{"id":88612,"date":"2019-10-10T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T19:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=88612"},"modified":"2022-08-02T16:36:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T23:36:04","slug":"hiker-trash-a-love-letter-to-the-appalachian-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/hiker-trash-a-love-letter-to-the-appalachian-trail","title":{"rendered":"Hiker Trash: A Love Letter to the Appalachian Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

It takes just under six months for most backpackers to complete the world\u2019s longest hiking-only footpath, but you can get a glimpse of the highs and lows of a thru-hiker\u2019s journey without leaving home this fall with the new book, Hiker Trash: Notes, Sketches, and Other Detritus from the Appalachian Trail<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Author and artist Sarah Kaizar joined the ranks of Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hikers in March 2015, beginning her journey in Georgia after her father passed away, and completing her hike in September. Though Kaizar thought about recording her experience while she was on the trail, it wasn\u2019t until 2016 that she finally put pen to paper.<\/p>\n

The resulting collage of backpacking culture pairs her words and illustrations with color photos shot by professional photographer Nicholas Reichard. The book documents life on the AT, paying particular attention to its 250 shelters and the community that routinely finds respite beneath their roofs.<\/p>\n

Here, Kaizar speaks about what inspired her to tackle the 2,190-mike trail and how the project came to fruition.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration

Spring Mountain shelter, Tennessee. Illustration: Sarah Kaizar.<\/p><\/div>\n

On when the idea to hike the trail took hold. <\/strong>\u201cI had backpacked a lot of sections of the Pennsylvania part of the AT during high school and college. [That section is] about halfway through, and there are all these trail markers that say \u2018this many miles to Maine and Georgia.’ They seemed like an impossible distance. \u2026 [An AT hike] was always in the back of my mind, a backburner dream for a long time. Then my dad passed away, and after he passed, it put some new urgency into things. It kicked it into a higher gear. It fell into the category of \u2018life is too short.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A

Flick on Mount Katahdin. Photo Credit: Nicholas Reichard.<\/p><\/div>\n

On what she was searching for. <\/strong>\u201cI was definitely aiming for peace and clarity. When I was out there, I was alternatively processing and avoiding processing the grief I was in. Meeting other people who were going through their own challenges made [me] feel less alone. That was eye-opening and comforting. I was expecting a lot of solitude, which you certainly find. But I wasn\u2019t expecting to make this kind of community. I\u2019ve made friends I\u2019m certain I\u2019ll have for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A

Logbooks are found in many shelters throughout the trail. This is one thru-hiker\u2019s entry. Kaizar used these handwritten notes to illustrate the diverse experiences of the community.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the camaraderie<\/b> she found on the trail. <\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s a kind of funny experience, because you\u2019re testing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally. You\u2019re operating in a very vulnerable place, and so is everyone around you. I think it\u2019s easier to make a connection when everyone is in the same state of mind and you\u2019re all moving toward a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what she brought home with her. <\/strong>\u201c[The AT] messed me up in the best way possible. I feel like it was kind of tough to come back to real life afterwards. It took a little bit of transition. I loved the simplicity of backpacking, where you\u2019re carrying everything you have and need. And you\u2019re moving, sleeping, eating. When you\u2019re actually living it day to day, that simplicity is profound. I keep trying to simplify at home. \u2026 Actually accomplishing it is pretty empowering. I came home, and what came with me was, \u2018What can I do now?\u2019 If I could do that, I can do all sorts of things I didn\u2019t think I could do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fellow thru-hikers Pony Puncher and Food Truck rest at Gentian Pond shelter. Photo Credit: Nicholas Reichard.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the importance of AT shelters. \u201c<\/strong>When I was on trail, I packed a sketchbook with me, which became waterlogged in the first weeks and had to go. But I was photographing all the [AT] shelters obsessively. I documented almost all 250 shelters. They\u2019re built and maintained by volunteers. They are all a little different. They\u2019re as utilitarian as it can get. So when I sat down and put pen to paper, I started with the shelters first, because I loved them. But in the drawings, it was really the hikers and the community that started making them feel alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Illustration

Trimpi shelter, Virginia. Illustration: Sarah Kaizar.<\/p><\/div>\n

On creating Hiker Trash.<\/em> \u201c<\/strong>Making the book was surprisingly emotionally difficult. I wanted to do some kind of work [after completing the hike], because making artwork is how I process things. But I was also going through a hard time when I was out there. Making the drawings [brought] that back up. I would go through the photos and think \u2018I remember that day.\u2019 It was cathartic, but difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started writing, I made trips to the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club<\/a> in Virginia, the only trail organization that keeps an archive of logbooks. I poured through the pages of the logbooks, and in those pages, the hikers got really reflective, because they were near the halfway point. The emotional, reflective entries resonated with me. Going through those books, I felt the community of the trail right there all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Two thru-hikers, Knock and Honeybuns, celebrating the end of a half-year adventure atop Mount Katahdin. Photo Credit: Nocholas Reichard.<\/p><\/div>\n

On who she created the book for. <\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m hoping the book is kind of waving [a] flag: There\u2019s this great group of people out here, and there\u2019s this great experience. It\u2019s fully open to anyone who wants to come out to it. I\u2019m hoping [that] a lot of the voices of the trail call out to people through this book.\u201d<\/p>\nPurchase Your Copy Here<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

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Editor\u2019s note: Images were used with permission from<\/em> Hiker Trash: Notes, Sketches, and Other Detritus from the Appalachian Trail (Skipstone\/Mountaineers Books, September 2019) by Sarah Kaizar, with photos by Nicholas Reichard and logbook entries courtesy of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n