FEELING SWEATY, tired, underprepared, and alone, Byron Johnson wanted to give up. He had walked over 70 miles, not even an eighth of the way to his targeted destination. Johnson had not packed enough food, so resupply trips were necessary. The teen thought maybe he made a mistake, having yet to experience the most difficult parts of the journey. But then he saw it — rows upon rows of hills covered in trees and bushes, running along with the outstretched horizon until firmament met land. Saliva’s taste of victory formed in Johnson’s mouth as he breathed in the scents of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the Georgia-North Carolina border. Beholding the glory of the land fabricated from highly deformed metamorphic rocks of the earliest geologic age and the endless sky is when this 18-year-old knew he could persevere on a journey that had just begun.
Every year, thousands of hikers endeavor to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, famously called the A.T. Only about one in four sees the expedition’s end, and anyone is fortunate enough to avoid encounters with bears, snakes, pathogens, or dangerous people. The notorious thru-hike spans 14 states of the Eastern United States, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, and is over 2,190 miles long. The massive trek usually takes five to seven months to complete. In sports, the difficulty level for some parts of the world’s longest hiking-only footpath may be described as “All-Madden.”
Such a daunting resume failed to deter Byron Johnson. The West Virginia native moved to Virginia with his family at 12 years old. The relocation introduced him to the Appalachian Trail. The teen desired to complete the thru-hike as his K-12 years were coming to an end.
“I was just getting out of high school, and a lot of people were telling me this will probably be the only chance I get,” Johnson recalled. “I figured this might be my only chance to go and hike, so I took it.”
Johnson began his trip alone in May 2023. However, he did not start the journey fully prepared, failing to plan as much as others. Weighing 220 pounds — probably the heaviest he had ever been — Johnson was also not physically primed. Starting out, he traveled eight miles at a time, going slowly.
“Near the beginning, I almost gave up just because I wasn’t sure if I could do it. And then I reached the first state border, and it pushed me to keep going because I realized I could actually make it,” Johnson said. “It was kind of just the feeling of crossing the border. There hadn’t been a big accomplishment so far, and I finally had something that I could actually prove that I had done something with.”
Because he started his A.T. hike later than most, he saw few people trekking about, and loneliness kicked in. At times, the hike felt more like a chore than a pleasure. He pressed forward, eventually running into other groups he could travel with. The most joyful part of the journey became meeting those new people and even forming relationships, which came in handy as fellow hikers encouraged him through fatigue all the way to his final destination in Maine, which he reached by the end of October.
Each crossed border provided more energy and a sense of success. The 18-year-old conquered rough terrains, elevation changes, and extreme weather between them. In the summer months, he endured temperatures above 95 degrees. During the early and latter parts of the journey, he battled cold weather that once reached below 10 degrees one night in the Smoky Mountains, forcing him to wait out the cold, huddled in a hammock. Heavy rain was common. Johnson specifically recalled the time a tropical storm caught him and others. The 18-year-old even saw about 40 black bears throughout the long hike — but they never posed a threat. Through it all, he did not quit, though he sometimes wanted to throw in the towel. Thankfully, his previous experience as a Boy Scout helped as he had learned the exterior skills of the outdoors and the interior values of relationships, hard work, and perseverance.
In the end, Johnson achieved his A.T. hiking goal, and for this young man, that’s part of what makes a true champion — the relentlessness of “going after your dreams until you accomplish them,” as Johnson said.
To all the dreamers out there — keep fighting. Never quit. The last storm will pass, and what was once a dream will turn into a reality, even if it takes one mile at a time. GN
