On Aug. 30, Andrew
McCabe '03 was nearing his destination of Mount
Kathadin in northern Maine
and, with less than 300 miles to go, he appeared well ahead of his goal of
reaching the northern terminus of the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail
by mid-October.
McCabe, a native of northern New
Jersey, has been joined along the way by new friends
and old, including a cadre of Union alumni who give support, food and company
along the way. Prof. Byron Nichols paid a call
on McCabe as the hiker reached Mount Greylock, Mass.,
in late July.
In 2003, McCabe won the Daggett Prize
for best conduct and character, graduating 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.
McCabe's hiking friends have
finally given him a trailname: Megabite. “When I first heard it, I figured it
was going to be spelled '-byte,' so I'd just be known as a geek,” he wrote in
his journal. “But I was told it's going to be spelled '-bite' since I've
developed quite an appetite lately. So that's it, I'm Megabite, the geek with
an appetite.”
You can follow McCabe's progress
on the trail at: