St. Germain family reflects on 2k-mile Appalachian hike

Many North Woods residents experience extremes in local weather in spring, but one local family immersed themselves in the elements and the natural world for almost six months. 

From mid-March through the beginning of September, Anne and Scott Small and their 10-year-old son Murray of St. Germain hiked the entire 2,197.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Their dog Meteor accompanied them most of the way.

Their journey’s idea began when Scott and Anne thru-hiked the trail southbound in 2002, and wanted, since he was born, to share this experience with their son. 

“Last fall, while we were talking about our 2002 hike, Murray became interested and thought he could do it,” commented Anne. “Once the seed was planted, we started making plans quickly for a 2024 hike. We decided to go northbound this time because there would be more people in the beginning, so more comradery for Murray. Also, the finish on the summit of gorgeous Mount Katahdin is so much more dramatic than a finish on Springer Mountain, which is a plaque on a rock that is mostly without a view.”

To prepare for their adventure, they did some walking and hiking. Knowing from their previous hike that “nothing really gets you into shape for the trail like the trail itself,” the Smalls weren’t too concerned with pre-hike conditioning. 

Anne remarked, “A week or two on the trail, hiking up and down mountains with the weight of your pack, gives you your ‘trail legs.’” 

The family chose to wear mid-hiking boots, as they hold up longer and provide ankle support compared to the more common footwear of thru-hikers, trail running shoes. 

Each carried a backpack, with Anne using her 22-year-old 12-ounce GoLite Breeze that was used on all her long-distance hikes. Scott and Murray’s packs were made by Gossamer Gear. Anne and Scott packed parts of their three-person Big Agnes backpacking tent. Scott used a ¾ length sleeping mat made by Nemo, while Anne and Murray used closed-cell foam sleeping pads to prevent Meteor’s nails from popping inflatable mats. Other items included a Sawyer squeeze water filter, lightweight rain gear, trekking poles, gaiters to keep dirt out of boots, food in stuff sacks, rope for hanging a bear bag, three shorts, T-shirts and pairs of socks each, puffy jacket, winter hat, gloves for the colder times, water bottles, battery bank for charging cell phone, phone with FarOut mapping app, titanium cooking pot, sporks and an Esbit cooking stove. They ended up sending their stove and cook-set home about halfway because it was too hot for them to want to prepare hot meals.

The journey began at Springer Mountain, Ga., on March 15 and consisted of hiking an average of 15 to 20 miles daily. Their trail names were Twinkie for Scott, given by Murray since he would get these as his resupplies quite often, Mush Mama for Anne, given by her friend for her love of mushrooms and dog mushing, and Cheezhead for Murray, a big Packers fan. 

“It was a good name, as most people would guess right away that we were from Wisconsin when they heard his name!” Anne said.

She continued, saying, “One of the biggest parts of the Appalachian Trail journey is the people…the hikers that we met along the way, the trail angels, the characters who made each town stop memorable. This melting pot of personalities stirs up good feelings inside and makes you come away with such a positive view of humanity. Most of our trail family got off trail for one reason or another, but we carried them all with us in spirit as we made that final climb up Katahdin. They made our hike a rich and beautiful experience.”

As time progressed, the family chose to go into towns for food resupplies. Along the trail every two to four days, they could reach a road to either hitchhike or get a shuttle to a store, allowing them to carry several days’ food at a time. They would sometimes order other gear needs through mail drops that would be delivered to hostels or post offices.

“The beauty of simplicity is something that the Trail teaches,” Anne said, “All you need to survive is what you carry on your back. That is both humbling and eye-opening. Depending not on a car to get you places, but your own two feet. We can live without all of that ‘stuff’ of the consumer world. Yes, we really can, and actually, we can be much happier for it.

“How lucky we have been over the past several months to take the time to slow down, become more in tune with nature and the world around us, and it wasn’t hard to do. We slipped right into the daily routine, up with the sunrise and birdsong, and hiking, often until dusk, settling into our tent as the sun set over the mountain ridges. The sounds, the smells, the sights of the forests, mountains and fields entertained, taught and tested us. We became part of the whole realm, its intense beauty and its hardships. We felt as natural there as we would have at home, and we truly felt more at home there on the trail then when we had to leave the woods for the cities to resupply. The trail really does become a part of you when you thru-hike, and you also become a part of it.”

Experiencing spring giving way to summer, with the days lengthening and the temperatures rising, with summer flowers and grasses brightening the trail edges, their bodies adapted more so than if they had been at home. The family said the sweat was almost constant, with the clothes on their back being as wet as or more than those out of a washing machine. Occasionally, summer rains drenched the hikers and, with the humidity, drying out was futile. 

Then, at one point in Vermont, they felt a shift in season. The nights became cool again, daylight was shorter, and squirrels were busy gathering the dropping seeds and cones. Only the year-round birds called: chickadees, bluejays, nuthatches and crows, and the Smalls said they welcomed the transition. They enjoyed warm sleeping bags at night and needing a jacket upon awakening. They sensed the forest animals feeling relieved, but also preparing for winter. 

One of the three biggest challenges that Scott, Anne and Murray faced was wet snow and wind in the Smoky Mountains, which were coupled with single-digit temperatures at night, causing their boots to be solid blocks of ice in the morning. Another was extreme heat and humidity that started for them in Harper’s Ferry, W. Va., and didn’t let up until Massachusetts.

Due to the oppressive heat, a difficult decision was made in mid-Connecticut to take their husky Meteor back home. The third major challenge was experiencing mud from Vermont through southern Maine. Often, even if it was sunny, their feet ended up wet and muddy by day’s end and maneuvering around the mud, hopping between rocks, roots, and logs, made the days much longer than usual.

“Many people we met along the way told Murray that this was an amazing opportunity to thru-hike as a family,” Anne said. “Scott and I both know this, but as a child it is harder to comprehend. No doubt that Murray will eventually realize how lucky he was. Having the time to be together, day after day, was priceless, even if we did get on each other’s nerves occasionally. Together we learned so much about people, history, nature, and even ourselves. The lessons of the Trail can’t be taught in a classroom. The hike wasn’t easy. In fact, it was a lot of work. We all had our share of complaints, but we persevered. Each day, when we finished hiking, it felt like an accomplishment. And those moments when you reached a spectacular viewpoint or summit, we instantly forgot about the hardship of getting there.”

A lot of good days were experienced, with Murray’s favorites being when the family met wild ponies in the Grayson Highlands, hiking the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains, swimming in many waterfalls from Massachusetts to Maine, and the feeling of climbing Mount Katahdin. 

Anne said her highlight was seeing the forests come to life in Spring. 

“The hillsides in North Carolina and Tennessee were filled with spring ephemerals like spring beauties, wild leeks and Dutchman’s breeches,” she explained. “Eventually, the trees leafed out, much to our relief, giving us shade from the intense sunlight. As the spring progressed, we heard and saw different birds returning from their wintering grounds to the forests and fields along the Trail. Oftentimes, we spotted birds nesting and bringing food to their young. The warming temps also brought out more reptiles and amphibians. Snakes and lizards often sunned themselves along the edge of the Trail. Many have described a northbound hike on the AT as a walk with Spring, and that definitely is fitting.”

Anne concluded with, “There isn’t much that compares to a finish on the top of Katahdin. The steady, boulder climb, after reaching tree line, was so much fun to traverse. That has been our favorite kind of hiking, the kind where you put away your trekking poles and really need to use both hands and feet. Each time you turn around to look out over where you have come, there are views for miles. Then you reach the Tablelands, the gently sloping mountaintop strewn with boulders, leading you on an easy walk up to the summit, the famed finish sign, the final white blaze. As we made those final steps together to the terminus, I could feel my heart pounding, and I fought back the tears. I had an overwhelming sense of pride in what we had accomplished together, but I especially was thrilled for Murray. Not many ten year olds have done something quite this momentous. A majority of the adults who attempted a thru-hike find it too challenging to finish, but yet he was able to hike these 2,197.4 miles, and finish with a smile on his face. He is a true rockstar.”

Anne kept a journal about their hike to share with family and friends. This excerpt is from her final entry: “After we left the summit, there was a tinge of sadness, mainly for the fact that we will miss life on the Trail, but not a feeling of let-down. I actually felt more of a sense of deep happiness and satisfaction, and it made me ponder what is in store for us next. Could there be something bigger and better? It will be hard to find something that would even come close to this experience, but the world is a huge place, and there are many more adventures to be had. So, as we drove in our rental car underneath an overpass that we hiked on, we quietly said good-bye to the Trail that had been our friend and our life for the past five and a half months. 

We are joining those people we watched from the overpass, speeding down the highway to whatever lies ahead. This experience will remain with us for a lifetime, and someday, hopefully, we can return to that slow and simple life of the Trail. Thank you to all who have followed our journey. We hope that this glimpse into the Appalachian Trail has given you joy and maybe inspiration to take your own adventures, whatever they may be.”

The public is invited to a presentation about the family’s hike at the Plum Lake Library on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.