Our Interview With Sterling

Howdy all,

It’s hard to believe that today marks a years since Spice, my brother, and I scrambled up the last few miles of the AT to the summit of Mount Katahdin. It’s even harder to believe that I almost let the occasion slip past unnoticed. If not for Spice’s reminder, I would have missed it. And not only was this a big day for me, but it was also the beginning of the entire ECT for Spice. At this point, it was impossible to comprehend how much further we had to go. Even with the 2,200-mile AT behind me, Key West in Florida felt like an unimaginable dream. We were still hiking north, after all. With the whole 4,800 miles left to go, what was Spice thinking? Shoot, we still didn’t even know the true length of the ECT, and I’m pretty sure our estimate undershot by roughly 400 miles!

And I must also acknowledge Arthur’s own epic adventure. Without his help managing our van and dog-friend, this transition off the AT would have looked much weirder and been much more complicated. I hope that we can all look back on that strange evening and say it was worth it. A story to last a lifetime, and a treasured memory of the ECT.

Nine months later, Spice and I did finally make it to the big buoy at the southernmost point of the continental US, and that was another great day. It is almost as unbelievable today as it was standing on Katahdin’s summit one year ago. At this point, as I spiral into deep into the turbulent ocean of nostalgia, it is natural for me to want to thank again everyone who made the ECT possible for us. Thank you.

But let’s get to the point! A short while back, Spice and I were contacted by an ECT alum, Sterling, who is putting together a pretty great resource for aspiring ECT hikers, easterncontinentaltrail.com. He’s interviewed a few other ECT hikers, and wanted to include our story. So we set it up, and had a great time reminiscing about the trail and all its weirdness. If you have an hour, and want to hear about the currently-unwritten-about southern leg of the ECT, consider checking it out. I think that everyone did a great job, and I learned that I speak. really. slowly. Eh, I write slowly too, so shouldn’t have been surprised. You can find the interview here, or watch it below. Thanks Sterling! We hope you enjoy. Until next time…