At an age when people enjoy the leisurely pace of life during their retirement, a 72-year-old man embarks on an adventure. The man from New Berns, Dan Miller completed his trek to the base of Mt. Everest in May. However, he refused to feel contented with this remarkable achievement and continued to pursue his unaccomplished goal. 

He has been lucky enough to get the support of his son all throughout his journey. In their journey to accomplish their remarkable feat of hiking the Appalachian Trail, the huge time lapse has ushered in a huge transformation in the respective lives of the father-son duo.

The strong father-son bond leads to success

The adventure of hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail started way back in 2011 when Dan along with his son, Tonny decided to embark on this risky adventure. At that time Dan was 60 while his son was just a fresh graduate from college at the age of 26. 

They had divided the lengthy distance into covering an average of 220 miles every year. Their diligent efforts to set off on the same day and point they had ended their hike the previous year took them a total of 13 years.  

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At the beginning of their journey, they relied heavily on the trail maps. However, in this time span of 13 years, COVID-19 had stalled their expedition in 2020 while in 2018 the birth of Tony’s first baby led to a pause. The different terrains involved in the hiking journey adorn the adventure with distinctiveness. Dan shared his experience with New Bern Live, “Some mountain trails are switchback, others are steep straight-up climbs.”  

A challenging trail offers a rewarding trek

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail is much more than just a walk in the park. As the long route features an amalgamation of different landscapes, the terrain involves gentle slopes as well as brutal climbs. As a result of this, Dan’s and Tonny’s experiences varied from mountain climbing to dipping into valleys and having to cross vast farmlands.  

The threats posed by natural elements like rain transform some sections of the path into slippery mud making the journey more cumbersome. On the top of the summits, the high gushes of wind and encountering fallen trees add an exciting touch to the expedition. Self-sufficiency is the key during these hikes where hikers are supposed to carry their food and other essentials. In spite of going through this tiresome trek, the father-son duo has been bestowed with awards like spending quality time with each other and getting the chance to meet other hikers. 

The 13-year-long journey, apart from being just about conquering nature, allowed Dan and his son to gather lasting memories. This inspiring story of hiking along the Appalachian Trail yet again proves that age is never a barrier restricting people from experiencing life’s greatest adventures. 

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