Awesome on the Appalachian Trail

My friend Awesome

 Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~Winston Churchill

Today a really special post, it’s the earliest part of thru-hiking season on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and one of my former hiking partners is hitting the trail. His trail name is Awesome and a more aptly taken trail name there has never been.  I met awesome in my 2015 thru-hike attempt on the AT.  There are a couple of stories about him in my book that is soon to be published.

I first met awesome one night coming into camp with my friend Backtrack.  Awesome came over and introduced himself.  He’s a happy guy with a wonderful southern drawl and an easy manner.  My friend mentioned some pain he was having and Awesome asked, “your cheese grater thighs?”  Backtrack and I were dumbfounded, we’d had a conversation using that exact term prior to coming into camp.  Sensing our confusion Awesome smiled and said, “Y’all ain’t the quietest people on the trail.”  We laughed hysterically.  It was a wonderful first meeting and few minutes later Awesome’s campmate Kingfisher would come over and say hi as well.  It was the first meeting of a group that would get nicknamed the AARP group on the trail.  Awesome has become more than a friend, more than trail family, he’s family to me.

Awesome, Backtrack, Rev Kane, and Kingfisher

Awesome will be starting out on his thru-hike attempt this weekend and I wish him all of the luck in the world.  Luck is the only thing he’ll need, he’s a helluva hiker and good man, so with some luck and a little trail magic he should be climbing Mount Katahdin in Maine in a few months.

Geared up and ready to go

Please my friends, if you encounter him on the trail show him some kindness, buy him a drink or give him a ride some place.  I’ll keep you posted time to time on his progress, if you want to provide some trail magic for him feel free to contact me at HappinessKane@aol.com and I’ll let you know when he’s in your neck of the woods.

I’m so happy for him right now, and so damn jealous.  I wish I was heading out with him and I hope to, later in his hike, catch up and spend a few days with him on the trail.  He’s about to have many happy days. ~ Rev Kane

Some of my previous Appalachian Trail Posts

AT Happiness: Trail Community

My Favorite Trail Photos of 2015

AT FAQs

AT Happiness: Precious Moments