Parma Heights Resident Completes Impressive Thru-Hike Of 2167-Mile Appalachian Trail

The goal was Katahdin. As the highest mountain in Maine, standing 5,268 feet, the peak was a distant finish line for Madeline Ashwill, a Baldwin-Wallace College senior from Parma Heights, Ohio, who took a leave of absence from her studies in order to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. 

Inspiring Accounts of Thru-Hiking Don’t Compare to Actual Thrill

 Memoirs of “thru-hikers” who had successfully hiked the entire Appalachian Trail inspired Ashwill to attempt the trek. She said “the books do not compare to the fun and adventure you have when thru-hiking.” Despite the obvious mental and physical challenges of hiking every day for several hours, Ashwill was confident she could overcome the challenge.

Full of nervous excitement, Ashwill departed from Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern terminus of the trail, on March 20, 2011. Traveling through fourteen states over 159 days, she reached her destination, Mount Katahdin. Ashwill began her endeavor “one day at a time,” looking no further in her guidebook than the next place where she would replenish her supplies.

On the Trail to Inner Peace, Outward Appreciation

While peers and professors might consider time away from studies a detriment to a student’s future, Ashwill’s thru-hike allowed her to encounter a tranquility that isn't easily discovered. Her journey led her to “find an inner peace and freedom from hiking all day for five months and five days that the hustle and bustle of everyday life can make it difficult to experience.”

Majoring in sustainability at B-W—the first college in Ohio to offer a bachelor’s degree in sustainability—Ashwill had a strong environmental background to support her endeavor.  After spending five months practically living in the woods, she became even more concerned with protecting the natural beauty of the earth. 

Ashwill said her thru-hike offered breathtaking mountaintop and valley vistas over changing seasons, and views of leaves blossoming and growing among an unbelievable range of wildlife. Along her hike, she encountered vibrantly-colored butterflies, black bears and their cubs, deer, wild ponies in Virginia and moose in Maine. “I want future generations to be able to enjoy the Appalachian Trail as I have enjoyed it,” she said.

An Exceptional Feat, Available to Everyone

Ashwill’s hiking experience began in her youth as day hikes with her parents and brother. A nature enthusiast, she believes long distance hiking is “an amazing experience from which everyone can benefit.” To emphasize the accessibility of hiking, she took only three weekend backpack trips before she left for her thru-hike of the world’s longest continuous marked and maintained hiking trail.

“Some training is helpful, but the Appalachian Trail whips you into shape after two weeks,” she admitted. If one’s not up for the challenge of a long distance hike, Ashwill suggested checking out local trails like the Cleveland Metroparks or Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She also suggested reading a few memoirs of hikers, which can give potential explorers a realistic preview of the experience.

Ashwill is the daughter of Ellen Ashwill and Jim Ashwill and a 2008 graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School.