You get up, pack everything you own into a bag, you walk, stop to eat, walk, refill water, walk more, set up camp, sleep. Repeat daily for six months.

The Appalachian Trail is my favorite spot on Earth, being on the Appalachian Trail is one of my favorite feelings on Earth. The 2200 mile trail winds all the way from Georgia to Maine following the Appalachian Mountains the entire way. When Amy and I first really heard about it, we were living in Pittsburgh and as we were getting in to backpacking, we met an employee at REI who explained to us in detail how fun his thru hike was and how he can’t wait to go back. A thru hike is the official term for the goal of setting out to complete the entire trail in a calendar year. Thru hikers are the smelliest group of dirtbags you’ll ever meet. Many go weeks without a shower. Most people set out to walk every step along the path, but just like Bill Bryson in “A Walk In The Woods,” the majority eventually drop out or start skipping ahead past sections, not always because the physical drain is so hard, but the monotony of repeating the same remedial tasks every day can be draining mentally as well. Amy and I wanted to see what this REI guy was talking about, what’s the AT, and how does it differ from the backpacking we’ve been doing?

Our very first night on the AT was in Harper’s Ferry, I’ll never forget seeing the largest spider I’ve ever seen sitting between the mesh of our tent and the rain cover. Amy and I only went a very short distance and stayed at the first shelter available. There, we met our first set of thru-hikers. As they pulled in to camp, they all knew each other and had a certain camaraderie. They were friendly with Amy and I and Amy even gave them her water bottle when one of theirs broke. It was my first time experiencing the culture of the AT and I immediately felt right at home. In the following years, Amy and I would hike the trail for longer and longer sections. Three days in Shenandoah, Two weeks in North Carolina, three weeks in Vermont (where I proposed to Amy while doing our very favorite thing together, hiking the AT.) Eventually this culminated in our three month trek from Harper’s Ferry to Maine. Each trip, we walked away with new life-long friends that we keep in touch with to this day. It’s hard to explain the bonds formed on the trail or what’s meant by the culture of the trail but whatever it is, I enjoy it. Even at our first night ever at a shelter it was clear that, with few exceptions, thru hikers are friendly, ambitious, caring, hard working, and cool. Most thru hikers have pretty similarly aligned beliefs and morals and everyone’s goal is to have fun. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is more than backpacking and setting up your shit, it’s an entire experience that changes you for good.

This will be the first time that all of us as a family have spent the night together on trail. I spent a long time scanning the trail, searching for the perfect section that had child friendly hikes between stops as well as a point of entry and hopefully a fun exit. Leaving the trail after several days and wondering into a town can be one of best feelings imaginable. One of our very favorite sections fits the bill, Stratton Pond. Stratton is a beautiful mountain lake surrounded by nothing but wilderness. The best part is that the entire lake is only accessible by hiking. We remember the feeling of arriving here years ago and swimming in the lake after days of hiking, we always smile when talking about Stratton and this will be our third time returning. The kids are as excited to see what we are always talking about as we are to show them.

It’ll take a full day for us to get a shuttle to the trail and hike to the pond, but I have a little surprise in store I think everyone’s going to like. Our Shuttle isn’t dropping us at the traditional trailhead, no sir, we will begin our morning at Stratton Resort where the very capable Gondola will carry us and our gear up to the top of the mountain.

The shuttle leaves from our hostel at 8 am and so we say our goodbyes to our hostelmates and arrive at the resort about an hour before the gondola opens so we get some delicious breakfast, made more delicious by the fact we know it will be our last for three days that isn’t dehydrated noodles with sausage and hard cheese. The Gondola is an expensive ticket that is an experience in and of itself, luckily, tradition states that backpackers ride free and so we got to cheat our way to the summit. From here, a mile path will connect us with the AT proper at the famous Stratton Mountain Fire Tower, this creepy creaky structure was built in the 1930s and has allowed watchmen to scan southern Vermont for the first signs of forest fire. Fitz and I start up and I make it to the very first platform before telling Amy, she’s going to have to take them up cause that’s a big no from me dawg. I know I’ll never hear the end of it and a little fomo for what I’ll miss out on but there’s no chance. Amy made it to platform three before looking down and calling an immediate retreat. I can’t believe those wussies. Fitz was so mad, but seriously there were no real side rails to stop a trip, how a younger Amy and I made it up there in 2016 is unfathomable to me today as my legs made it very clear we are cool on the ground. I said famous because this is a special spot amongst long trail hikers. In this exact location in 1909 John Taylor came up with the idea of The Long Trail, a trail extending all the way vertically across Vermont. Later in 1921, Brenton MacKaye expanded on this idea and the Appalachian Trail and my hobby was born. A small plaque sits in remembrance here. I’m so thankful for these guys, it’s such a unique thing to set out and create. The trail protects so much land and creates so much recreation everywhere it touches. For this brief section, both trails overlap, and the word thru hiker can have multiple meanings.

We want to hurry along to the shelter in case there are many people hoping to camp at the pond. If memory serves right, ten years ago, there were only a few tent pads and a smaller shelter. Luckily, our journey today is a measly three miles down hill. Amy is instantly reminded of why Vermont is her favorite state, everything is so green and alive, the forest has a distinctly Vermont feel and Amy keeps expressing her admiration for its beauty as we trot along. Our first thru hikers pass us on there way to our destination three days away. They’ll complete our three day trek before dinner. The thru hikers that are left standing this far along the trail, exactly three quarters of the way to the finish, are the real deal. They intend to complete it, and hiking twenty miles in a day is child’s play. It’s fun to see that there is a prospect that we could share camp with some tonight, I’d love for my kids to see some of the madness.

When we arrived, we had the entire place to ourselves, we had enough service to see a storm was coming, and decided to check out the shelter. Luckily it was huge, it had built in bunks and an entire second floor loft hanging over the dinging area. If the shelter were smaller, etiquette would dictate that a group our size should set up tents and allow thru hikers crawling in late to take advantage of the dry beds. There is no law that states this but I’ve been there, hoping to pull in late and land a dry shelter or otherwise set up a tent in the dark rain. In reality, normal hikers and normal humans in general want nothing to do with shelter life. Although, comforting to me, the reality is that in shelters you are sleeping in close quarters with strangers, often face to face shoved in like sardines. Thru hikers rarely shower and disease can run rampant at shelters. Shelters are home to snakes if you’re lucky because they keep down the mice which are trained to wait for you to fall asleep. Even many thru hikers choose to complete the trail avoiding them at all cost. All that said, it’s also the town center in the evening and you’re sure to find people having a good time. You don’t have to set up and take down a tent, and everything you have stays dry. The kids fall in love with the shelter, they have heard us speak of them and Everest has been asking questions all day. They are obsessed with the idea and with the weather coming, sheltering is a great option. Around 2pm with so much room and plenty of tent sites, we fit ourselves in four bunks comfortably. After a good rest, the kids are disappointed we don’t have any shelter mates for the evening and I am beginning to think we may have the lake to ourselves tonight. We decide to go for a hike around the lake to check out the new shelter that was just built over there. Around the lake, the shelter is newer but lacks the character of our home for the evening and is a whole mile further off trail. The one huge upside is that this privy smells like fucking roses compared to the cesspool of overflowing shit about to erupt from our privy. Might be worth the walk two miles back and forth in the morning depending how this warm cheese and salami goes down. As the sun began to set we were only joined by a lone thru hiker who set up his tent some ways away. It’s possible a family is scaring them off. Young me would have had second thoughts. The sun set and dawn, also known as “hiker midnight,” had been going on long enough for all of us to clean up, brush our teeth, purify tomorrows water and climb into our sleeping bags in our private cabin. Suddenly a couple arrives, then the rain arrives, then another couple. Over the next fifteen minutes, one hiker would trickle in per minute. To my chagrin, they went on about their evening as if there wasn’t a family occupying their home. We chat briefly with a few of them, but we know from experience they are tired and want to set up and cook before catching up with all their friends. They all are clearly close trail family, they discuss the trail gossip over boiling pots of water atop tiny butane tanks. Amy had been reading to the kids but is silent now, I look over. They are entranced, stuck staring, unable to blink, under the same spell that once caught Amy and I. They literally just sat with their chins in their hands staring at these strange hikers as they went about their routine. Curious creatures at the peak of their craft. After dinner, they joked, smoked cigarettes, and made plans for tomorrow. I take a break from reading to see if the kids have fallen asleep. Haven’t moved a muscle, they are sitting wide eyed in the exact same location I saw them in an hour ago. I wondered if it must be odd for the hikers to be under such close investigation but it doesn’t seem to hamper their groove so I don’t worry.

In a pitch black shelter bunking with complete strangers I am startled awake by a ruffling sound. A mouse! Can’t be us, I was very strict with the kids about keeping food out of our packs. I grab the headlamp and flip it to red before turning it toward the sound. I see the outer pocket on Fitz’s pack moving around. I reach over and shake it, a scared mouse sprinted up his pack and up the wall it hung on. I reach around and find the culprit, a wrapper from chocolate chip muffins. Shame shame young Fitz. A valuable lesson, luckily, with no damage done.

Eventually, the rain sprinkled out right as the first light appeared. I was happy to get up and went to gather the food from the bear box. Slowly, people started waking up and beginning their morning routines. Everyone was really impressed and complimentary of the kids, even as some of them, I’m sure, were awoken early from the kids pitter patter and inability to whisper. The friendliness of AT hikers hasn’t changed with the next generation, everyone was super kind as we exchanged stories and trail names. It’s fun to see how gear has changed as well. Their trail family made me smile, they were such a great group of people looking out for each other, I envy their journey and wish I could be there to see them finish. The kids finally got to speak to their idols from the previous night and learned that they are just humans like us, and that they too have the option of being a part of this, if they wish to some day. Most of our morning hike was spent covering questions about our newest friends. The kids seem to be more interested in the trail than ever before, mission accomplished.

Our five mile hike today flew by as we hiked along through the emerald tunnel. Today the dampness and salamanders gave it more of a rainforest feel. We hopped over streams, roots, and rocks and took a couple quick breaks to dish out candy on our 5 mile walk. The hike went by fast as it just seems we were lost in random conversation for the entire time. For example, Fitz described his new sushi idea; The Scallopfornia Roll which combines his two favorite foods. Everest explained how he wants to invent dumplings filled with frosting and candy. Honestly, both sound like winners to me, I’m not sure if that’s the trail talking.

Our shelter tonight is a far cry from our lap of luxury last night. This shelter seems a bit more typical of what you would see on the AT. Pretty much a roof and flat space made of wood, Everest accurately says it reminds him of our 18th century prison. If we take it, we immediately take up 5/8 spots but with another night time storm, this is the best bet for us. Tonight I hope for some peace and quiet alone from the crowds. I want them to see both aspects, the solitude and the community of the trail. Our shelter is an entire half mile off the AT so I know for sure no thru hiker will waste their time adding that to their itinerary. It’s also close to a town so most thru hikers will just push on for a meal rather than waste time here.

My predictions turn out to be correct, a few Long Trail hikers come and stay in tents nearby but no one came for the shelter. We iced our swollen feet in the nearby stream after lunch and took a mid day siesta before our staple, Ramen and Starburst for dinner. A true crowd pleaser. With the shelter all to ourselves, Amy hung her phone precariously from her bag and we all laid in a row watching a movie in our own personal AT shelter. I’m waiting for the mice to awaken and find out which kid fucked up today. Hopefully the snakes noticed messy kids in the shelter and are also on high alert.

It’s fun but it isn’t always easy. Most recently I’ve seen it called discomfort tolerance but regardless of what it’s called, putting yourself in situations outside your comfort zone and challenging yourself to overcome them is a great skill to build. Being able to tolerate discomfort really does separate those who make it all 2200 miles and those who quit or maybe never try. For me the payoff is infinitely worth it, for tolerating some discomfort, you get to have the best time of your entire life.

In a small way, it’s the same for my kids, they have certainly tolerated discomfort on our trip, the payoff will be when we get home and that hopefully translates to their real life when things get challenging or uncomfortable.

In the morning we woke up in no rush and completed the morning routine. Go potty, purify water, eat breakfast, roll up sleeping bag, roll up pad, get dressed, pack bag meticulously, eat snack, walk. Then do this for all three kids. Each trip, I try to get them comfortable with a bit more of the less glamorous parts. Everest helped filter water and Fitz is determined to pack his bag himself. Maple couldn’t even be bothered to pick up a water bottle slowly spilling out in front of her on her foot. Hopefully she learns the value of filtered water soon. She didn’t even move her foot if you were wondering. We hiked off the AT along what’s known as a blue blaze, short offshoots that can take you to shelters, water, or in our case, a town. Manchester Center is a perfect final destination. A cute mountain town that attracts all kinds of people who want to be surrounded by nature. I have planned to stay at a fun lodge with a pool and surrounded by restaurants. I previously set up a shuttle to pick us up and drop everyone at the lodge and continue with me back to the bus over an hour away. I can already see that the kids are getting that, “dirt-bagging into town after days on trail feeling,” that I so treasure. My only regret is that they won’t get to experience the “back on trail,” feeling that hits even better.