This photo captures Parrish resident Steve Adams’ joy as he reached the terminus of his six-month-long, 2,190-mile trek along the complete Appalachian Trail in 2014. Photo courtesy of Steve Adams.
June 2, 2016 — You can imagine walking the Appalachian Trail from beginning to end would be a very physically demanding feat.
But to Parrish resident Steve Adams, his trek along the 2,190 miles trail also was very emotionally strenuous.
“Hiking the Appalachian Trail is lonely,” said Adams, who started his journey March 22, 2014, on Springer Mountain, Ga., at the age of 61 and finished Sept. 29, 2014, on Mount Katahdin, Maine.
In between, he said he had adventures and challenges, met great people, and changed physically and mentally.
Adams, who moved to New York City in 2005 from London, said he had read Bill Bryson’s Appalachian Trail hike account, A Walk in the Woods, about five years earlier and was intrigued.
“We don’t have such trails in Great Britain,” the 64-year-old said.
But he met his wife, Diane, in New York, and they eventually moved to Florida in 2008 and opened an insurance agency — and his plans to walk the trail were put on hold.
When they sold the agency in 2013, Adams wondered what he was going to do now that he was retired.
Bryson’s story was always in the back of his mind, and so he decided to do what is called a Thru-Hike, walking from one end to the other.
“I wasn’t unfit,” Adams said. “I used to cycle.”
And he knew this personal odyssey would take six to seven months.
So Adams started preparations: reading books, purchasing equipment, and getting advice from others who had walked the trail.
When he was ready, his wife dropped him off at the foot of Springer Mountain, and Adams set off on his adventure with new boots and a 42-pound backpack of supplies.
“Many quit before they even get to the starting point,” he said, “which is six or seven miles at the top of the mountain.”
Steve Adams breaks from his hiking of the Appalachian Trail in 2014 to take in the outstanding vista. Photo courtesy of Steve Adams.
But he made it to the bronze plaque anchored into a rock at the top of the mountain, designating the beginning of the trail.
“One of the greatest moments of my hike was when I sat and touched it,” Adams said.
As he trekked along he was making about six or seven miles a day, but after about three weeks he was averaging 10-12 miles.
Just as he was hitting his stride, though, Adams had his first major setback.
“At about 650 miles I got bit by a dog and developed cellulitis (a debilitating bacterial infection), and I had to come home,” he said.
But he was back on the trail after about three weeks recovery, picking up where he left off.
Adams said the trail could be very physical at times.
“I fell about 20 times and was bruised and hurt my back,” he said.
There also are parts of the trail where it is very rugged, and “you’re doing hand-over-hand climbing,” Adams said.
“It was so exciting,” he said. “I loved it.”
Then there were the cold nights and getting tired and being hungry all the time.
“You live a very feral existence,” he said.
But for Adams it was worth enduring all the physical distress for the personal satisfaction.
Around every tree or on top of every mountain or at the edge of every river and stream was another beautiful view.
“I was always impressed with how wonderful the scenery was. It just got better and better,” Adams said.
And when you met someone on the trail, most were friendly and encouraging.
“I walked through 14 states and met a lot of nice people,” Adams said. “I was astonished at the kindness of the people.”
He said as you hiked you would come across what is called “Trail Magic,” coolers tucked next to a tree or rock filled with water, health bars and snacks.
Also, people who live along the trail would set up tables and offer water or food.
Steve Adams, in his Parrish home, stands next to the map with marked highlights of his 2014 hike along the Appalachian Trail. Carl Mario Nudi photo.
And although Adams would sometimes hook up with others to walk a portion of the trail, he said you have to make the hike a personal journey.
“The journey for me was to walk every inch,” he said.
Fewer than 500 people over the age of 60 have completed the Appalachian Trail, Adams said.
“This has to be something you want to do more than anything else,” Adams said. “If you’re going to do something, do it correctly.”
And for others considering hiking the Appalachian Trail, Adams offers some advice.
“I would recommend it to anybody,” he said. “If you can walk 100 yards without stopping you can do it, but you have to want to.
“It’s 95 percent mental and 5 percent physical,” Adams said.
Adams wrote a book in two volumes about his experiences, My Appalachian Trial I: Three Weddings and a Sabbatical and My Appalachian Trial II: Creaking Geezer, Hidden Flagon. Both titles are a play on the word “trail” and two popular movies.
He has another book in the works, which will have to wait until he completes a 210-plus-mile hike in July along the John Muir Trail in California.
You can follow Adams on his journey with his blog at www.steveadams.info.
