Appalachian Trail Through-Hike

Tracy (Froehler) Smith ’88 of Milam, Texas, sent Texas Aggie magazine photos of her children, 15-year-old Haleigh and 13-year-old Clayton, from their 2011 through-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,181-mile footpath that runs from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Mount Katahdin, Maine.

The siblings walked 10-25 miles each day, taking about five million steps along the way and experiencing a total elevation gain equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times.

Tracy said both of them hope to attend Texas A&M. “As you can see in the attached photo of them holding the Aggie flag, they are already addicted to the Aggie tradition and cannot wait to attend.”

Below is Tracy’s account of her children’s adventure. To see more photos, visit www.photobucket.com/halandclayathike.


Tracy's Story

August 30, 2011, Haleigh (15) and Clayton (13) Smith, daughter and son of Thomas and Tracy Smith of Milam, Texas, completed a “thru-hike” of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,181-mile footpath spanning from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine.
The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) serves as either a get away to section hikers or a lifelong  achievement for the enduring “thru-hiker”. Of the 2-3 million individuals who walk a portion of the trail each year, approximately 500 successfully complete a thru-hike to become the current year’s class of “2,000 Milers”. During an average of 5 months thru-hikers walk 10-25 miles each day, take approximately 5 million steps, follow 16, 500 white blazes, and experience a total elevation gain equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest sixteen times. Reaching the half-way marker, thru-hikers have walked more than the average person does in a year.

As a tradition, thru-hikers abandon their given names for trail names. Haleigh became Goldilocks and Clayton, Havoc. Goldilocks and Havoc planned their hiking goal, water resupply points, and food management every day. 30 pound packs holding all personal items such as toiletries, clothes, food, stove, water, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and tent were carried.   Water bottles/bladders were refilled along the trail from streams or springs, food was available only at points where the trail intersected a town or in some cases a simple convenience store.

Goldilocks and Havoc enjoyed a night’s stay in a hotel generally every 7-10 days. This break from the trail allowed them to treat blisters, poison Ivy, resupply food, gear, and wash clothes. No spare clothes were brought, tooth brushes were cut in half, ultra-light gear purchased and the value of food solely placed on its calorie count and weight. The mental test was not evident for the first 500 miles, being over shadowed by blisters that encompassed their feet, abrupt changes of weather, and the initial aches and pains associated with hiking at least 15 miles per day in the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia day after day in rain or shine or sleet and snow!