Local man hikes 2,200 miles of Appalachian Trail

In February, Aron Goss submitted his notice to his job, packed up his gear and set out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Five months later, he summited Mt. Katahdin in Maine and celebrated becoming one of the proud few who complete a through hike of the Appalachian Trail every year.

He experienced weeks of rain, clouds of biting insects, a dog attack, new friendships and breathtaking mountain views.

Goss said he started in Springer, Georgia, on Feb. 23 and finished the trail on July 23. He said he was the 123rd hiker to summit in Maine that year.

“Both my boys played 23 when they played soccer in high school so it's kind of a significant number to my family,” he said.

Goss said his wife, Jenny Goss, his two sons and their girlfriends all came out to accompany him on the final stretch to the top of the mountain.

“That was so awesome to have them there with me,” he said. “It made it all the more special.”

Although thousands make an attempt to hike the whole 2,200-mile trail every year, only around a quarter are successful.

Goss said he knew fairly quickly he would be achieving his goal.

“Actually kind of early on when I was still in Georgia, I kind of started to get into a groove into a routine, and I was kind of like as long as I don't get injured or run into anything unexpected, I know I can finish,” he said.

He said most of the hike was uneventful, except for an incident in Virginia where he was bitten by a dog. He was able to get into a nearby town with the help of a trail angel, people who provide support and assistance to hikers, and was bandaged up and given a round of antibiotics before getting back to the trail where he put in 15 miles of hiking.

Goss said there were many instances of strangers providing gestures of kindness.

He said a man, who goes by the trail name PTL, or Praise the Lord, picks out a couple of hikers to support every year and this year Goss was one of those people.

“He came out and supported me and supported other hikers with me,” Goss said. “He fed us at road crossings and offered to slack pack us but we wanted to carry our own packs. He came back out in Connecticut and one more time in Maine. It just sort of makes you feel good about the world.”

He said he even met and hiked with a AT celebrity, Taylor, who has achieved fame in the AT community for her hiking and YouTube channel.

“She was one of my inspirations for hiking the AT,” he said. “I watched her hike it the year before, and she made it look so easy and fun. She started behind me this year, but she's super fast. I was kind of looking over my shoulder hoping I would get a chance to run into her. We met up and hiked for a few days.”

The hike itself was beautiful, Goss said, although his least favorite section was in Pennsylvania which was rocky and had a lot of road crossings.

“New Hampshire will kick your butt, absolutely kick your butt, and then Maine will absolutely grind you into dust,” he said.

The White Mountains in New Hampshire were challenging, but beautiful.

Over the course of the journey, Goss said he developed endurance and the ability to hike long miles, but he also lost around 30 pounds and was worn out by the time he approached New Hampshire and Maine.

“Towards the end I kind of started to lose a lot of strength because I wasn't able to take in enough calories,” he said.

Goss said he enjoyed going into towns for food and rest, something he had be frugal about since he was traveling on a strict budget.

“I loved it when you’d get close to a road crossing, and you could start to hear the cars and you could almost taste the food,” he said. “I made a comment, I was in Glasgow, Virginia, and Glasgow, Virginia is this tiny little town, they have a Dollar General and a general store and one restaurant. I ate at that restaurant twice, and I absolutely loved it. I made a comment about it online, and someone said you must have been really hungry because that food is awful.”

A few highlights of the trip included going across the White Mountains, which are notorious for being dangerous with fickle weather, but Goss said he was able to cross in a window of time where the weather was good and clear.

“It was incredible,” he said. “I can't even describe it.”

Goss said the majority of the time he preferred to sleep in his tent versus using the shelters along the way so he could have privacy and spread out his gear.

Over the course of the hike, he averaged 15 miles a day.

“I felt good about it. It was a good pace,” he said. “I looked at it as my job is to hike so I'd get up every day around 5:30 or so and start hiking around 6:30 or 7.”

He said although he hiked his own hike and didn’t stick with any particular group for long, there were times he would hike with people who were younger than him and older than him. He’s kept in touch with a handful of the friends he made along the way and is even planning some future hikes with some of them.

Since returning, Goss said he’s adjusting to life off trail.

“It’s been hard,” he said. “People said post-trail transition is hard. I wouldn't say that I've been depressed, but it's been a difficult transition. That world is so different and so rewarding and you're almost on a vacation in a way, a vacation from reality.”

Despite the challenges since returning, he has new challenges ahead, such as an Art Loeb Trail hike and Foothills Trail, to keep him going and is dreaming of a Pacific Crest Trail hike someday.

“It was an incredible adventure and it was the adventure I was looking for, no regrets whatsoever. I couldn't have done it without the support of Jenny,” Goss said of his wife. “I’m so thankful for her. For allowing me to step away and encouraging me and being so supportive. I couldn't have done without her, and she kept everything running while I was gone.”

Reach reporter Rebecca Sitzes at rsitzes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Local man hikes 2,200 miles of Appalachian Trail