Thundershield said.

Hikers carry their food along with them. Thundershield stuck with the basics: oatmeal for breakfast, pasta, tuna packets, etc. Tortillas were favorites.

And, thanks to his mother, Mary, he had granola bars, Snickers bars, beef jerky and trail mix.

“My Mom really loves me, so she sent me packages every two weeks,” he said.

He kept in contact with a cell phone that he carried in a Ziploc bag in his backpack.

He gave his mom an address ahead on the trail and an approximate time when he was going to be there. She’d write, “Hold for Hiker” and his name on the boxes. Then, he’d pick them up at the post office or at a hostel along the way.

There were also grocery stores to stop at along the way for supplies.

Thundershield also received treats from “Trail Angels,” people who set up by trail crossings and hand out free food, sodas and beer.

“A lot of them are previous hikers or are people who really want to do it but they can’t,” Thundershield said. “They just go out of their way to help the current hikers because it’s just something they admire and wish they could do.”

Others posted signs on trees listing their phone number or directions to their homes for hikers to stop by and get a clean bed, a hot shower and food.

“It just shows me that there are so many amazing people out in the world,” he said.

Despite the generosity of others, it wasn’t a cushy hike.

“It rained a lot. It snowed on us. We went through a period when it was outrageously hot, and we got sunburned almost every day,” Thundershield said.

He got blisters and twisted his ankle almost every day.

One day he impaled his knee on a stick and had to go to the hospital to get it taken out. He rested for a day and hit the trail again.

“When you’ve got a deadline of trying to beat the snow you’ve got to keep pushing,” he said. “I know that’s what a lot of hikers go through.”

As the terrain changed, some days he’d have several 1,000-foot climbs a day.

One of the trip highlights were the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

“At the top you get such an amazing view; (I’d) sit there for a good half-hour just enjoying it,” he said.

In the White Mountains he stayed in huts, doing chores in exchange for a meal and sleeping on the floor at night, which was a swap offered to through-hikers. Day or section-hikers often pay to stay in the huts.

Thundershield met other hikers from around the world. He even met a fair share of hikers who had been laid off from their jobs and were using the time off to hike.

“The trail is definitely a place to make connections,” he said.

At the end of the trail, at Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine, Thundershield had his name recorded by the park ranger.

Through-hikers check in three times: at the beginning at Springer Mountain, Ama Kalola Falls, Georgia; at the mental mid-point at Harper’s Ferry, headquarters for the Appalachian Mountain Club; and at the Baxter State Park end.

While many hikers start the hike, many quit part way. Thundershield was happy to complete his goal after 184 days on Sept. 28.

“It really was just a test of endurance, a test of commitment (and) perseverance under really severe circumstances,” he said. “It was quite a journey.”

So, what’s his next journey?

He’ll move to Tucson, Ariz., to join his girlfriend, where he hopes to work with nonprofits, perhaps in community development.

After hiking the trails he realized that he was pretty selfish in the past, driving to make money.

“People have given me so much in my life that it’s time to pay back,” he said.

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