Fall 2010 alum Will Overman recently conquered a huge feat. He hiked the entire, 2,200-mile Appalachian Trial, which runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Will and his father have been hiking together ever since Will was little and they have always wanted to hike the AT together. After Will graduated from high school, he deferred his first semester of college at University of Vermont to hike the AT. He figured that this was the best time to do it “before life got in the way.” Unfortunately life did get in the way for his father who couldn’t take all 5 months off from work, but Will’s dad did join him for the 100 Mile Wilderness and other various legs of the trip. We caught up with Will after he returned and he shared a few highlights of his journey:
As for highlights, like my semester at IS, it’s really hard to pin down just one thing I loved more than others. My favorite part of the trail was meeting so many amazing people, and the abundance of kindness those people offered to me, a complete stranger. As for areas, the Whites of New Hampshire were like nothing I had ever seen. Maine was a pristine gem. Vermont lived up to it’s reputation as the Green State. But I have to say that Virginia was my favorite state, although, I am a bit biased because I’m a native. I summited Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak on the trail, the day Sandy hit, and that was pretty wild. She dropped so much snow in the Smokies that I couldn’t walk. The drifts were 4 to six feet. So that was a crazy time on the trail.
The AT was without a doubt one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and probably will ever do, but every step was worth it, all 5,000,000 of them. So many wonderful people, places, and experiences. A lot of laughs, tears, breakdowns, breakthroughs, and a solidified faith in people. I’m not sure I’ll ever figure out exactly what I got from hiking the trail, I never even really figured out why I did it, but I loved the hell out of, no matter how much it sucked sometimes, and I’m so glad I did it, and so glad to be home.
Congratulations, Will! And welcome home! If any other Island School alumni opted to defer their college acceptances for a semester or a year, let us know what you’re up to by emailing alumni@islandschool.org and you may get featured in our next alumni spotlight!