Ron and Brenda in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma – Photos by Brenda Kelley

WHEN I FIRST MET RON, HE TOLD me he wanted to do something big, since he had recently improved his health and was learning to manage his chronic pain. He was used to walking a lot and was thinking of maybe doing a walk across America on the American Discovery Trail. We started backpacking together in Arkansas and we would talk a lot about the Appalachian Trail. He decided he wanted to try to thru-hike it. He saw it as just the beginning of what he wanted to do. He also wanted to try the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. He was considering applying for the Warrior Expeditions trip on the Continental Divide Trail after he was done with the A.T. I remember talking with him about Earl Shaffer and his famous quote that he went to the A.T. to “walk off the war.” Ron wanted to be a positive example of the ability to manage and overcome mental and physical injuries. He wanted others to know it can be done and that help is out there for veterans, so that they could also get help like he did.   

Ron talked about wanting to face whatever challenges the hike would bring. He knew his chronic injuries presented extra challenges and that was a main reason he started in January. He wanted to have plenty of time to be able to rest anything that acted up, and to not push his body too hard. A January start would also put him in front of the hiker “bubble,” so that the Trail wouldn’t feel too crowded. He looked forward to facing the harsh weather conditions that he might experience in January. Afterwards, he remembered those first few weeks fondly and with pride, telling me “it felt like survival out there.” He made a few friends he bonded with and stayed in contact with long after they parted ways. However, he told me the harshest weather he encountered was on top of Roan Mountain in mid-March. It was very cold, extremely windy, and snowy. He had already decided that he was going to get off the Trail in Damascus (he later changed his mind and ended up just taking a break), and he told me that the snow storm on Roan Mountain was a form of Trail magic for him. It was as if the Trail was giving him a parting gift of experiencing the extreme winter conditions he had looked forward to facing.

Ron near Springer Mountain

Ron was also very much interested in seeing and learning about nature along the Trail. In the first part of his hike, he would watch the juncos at the shelters and said they would seem to follow him as he hiked. When he went back to his hike in the beginning of May after taking a break in April, he was happy to see so many more flowers blooming and hear different birds. He texted me pictures of flowers to identify, but he also told me that he had been hiking with a biologist or botanist who could identify and tell him about the plants and animals they were seeing; and he started learning to identify birds by their songs. He also sent me pictures of unusual looking bugs and other things he saw, like a giant hornet in a shelter, butterflies, and salamanders.

Ron’s family has learned, as I already know, that the Trail community is a very special thing. I am so glad that Ron got to know and experience that for himself during his time on the Appalachian Trail.