Andrew McCabe
'03 checked in by phone on Monday morning from Great
Smokey Mountains
National Park, exactly 203.8 miles
into his walk on the Appalachian Trail.
He started the 2,160-mile trek in Springer
Mountain, Ga., on Saint
Patrick's Day. He hopes to reach Maine's
Mount Katahdin by mid-October.
In the early going, he took a
total of three days off to treat some blisters, a job that required huge
quantities of antibiotic ointment, athletic tape and moleskin, he said.
Since then, however, things have
been going well, except that “the ups and downs are brutal,” he said. He just
finished a steep ascent and descent of seven miles each, he noted.
On Sunday, he passed the highest
point of the A.T., Clingman's Dome at the border of Tennessee
and North Carolina. “It's all
downhill from here, so to speak,” he said.
He expects to reach Hot
Springs, N.C., and the end of
the Great Smokey
Mountains in about four days. He is
carrying his food and gear in a pack, picking up supplies along the way.
A steady rain was falling on
Monday morning, and heavier rains – up the three or four inches – were expected
later in the day, he said.
One thing he has avoided so far is
a trail name, a moniker that “through hikers” often give each other. One hiking
companion is “Spin Cycle” (he washes his t shirts frequently). Another is
“Subway” (he mistook a sandwich franchise in one town for an underground
train.).
“It'll come,” McCabe said a trail
name. “It's just a matter of time.”
McCabe, who last spring won the
Daggett Prize for best conduct and character, graduated with a major in
computer science and minors in math and economics. He was perhaps best known on
campus as president of Student Forum. He was a founder of Geisel House, a theme
house that promotes childhood literacy. He also served on Student Affairs
Committee, Theme House Consortium, the selection committee for the House System
Implementation Committee and as an admissions interviewer and panelist.
You can follow McCabe's progress
on the trail at: