2014, self-doubt as an artist caused Mike Wurman to pack up his drawing supplies and call it quits. In May of that same year, he met his destiny on the summit of a mountain named Max Patch. As he took a photograph of a weather-beaten post marking the Appalachian Trail, his desire to draw was immediately restored. Two months later, with two sketchbooks in his pack, he headed north to journey the 2,200-mile pilgrimage himself. “The A.T. is far more than a dirt path. To me, it’s a door that opens directly to the inner core of my creativity. There are more times than I care to admit, that self-doubt as an artist creeps in and overwhelms me to the point that I want to throw in the towel. That’s when I grab a sketchbook and head out the door, because I know I will rediscover the true nature of being an artist and accept imperfections as beauty. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a day hike of a few miles or one that extends several hundred miles, once I’m reunited with that first white blaze, my attitude shifts, and I’m in complete awe of the Trail’s wonders, from the smallest salamander to the grandest vistas.” ~ Mike Wurman