A Love Recreated

I first fell in love with the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in 1997. I was seven years old. My dad, sister, and I had hiked to Lonesome Lake Hut in Franconia Notch State Park to spend the night. After that trip, my dad took my siblings and me for a week of summer hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. My dad started section-hiking the Trail in 2005 and has about 100 miles to go. In 2014, I went on to thru-hike the A.T., and my favorite memory (among many) is when my dad hiked out to Lonesome Lake to meet me where my love for the Trail began. That day recreated our photo together – 17 years later. I think it perfectly shows our evolution to “hiker trash!” I love the A.T. because it’s full of stories, like mine.