This hiker is more than impressive and maybe inspirational! He is phenomenal….
I’ve bee hiking since high school and would never do the 2000 mile AT trail. But this fellow did. My son who is challenged with autism hiked half of the trail. My husband was central command suggesting stopovers and reporting where to buy food. But all the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, olfactory, visual, auditory … I guess every sensory system was being modulated to work effectively. My son is on the autism spectrum and is always seeking perfect sensory situations in order to self-regulate. I had never seen him so happy!
Anyone hiking the AT is forced to tune into the weather, their bodies and communication skills for survival. People have died, especially in cold, high, Mt. Katahdin in Maine at the end. But I totally get the thrill of a huge physical and mental survival task…. I guess becoming an Eagle Scout a few years earlier was a spectacular influence . My son used skills learned from classes at the Appalachian Mountain Club, scouting and hiking with my hubby and me since sitting in a backpack…. I share below a video we made about his experience 15 years ago…
