Over 2,190 miles of terrain that travels through 14 American states - this is the iconic Appalachian trail. Upwards of 3,000 people annually attempt to complete the trail, and this year Michigan State senior Matt Schoeller is attempting the hike of his life.
Schoeller intends on finishing the trail beginning in Georgia and ending in his home state of New Jersey in just five months. Schoeller will literally be walking home.
The trail starts at Springer Mountain, Georgia and journeys through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
This is not your typical venture after college, and Schoeller has been waiting for this opportunity just about his whole life. Many people are probably wondering just why one would want to do this. Hiking through steep hills and unpredictable weather conditions, not to mention the vast amount of wildlife along the trail such as rattlesnakes, blackbears, and more.
“I’m doing this because I’m down for a cool journey,” Schoeller said. “Rowing crew in high school got me into endurance sports and this is also a nice pause in life for a little bit before I go into the real world.”
Schoeller’s passion for hiking and the great outdoors began at an early age.
“I liked it [hiking] a lot when I was younger,” Schoeller said. “Then I moved to New Jersey and it unfortunately kind of stopped, then when I came back from school freshman year due to COVID, I started going upstate New York and finding trails. It was like the only thing my parents would let me do because we were all isolated.”
Schoeller has gone on some significant hikes, but none as daunting as the one he is about to embark on. Multiple hikes through northern Michigan, and through the Irandoc and Catskill Mountains in upstate New York have given Schoeller experience.
With a dauntless hike such as the Appalachian trail, experience and preparation are crucial for survival. For this reason, Schoeller has been recently going on mini hikes overnight in efforts to weigh his needs for his upcoming adventure. This is called a shakedown hike.
“Basically I’ll just go deep in the woods and stay the night,” Schoeller said. “It’s a good way for me to see if I’ve either packed too much or too little. It’s good preparation.”
YouTube sensations such as KyleHatesHiking and JupiterHikes initially sparked this interest. On these channels the two document their own hiking ventures as well as offer advice to anyone looking to conquer a challenging hike.
Through hours of research and YouTube videos, Schoeller found out the items that were needed in order to not just make the hike more enjoyable, but items to keep him safe and alive while on the trail.
“My wardrobe is locked in like two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, one pair of shorts and one shirt,” Schoeller said. “Then there’s also base layers like a Patagonia fleece, a little puff jacket and a pair of leggings. I have a ton of sleeping pad, a sleeping bag, and my kitchen is all set with a pot, a little stove and a hot gas container.”
In terms of technology, Schoeller only plans to bring his iPhone, a portable phone charger and a headlamp flashlight.
Light packing is essential for the hike because a heavy luggage would slow one down tremendously and these hikers are in a time crunch.
“I plan to begin walking 15 miles a day and eventually work my way up to 30,” Schoeller said. “I will begin my hikes at sunrise and end after sundown.”
All of this walking mixed with the light packing leads to tremendous caloric deficit. Schoeller expects to lose upwards of 20 pounds on this excursion.
“I will definitely lose a lot of weight,” Schoeller said. “There is this thing called hiker hunger and it doesn’t kick in for at least three weeks to a month. That is when your body really starts tolerating calorie deficit and then you want to just keep eating and eating, so people are eating some crazy stuff out there and are still not looking big or anything.”
Comradery is one of the biggest pillars of intense hiking. On an iconic trail filled with people, it's common to hike in groups. For Schoeller, he is looking forward to befriending like minded individuals who are just as passionate about hiking as he is. After all, he will be with these people for five months.
“There’s this corny thing called ‘tramly’ and it’s like your trail family,” Schoeller said. “These are people you meet along the way and it’s just like a friend group that you hike the whole trail with and head into town together and stuff.”
Schoeller plans to head into various towns about every four days to stock up on more food, grab a beer, or maybe even stay a night in a hostel/hotel room to gain a sense of comfort. After all, the Appalachian trail isn’t exactly luxurious living quarters.
“There are going to be nights where I will literally be sleeping on a tree branch or something,” Schoeller said. “I also have to hang my food bag on trees so bears can’t reach it.”
Elements that would deter the average joe from this trail do not phase Schoeller. Instead, he takes a different approach to adversity.
“You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Schoeller said. “You can’t let the conditions affect you, you have to just let it wash over you. If you get in your head about it, you’re just gonna go crazy. I’ve heard multiple stories of people who couldn’t take it anymore.”
In terms of fear, it’s not the rattlesnakes or the bears that make Schoeller uneasy, it is the worry of getting lost on the trail.
“My biggest fear would be getting lost,” Schoeller said. “I don’t think I will because most of the trail is marked, but there have been some instances where people have gone the wrong way.”
It took a lot of research and convincing for Schoeller’s parents to be on board with this given the conditions and duration of the hike, but for the most part they seem to be supportive.
“I think my dad is a bit scared for me,” Schoeller said. “My mom has been pretty supportive of it, but she was definitely scared in the beginning. Now that she’s done some research, I've given her some stuff to look at, watch, read, you know and she’s feeling a lot more comfortable.”
Schoeller’s mom, Tracey Ruggiero, has lived in various states in which the trail passes such as New Jersey, Georgia, and North Carolina.
“She has a lot of friends in those states that she was able to talk to about it,” Schoeller said. “They told her what they knew about it and that definitely comforted her a little bit which was very helpful on their end.”
Despite the uncertainties surrounding the hike, and being away from friends and family for nearly half a year, Schoeller’s father Mike feels this will be an extremely rewarding experience.
“I think it will be a fantastic journey and learning experience that will help him in countless ways,” Mike Schoeller said. “It will be something he will reflect on for the rest of his life!”
Years and years of aspirations are finally coming to fruition for Schoeller, and the graduating senior now gets to take a crack at one of the world’s most prestigious trails. Schoeller knows this will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
“It’s going to be very hard being away from everybody,” Schoeller said. “I feel like everyone is going to be hanging out and I am going to miss out on that. This is just always something I’ve wanted to do and I believe this is the best time in life to do it.”