Local man has victory over the Appalachian Trail

Kyle Peltier from Seeley Lake prepared for the Appalachian Trail (AT) as his second leg of hiking the triple crown last winter, but he didn't know how different it would be from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) he hiked in 2021.

Nearing his 23rd birthday, Peltier has hiked 4,853 miles in the past few years.

"The AT is basically some hiking with glorified rock climbing while carrying a 30 pound backpack," Peltier said. "The AT is basically an obstacle course."

According to Peltier, the terrain varies from long green tunnels under heavy forest canopy to rocky cliffs and steep elevation climbs onto the mesa-like mountain tops.

Beginning outside Atlanta, Georgia, on April 11, 2023, Peltier completed the 2,198 miles to Mt. Katahdin in Central Maine.

More than three million people hiked on the AT in 2023, according to The Appalachian Trail Conservancy. On the average 3,000 people attempt the trail yearly, but only about 700 complete it.

"Unlike the Pacific Crest Trail that has a trail design similar to what's around Seeley Lake with switchbacks and smooth paths, the AT trails go straight up and down the mountainsides," Peltier said. "Some mountainsides are strewn with boulder fields as big as I am that I had to scramble over. Other mountains had ladders or rebar steps planted in cliff faces for the steep bits. It will take awhile for my knees to recover."

Roan Mountain is the highest peak at 6,285 feet. Overall hiking the AT is similar to the elevation gain of summiting Mount Everest 16 times. Known as the world's longest designated trail only for hikers, it was established in 1938 and first completed by a World War II veteran in 1948.

The average grade on the AT is 2000 feet gain per mile, while the PCT average gain is 1163 feet per mile. Although the ascents and descents do not go as high as on the PCT or Continental Divide Trail, there is much higher severity in grade.

Peltier camped along the AT in designated camping areas with three sided shelters and outhouses. Shelters are between three and five miles apart and have space for eight to 12 people. There are also tent spaces in the shelter areas. Black bears are common in the Appalachian Mountains and frequent the shelters, according to Peltier.

"One day I had just gotten to a shelter and was putting down my pack, when I turned around and there was a black bear right at the edge of the platform, staring at me," Peltier said. "One lady got bitten by a bear this summer."

Other wildlife Peltier saw were snakes, both common garter and black snakes, and venomous copperheads and rattlesnakes.

"Copperheads freeze in the trail when they sense our presence," Peltier said. "Then the other hikers and I would have to bushwack through the underbrush to get around them and keep going."

Despite the rigors of the AT, Peltier said that it was a cool journey. To make the hike more fun, Peltier came up with 100 questions and planned to interview hikers he met. Topics ranged from hiking habits to food choices and lifestyles.

"I met artists, doctors, teachers and tourists," Peltier said. "Interviewing people was like a fun job fair and made the trip more enjoyable. I plan to put together a YouTube compilation of the interviews and videos."

In addition to interviewing 65 fellow hikers, Peltier used his creative energy to instigate activities among hikers to "spice up their lives." For a week he invited others to go swimming in a pond, pick blueberries in exchange for hamburgers and go into town for a movie.

Peltier's favorite place on the trail was Bromley Mountain in Vermont because it had the best views on the trail.

"Climbing to the finish point on Mount. Katahdin on my last day was very special," Peltier said. "I could see the mountain from 300 miles away from openings in the green tunnel. High winds going up the mountain threatened to blow me off, but I had gone too far to give up now. I was the first hiker on the summit that day and got to sit there alone for 45 minutes, staring in disbelief at the sign and crying."

"I felt lucky to have finished the hike in 5 ½ months. I had to dig deep into inner strength because there were times that were really not fun and my body hurt," Peltier said. "Each night I told myself that tomorrow is a different day and if I quit I'd have to do it again to be able to say I finished it. Although it will be awhile before I think about hiking again."