Section Hiker Gene Smith Profiled

Kirk Wessler, executive sports editor/columnist, writes in the 16 Februry 2007 Peoria (IL) Journal Star about AT hiker Gene Smith, of Pekin, IL, who finished his 3 year section hike last September. The article is titled "Hiking this Trail Takes Conscious Effort."

The story begins with a vivid description of Smith's passage thru Mahoosuc Notch. That would be the one where his third fall knocked him out cold.

Smith turned from long-distance running to hiking and backpacking when his knee cartilage helped him decide to change recreation activities. "A co-worker at Caterpillar Inc., Smith says, started talking to him about trail-hiking and suggested the Appalachian Trail. When Smith retired in 2002, he visited his parents in Pennsylvania and took a side trip to check out a nearby stretch of the most famous trail in the United States."

So, three years and 15 sections after starting at Springer, he summited Katahdin. The article gives some good detail about how Smith's hiking changed over the years. It ends with this quote:

"Sometimes, you have to give yourself what appears to be an unrealistic goal," Smith says. "But don't put it off. Do it. Because you don't know how much you'll be given."

For a photo of Smith, see this link.