My Dirtbag Journey

Hey! I’m Will. I’m a Cincinnati native, pilot, and recent Ohio State graduate. In just about two months I’ll be starting my AT thru hike. Having finished my degree in December, I’ve just been working and applying to jobs. Thus, I’ve had a lot of time to daydream and think about the how and why of my decision. 

How I met the AT

My outdoor origin

I have this vivid memory of watching a documentary about the AT on the History Channel over my dad’s shoulder when I was six or seven years old. It was one of those mid 2000’s gems with unreasonably dramatic music and intense gross-out shots of writhing insects and fake wounds. With a mind distracted by thoughts of running in crocs and melting crayons into the shag carpet, the program didn’t have much of an effect on me at the time.

I don’t come from a big hiking or camping family. Before they got married, my dad bet his mother-in-law $100 that he could get my mom to go camping by their tenth anniversary. Ten years later, he handed her a crisp Benjamin during a family dinner. Despite this, my parents fostered my love of the outdoors. We would go on nature walks in local parks, and my dad and I would go fishing. When I was seven or eight, they gave me a license to roam in the form of a tw0-way radio that they used to call me home for dinner. My friends and I became the keepers of the water retention area and patch of woods in the center neighborhood. We would build stick forts and played with the rusty remains of agricultural equipment left behind by the former landowner. 

Awakening the dirtbag within

Cut to the Covid lockdown. *groans*. Class was online, the entire family was home, and seeing as my not-so-promising junior year pole vault career had been cut short, I had a lot of free time. Taking advantage of the cheap gasoline and fantastic weather, I took solo day trips all over my county to go on hikes and runs. During this time I began to realize that I really enjoyed looking at trees while listening to podcasts and coming home covered in mud.

After the lockdowns lifted, a few friends and I began going on short backpacking trips in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. We would cram heavy sleeping bags and hammocks into our school backpacks, pick up gallon jugs of water from a gas station, and hoof it onto Auxier ridge for a night. As our excursions began to grow in scope, I began improving my equipment, and soon we were true weekend warriors. 

In college, I didn’t have to look too hard to find my tribe. The OSU mountaineering club was full of people just like me- champing at the bit for some to run around in the woods. Through the club I was introduced to two life changing things: The dirtbag way of living, and Tudor’s Biscuit World. There are few things more fun than piling into a car full of total strangers and setting off for a weekend of outdoor adventure, especially with a biscuit sandwich in the center pocket of your hoodie. On a club trip over fall break of my freshman year, I set foot on the AT for the first time. We encountered the white blazes briefly during a backpacking loop of Stratton and Bourn pond in Vermont, but I couldn’t stop thinking about them.

A thru hike is born

As my confidence in my outdoor abilities grew, I began leading trips through the club. I took groups of new friends on outdoor adventures in the Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Vermont, and New York. Outside of the club, I started going on section hikes of the AT, culminating in a solo hike of the 100 mile wilderness and Katahdin. During sophomore year, I realized that I could graduate a semester early, allowing me to seriously consider a thru hike for the first time. Weighing my options, I realized this was opportunity I couldn’t pass up. 

Pondering biscuits

Why I’m hiking in 2025

Career

I’m a private pilot with an instrument rating, and I plan on earning my commercial certificate after the AT. Flying is a perishable skill- you have to keep at it consistently to be a competent pilot. Additionally, the first few years of a pilot’s career is usually marked by a terrible work-life balance. Even pilots with some seniority still miss family holidays and important life events. As a result, flying and long-distance hiking are two forces in my life that are at odds with each other. With my degree completed a semester early, I’ve decided to spend the extra time on crossing off a bucket list item before I turn my life over to flying completely. 

The planet

My concern for the planet was also a major factor in deciding to hike this year. I considered hiking the trail after reaching retirement age, but I don’t think the AT in 2068 will look the same as the AT in 2025. I find it unbelievably depressing to discuss this topic, but there’s still a lot we can do to solve our problems. Regardless, it was an undeniable factor in my decision making.

What I’m most excited for 

When I zone out at work or during a run, I think about scenes like this:

  • Seeing my hiker number tag for the first time at Amicalola Falls state park
  • sitting around a campfire and getting my trail name
  • Laughing and trading stories with new friends on trail as rain comes down in torrents
  • Finding something delicious in a hiker box
  • Sitting in a library and reliving recent moments as I type away at this blog on a public computer
  • Sipping a PBR on a rocky summit
  • Waking up abruptly to the sound of something moving through the underbrush near my tent
  • Spring peepers chirping in the hazy dusk
  • Walking around with a burger and a milkshake at Trail Days
  • The full moon shining through the wall of my tent like a spotlight as the wind whips through the trees
  • Waking up to a light dusting of snow in the smokies
  • Night hiking a 4000 footer in the Whites
  • Chatting up section hikers on the shores of a pristine lake
  • Mosquitos biting my face
  • Black flies biting my face
  • Eating half a gallon of ice cream and feeling completely fine
  • Seeing Katahdin in the distance on a grey summer day, peak obscured mysteriously by churning undercast  

    100 Mile Wilderness bliss

Reporting on the trail for 2,200 smiles

I hope you’re thinking “Wow, this kid has moxie!” -and yes, it’s true, I do. I’ve never written anything like this before, but I had a good time doing it. I think this project is going to really improve my ability to express myself. Shoutout to Jen Brown, who inspired me to write with her 2024 AT blog. Thanks to all who read this far for the support, I think this is will be a lot of fun. 

 

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Comments 11

  • Foo : Feb 2nd

    First

    Reply
    • Nat : Feb 2nd

      Second

      Reply
  • Nat : Feb 2nd

    Wow this sucks >:(

    Reply
  • Calder : Feb 3rd

    Really loving this — excited for what’s to come!

    Reply
  • Liver : Feb 3rd

    Thanks for posting. I’ll be following you–through cyberspace.

    Reply
  • YeeHa of BeeChHill : Feb 3rd

    Hi, Will – what a great introduction you’ve shared! Your background & mindset prepare you for an incredible life experience, and we wish you all the best that the trail offers. We’ve been told that one of “the best” outdoor showers of the AT is the high-pressure hot-water shower here at BeeChHill – which is just a 2-minute walk from the AT, near the “/3s Pole” (NOBO 1/3 to Katahdin; SOBO 2/3s to Springer). We hope your trek allows you to be refreshed at BeeChHill, and also at Huckleberry’s Hostel opening this Spring in Catawba, between Dragon’s Tooth and McAfee’s Knob.

    Reply
  • Jess : Feb 3rd

    “Eating half a gallon of ice cream and feeling completely fine” LOL I love the confidence! I knew plenty of hikers who were hiking 30 mile days and were NOT fine 😂 It’s a challenge for a reason and it definitelyyyy kicked my butt. But honestly I bet you’ve got it

    Great read Will 🙂 Looking forward to your departure day. Go Bucks!

    Reply
  • Abby : Feb 3rd

    I cannot WAIT to stay updated. I wish I could see the moon through a tent as I fall asleep exhausted somewhere along the AT!!!

    Reply
  • Hannah Hubbard : Feb 4th

    Very cool! There’s always a reason not to go on an adventure like this, its so cool to see someone taking advantage of the present moment. Makes me want to do the same!

    Reply
  • Jen Brown : Feb 6th

    Thanks for the shout out! I’m glad you were inspired to blog your trek. It can be a lot of work, but it’s worth it to look back on your memories after you’re done 🙂 Good luck on your journey and I hope you have the time of your life!!

    Reply
  • Manger Cat : Feb 7th

    Thanks for reminding me of Tudors Biscuit World! I haven’t thought of them in years. The best cup of white and sweet coffee in the world!

    Reply

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