Eleven years ago today Verona resident Mary Twitty completed the last portion of her three-month hike on the Appalachian Trail.
“It’s something not that many people do in their lifetime,” said MU senior Danny Rafiner. And he’s not talking about graduating.
Two years from now, Rafiner hopes to travel the trail for several months. He will be 23.
Twitty was 63 when she completed the trail in 1995. She described her adventure as “rewarding.” So rewarding, in fact, that it influenced her to publish the daily journals she kept of the hike in a book, “The Dream Trail.” Not every day was easy for Twitty, but she credited a strong will and determination with her success.
“It made me proud of myself,” Twitty said.
The trail, which extends from Maine to Georgia, features 2,175 miles of open terrain and breathtaking mountain views.
“It’s something a lot of people try and don’t accomplish,” Rafiner said.
Rafiner intends to begin the trail in Georgia and hike north. Rafiner said the hike will take him four to six months, which is why he wants to do it after graduation.
“The most popular time to start the trail is March 1 to April 15,” said Laurie Potteiger, information services manager of the trail. “Most people start earlier than we would recommend. They need to be prepared for winter conditions. ”
Rafiner plans to graduate from MU with a degree in agricultural economics in winter 2007, which gives him six months to prepare.
“It would be a good time in my life to do it, before I get a job ... I’ll start training after I graduate,” Rafiner said. “Most people start training one or two years in advance,” he said.
According to the Appalachian Trail Web site, only 510 hikers were able to complete the trail in 2005. Potteiger said that about 1,400 people began the hike.
“I can get into shape pretty quick ... but a lot of it isn’t just physical,” Rafiner said of the hike. Rafiner said the hike could take an emotional and mental toll if you are not adequately prepared.
Being dirty and smelly from not showering and enduring long days of rain and cold weather are just some of the realities hikers face.
“You can give up so easy. The weather can put you out,” Twitty said.
Potteiger advised prospective hikers to be committed to positive mind-sets.
“The psychological part is ultimately more important than the physical,” said Potteiger.
And Twitty agrees. “I’ve seen strong people out there that gave up because of the mental aspect,” she said.
But Rafiner isn’t worried. He believes his determination to complete the trail and his previous hiking experiences will push him to be one of the few people each year who succeed.
“I have a positive outlook on it because I have enough drive and experience to do this,” said Rafiner.
As a boy, Rafiner hiked outdoors and was an active member in Boy Scouts. A native of Overland Park, Kan., he experienced his first strenuous hike at Philmount Scout Ranch in New Mexico, where he spent a week and a half hiking through the wilderness with his Boy Scout troop.
Four years later, Rafiner became an Eagle Scout. Around the same time, Rafiner and his father took a week and hiked the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Hiking is a favorite pastime for Rafiner.
Members of the Rafiner family are no strangers to hiking. He plans to do the trail on his own for the most part, but he hopes his uncle, who has already hiked parts of the trail, will join him.
“My dad hopes I go through with it,” Rafiner said.
“I’m really jealous ... I would love to be able to do it,” said Ashley Malorif, Rafiner’s cousin.
The long hike, unpredictable weather and big bugs do not frighten Rafiner because, “When I want something, I just do it,” he said.
“It has to be something you want to do, or you never get it done,” Twitty said.
Age may not be a determinant of trail success, but it’s clear a positive attitute is.