When Mike Stephens departed Georgia\'s Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, his goal was to complete a 2,186 mile thru-hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Rather than spending nights on the trail, Stephens ended most days at a road where he could access nearby Trail towns by foot, a hitchhike, or a shuttl.
After less than a week on the trail, however, he realized that to be successful he would need to adopt a less-traditional approach to the hike.
When Mike Stephens departed Georgia\'s Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, his goal was to complete a 2,186 mile thru-hike to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine