Trail Days 2024 Hiker’s Stories – Daniel

I met Daniel at the Thursday evening One Way Ministries Free Hiker Feast. He sat across from me and my friend Dave. We struck up a conversation as we sat at one of the long lines of tables and enjoyed the fried chicken, green beans, and macaroni and cheese dinner. We talked all the way through dessert.

From nearby Johnson City, Tennessee, Daniel’s tall lanky frame and quiet disposition suggested still waters ran deep inside him. He started backpacking nearby sections of the AT while still in high school. He attempted a NOBO thru-hike in March of 2018 but abandoned the attempt after injuring himself near the end of the very first day. He started a second attempt in 2023 but came off the trail before finishing after becoming “a little stir crazy” as he put it. So far, the AT is the only trail, and the only place, Daniel has hiked.

Not to be deterred from his goal, Daniel set out to thru-hike the AT NOBO for the third time this year and so far, he has not been daunted. He has not suffered any injuries, nor has become restless in his endeavor.

When I asked Daniel about his fondest memories from his time on the AT, he replied “I have met some of the most wonderful people, both hikers and non-hikers.”  He also celebrated that he “didn’t get mauled.” He offered no negative memories, not even mentioning his 2018 injury.

I saw Daniel only one more time during Trail Days and that was from a distance. I suspect that he is now somewhere out on the AT, hiking alone, hiking at his own pace, hiking his own hike. Perhaps for him, this third attempt at a NOBO thru-hike will be a charm he will find himself on the summit of Mount Katahdin before it closes.

Stay tuned for more Trail Days 2024 Hiker’s Stories. I hope and plan to post at least eight in all, and this was only the fourth. That means we are now at the half-way point in this writing trek.