You’ll meet a cast of ‘characters’ along the Appalachian Trail

Cady Kuzmich spent the last six months hiking the Appalachian Trail. Here are some of the people she met along the way. And here’s a link to her story of her journey.

Waffles: The sassy Dutch taxi driver with a love of hardcore electronic dance music. We met in Georgia, lost track of each other for months and ran into each other again in Vermont.

Canada: When I first saw Canada, he was wearing tiger striped shorts and a matching bandana with a red bucket hat with “Canada” scrawled on it.

Troll: A section hiker and neurology student who kept extending his journey. Almost every other thing that came out of his mouth would have someone doubled over in laughter. He earned his name for sleeping underneath a shelter.

Rav: A young carpenter from Iowa who nearly bought a home instead of embarking on the trail. I can still imagine him wrapping his feet in plastic bags before putting his boots on in order to keep his feet dry walking through the snow in the Smokies. We met early on in the trail and parted ways when I went home for my mom’s birthday.

Deadpool: An older brother figure to many. He was kind and always willing to lend an ear. He taught me a trick to bear hanging after letting me struggle with a rope and a rock for a solid 15 minutes. Letting me fall on my face for awhile before jumping in to help, like a good brother should.

Orphan Andy: A nurse and photographer easily spotted by his straw hat. Often with a large camera in tow. He bravely battled an incredibly agile New Zealander in a dance-off in one of Maine’s dive bars on a Wednesday night.

Stewart Hawkley (Shaggy; Spaceman; Gas Monkey, Uncle and Butterscotch; Uncle) / Cady Kuzmich (Clunk; Bobo and Bubba; Clunk) / Will Doughman (Gas Monkey), Staige Davis (Andes), Zoe Jack (self)

Categories: Life and Arts