Rick Bevard’s latest adventure gave him and childhood friends Joshua Stiffler and Charlie Glaze a memorable taste of the Appalachian Trail.
The trio of Iola natives traveled a 50-mile section of the trail over five days in late May.
“The whole reason we set out to do it was because Josh had wanted to do the entire Appalachian Trail,” Bevard told the Register in a telephone interview, “but I don’t have that kind of time.”
For those unfamiliar, the Appalachian Trail stretches 2,200 miles, from Maine to Georgia, covering 14 states. The most experienced hikers take months to complete the trek.
While the entire trail was off the table, “we figured we could bite off a small piece of it,” Bevard said.
The trio opted for a stretch in Virginia, in order to wind up in Damascus to take advantage of the Appalachian Trail Days Festival.
The festival is renowned worldwide as the largest such annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail (and hiking culture in general), bringing crowds of 25,000 to the small Virginia hamlet.
THE EXCURSION started May 11 in Troutdale, Va.
Bevard came prepared, loading his backpack with enough water to last the hikers the full five days, if necessary.
“We didn’t know if we could refill the water at any point,” he explained.
Not only did Bevard have to carry a heavier than normal pack, the first day of the trip also came during a torrential downpour.
“We just got under a shelter and tried to wait it out,” he said.
Fortunately, the weather cleared over the remainder of the trip.
Bevard, Stiffler and Glaze crossed paths with throngs of fellow hikers.
“We met all kinds of people, of all ages, shapes and sizes,” Bevard said. “It was so fun meeting those people out there in their element, doing their thing.”
All carried one similarity. “They were all really cool and friendly,” Bevard said.
