We are Bill and Monty Chipman, known on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail as “Fixit” and “Third Monty.” We thru-hiked the PCT twice, in 2005 and 2010, then the CDT in 2016.

We had not planned to do the Appalachian Trail. “It’s way back East,” we said. “It’s mostly green tunnel, with lots of rocks.” “It has way too many people.” “It has lots of ticks and mosquitoes and horrible humidity.”

But when we finished the Continental Divide Trail, we couldn’t help it. We started thinking, “Triple Crown.” And not just an ordinary Triple Crown. If we can pull off a thru-hike of the AT, that will mean Fixit gets to join a very exclusive “club” called “Triple Crown AT AGE 70 AND ABOVE”.

That’s one of the major reasons WHY we are headed for the AT. But there are some other reasons, too–the same reasons that led us to hike the PCT and CDT.

1. STAY IN SHAPE, physically, mentally and spiritually. Most people our age (Fixit is 80; 3rd Monty is 72) are on multiple prescriptions, and hobbling around with knee problems, hip problems, etc. We did NOT want that to ever happen to us, so we’ve worked very hard at staying in shape, physically. And mentally, there is nothing like the challenge of doing a long trail. Studies have shown that thru-hikers who FINISH are those who maintain MENTAL strength. And then there is the spiritual side. Fixit and I are both Christians. That means we have had a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ, Who is God Himself. He has come into our lives and transformed us from the inside out, and now we love Him and live for Him above all else. Doing a thru-hike gives us a chance to “walk” with Him and experience His presence and His love in ways that just aren’t possible in “civilization.” Over and over again, we have seen Him taking care of us in a way that only He could.
2. The satisfaction/joy of living simply, with just “the basics.” There is nothing that can beat being able to just walk all day, carrying everything that you REALLY need and nothing that you don’t, and just thoroughly enjoying every moment, even the moments that are cold, wet, scary and uncomfortable. I always say, “The only thing I miss is being able to just turn on a faucet to get water.”
3. The beauty of the mountains, the forests, the deserts, etc. We love being able to get away from town and into the world of the trail. The huge views, the incredible beauty of the backcountry, simply cannot be seen from a car on a highway, and not even from a dayhike. We feel sorry for hikers who cannot let go of their artificial stimulations of electronics, recorded music, etc. We love to hike and hear the wind, the water, the birds, etc.
4. Opportunities to meet people we would otherwise never meet. This applies both ON the trail and OFF the trail. While we are ON the trail, we have met fellow “hikertrash” from all over the world. We get to hang out with them, hike with them, talk with them. It is an amazing experience. And OFF the trail, we find that our thru-hiking story has often opened up a door of communication with people who would otherwise not listen to us.
5. We get to eat EVERYTHING and LOTS of it! At home, we are careful to match calories to how much exercise we are getting. On a thru-hike, part of the challenge is to stay ahead of the calorie deficit, so we don’t end the hike looking like Holocaust survivors. That means we get to EAT, and EAT and EAT, everything we want. It is a lot of fun!

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