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| photography by Fallon Keenan |
We met in May of 2013 at a graduation party for a mutual friend. I was going into my junior year at the same university he had just graduated from. He thought I was cool because I had a Swiss Army knife on me; he kept coming over to borrow it. Or maybe he just wanted to talk to me. Either way, we exchanged numbers and haven’t stopped talking since.
Shortly after meeting, we realized we shared a goal — to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. I was going to have to wait until I graduated in 2015 to do it. He had plans to do it the year he graduated, but as fate would have it, the universe wanted him to wait just a little longer. We made a plan to hike it together. We will be leaving on May 18, 2015 from Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the trail. We hope to reach the northernmost point on the trail, Mount Katahdin in Maine, in early October.
Since our first date, our relationship has thrived on adventure. From climbing together at the local climbing gym where I work, to going to seven state high points together — including Mount Washington (highest point in NH and New England), Harney Peak (highest point in South Dakota and east of the Rockies), and Mount Elbert (highest point in Colorado and the second highest point in the contiguous United State) — to moving to Boulder, Colorado for the summer of 2014, we have always chased adventure together. It has been the most amazing journey and being by each others’ sides has only made it better.
I’m a writer, photographer and aspiring journalist. He’s realized his dream of being a professional barista and sociologist. I like words and pictures, he likes coffee and numbers. He lets me take photographs of him and I critique his latte art. We support each other in everything. And we’d like your support as well. Follow our journey as we prepare for the hike and stay involved while we're on the trail!
Happy trails,
Callie and Sullivan
It's maddening not knowing how things are going! I know you will get through, because you are who you are (both of you). But I still wish there were ways to check in and encourage you. I guess for now, I'll just say approach it like this: "If I could do it yesterday, I can do it today." Sometimes, that's as far as you'll be able to think. Maybe not even that far. It might have to shrink to "If I could do it for the last hour, I can do it for another hour" (or "ten minutes / ten minutes"). Rooting wildly for you!
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