Stories from the Trail
Steve Farrell: Why I Hike
Steve Farrell and his brother, Tim, at Mt. Collins Spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1987 and at Crawford Notch, New Hampshire in 2021
I hike the Appalachian Trail because it has become a small part of who I am. I hike the A.T. because I always have and because I’ve always loved to.
Because of the simplicity. Because it provides a different perspective of nature than what I enjoy from my canoe. Because of the physical and mental challenges. Because of the way I feel around camp after a tough day on the Trail. Because I like cooking my homemade dehydrated food on my homemade camp stove. But I suppose I hike the A.T. mostly because I want to finish my section hike, which I started in 1987 with my brother (Tim). We have been working on basically one week a year, every year since.