On March 10, and following three months at home in Rockport and Appleton, the group of young men who started hiking the Appalachian Trail last summer resumed their adventure. This is their story.

Our hiking group consists of Devon and Aidan Gordon, of Rockport, Taylor Benner of Appleton, and, as of day two, Rob Wager of Austin, Texas. We took some time off from our southbound hike last fall to avoid the more harsh months of winter. We worked and anxiously awaited getting back on the trail. We are hoping to get to see both sides of this hike — the isolation of a southbound hike and the comradery of being in the huge group of hikers that is the northbound bubble.

We began with a three-day drive to Cartersville, Georgia. From there, it became only a matter of finding our way to the top of Springer Mountain, the official starting point for northbound hikers on the Appalachian Trail. A few more hours by car and two days lost on back roads and back trails, and we found ourselves standing proudly at the southern terminus of this great American trail.

Last summer, we had expected Springer Mountain to be a celebration of our completion of the trail, but it was, instead, another starting point. We had so much ahead of us. In our excitement we disregarded the rain and headed to our first lean-to.

It quickly became apparent on this leg of our adventure that there would be a lot more company in the woods. Now it is a matter of minutes between meeting new people rather than going days between seeing others.

We were greeted on the first night by two eccentric locals along with a handful of other northbound hikers. We played music and shared stories into the night. It was, in many ways, different from our southbound hike and the differences would only become more obvious as time went on.

Every night we would be met with full shelters, fires, and stories from the many other hikers. 

Teach, Swoll, Seinfeld, Gas Monkey, Turtle, Pokey and the Bandit, Don Vino, Pig Pen, Shadow, Jacks, Jeff, Dakota, Bostritch, Superman, and Batman are just a few of the friends we've met along the way. Everyone comes from very different walks of life, from teachers to ex-soldiers, yoga instructors to bartenders. Many have left or lost their whole lives back home to find something to point them in a different direction.

We leapfrog down the trail with groups of familiar faces and sometimes it feels more like an eclectic school field trip than a 2,200 mile hike in the forest.

Trail Magic is everywhere. On our first few days we rarely even ate our own packed food. At nearly every road and trail crossing we were met with hot dogs, beans, candy, and anything else a hungry hiker can crave.

This kindness was the work of past hikers, church groups, and supportive locals.

Although the magic was a regular occurrence during the early days of our hike, each time was an unexpected surprise. It's hard to show these Trail Angels really how much their work is appreciated. To them, its just a few packages of hot dogs, but to hikers it means the world. 

On our second day we met Robert Wager of Austin. We shared a carrot with him and found ourselves at a particularly grand trail party, all of which was magic. There was a bonfire, free food, drinks, and more hikers than I had ever seen in one place.

The hosts were all past thru-hikers with generous hearts and cars filled with supplies. They introduced themselves to us by trail-name: Chicken, Boudin, Geek, Chad, and Tiger Woods.

Robert (Animal) Wager, hiked out with us after the night of the party, and we have been sticking together since. It's true what hikers say about "Trail Families.” After living in the woods together for even a week there develops a deep level of trust and friendship. It really does feel like the four of us have become a family out here on the Appalachian Trail. 

Rob is hiking, in part, to help raise money for the Austin Center for Child Protection.

In his words: "The Austin CCP, a nationally accredited children's advocacy center, is the first stop for children in Travis County who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect and for children who have witnessed a violent crime. The center is a child-friendly, specially-equipped facility where children go for recorded forensic interviews, medical exams, counseling and intervention during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. It is the only nonprofit in Travis County involved in the investigation of crimes against childen." 

Rob has a GoFundMe account where he is collecting donations to go directly to this organization. He has been asking for a penny per mile, and has already overshot his goal of raising $1,000 dollars for these children. 

Our last few days have taken us down from the gripping altitude of the Smokey Mountains and into a small town called Hot Springs. Our adventurous sides found the four of us a hitch into the free spirited city of Asheville, N.C., where warm beds, cold drinks, and amazing music greeted us. 

As we write this snippet, we sit cozily at a kind woman's home, nestled amongst the hills of the small town of Weaverville, N.C. She had never picked up people sticking out a thumb before, but told us that our enthusiasm was the reason she did. We crammed into her small car and she offered us a camping area in her back yard. Once again the kindness of strangers has struck. This has been one of the many occasions that it has during our first 17 days on the trail.

Utter contentment is the best way to describe how we feel as we rest right now. 

Every step now takes us farther and farther from the most difficult part of this southern half of the trail. The magnifcent Smokey Mountains were a challenge, but the rewards of the hike were unbelievable.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

4 a.m. We jostled up and left. Today the Smokies pay off. Sunrise on the summit of the notorious 6,643-foot Clingman's Dome. 

The moon had since retreated and the stars held only the essence of the dark night sky.

Pete, Nomad, Jeff, and Darkota were nowhere. They would have turned the audiencer of this world wonder to 17.

A deer shared the morning.

We climbed a spiraling ramp up farther into the stars. A bustling mecca lit the north as the south remained a placid dance of smoke and mountain. 

From the tower we all froze in an icy wind. Clad in down, we waited for the day. The singular profile of the black mountain range fought the starlit sky for territory. 

We waited.

The hue of the low sky had brightened to a deep navy. As the light seemed to be wearily climbing over the back of the mountains, something changed.

The profile of one mountain range became two. Two turned to three and four and on. They came into view in the most vague way. The jagged heart-monitor lines gained independence of one another so remarkably slowly that the scene never seemed to change; yet at the same time, new lines and new shades were forming. 

Sunrise.

Only 'Shadow' had left before the first sight of the sky fire.

The day came bold and determined. Now we race down the mud-ice climb that is Clingman's Dome.

-Aidan Gordon Journal Entry