In 2014, Steve Reynolds began a journey he dreamed about since childhood. The Winslow native was watching a PBS program with his older brother Mark Reynolds about the Appalachian Trail, the 2,200-mile journey from Stone Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin at Baxter State Park. For years, the brothers would talk about taking the legendary hike. Reynolds remembers walking in the woods with his brother “practicing” it.  

By the time Steve Reynolds was ready for that legendary hike, he was 40. He took time off from his businesses, Patriot Flooring in Boothbay and T.J.’s Classic Billiards pool hall in Waterville, and headed to Georgia. His brother had died years earlier in a motorcycle accident, so Reynolds began the journey alone. Despite the challenges of running two businesses, Reynolds thought the time was right for the long anticipated hike.

“I wasn’t getting any younger and, also, I did it for my health,” he said.  “I felt great afterwards. After hiking a month with a 50-pound backpack on my back every day, I felt I could jump, and touch the sky when I got home.”

Reynolds learned a lesson on the trail that other Appalachian Trail hikers also discovered. “You learn to hike your own hike,” Reynolds said. “If a little old lady and Marine start the same day, she goes at a slower pace, and walks three miles a day. He may walk 20 miles per day, but it’s strenuous and he may hurt himself, and six months later, the strain may take a toll; she finishes because she doesn’t overtax herself.”

Early in his hike, Reynolds witnessed a familiar sight along the Appalachian Trail. At one of the first rest stops, he found himself at a hostel and a provision shop called Neel’s Gap. In a nearby dumpster, he found it full with merchandise thrown out by hikers. “An early lesson is you pack light. The dumpster was full with new equipment: frying pans, machetes, you name it. After a few miles, hikers realize how difficult mountain hiking is, and the extra weight makes it more difficult.”

On his first trek, Reynolds planned  hiking with a group he met online, but his flight was delayed. So Reynolds started alone in Springer Mountain in Georgia.  In his backpack, Reynolds packed two pair of wool socks, hiking boots, camp shoes (for resting his feet) and a tent. Along the way, he caught up to other hikers and made friends. Two of the more memorable companions were Ron Kalenda from New Jersey and a retired Wisconsin postal worker. Reynolds doesn’t remember the postal worker’s name, but everybody on the trail has a nickname and hikers called him “Owl.” 

“On the trail, they called me ‘Godfather’ because I hung out with Ron who had this thick New Jersey accent right out of “The Sopranos.” Ron had a big spider print on his shirt, so they called him Spider. I don’t remember why they called him ‘Owl,’ but he was tall, and in great shape from delivering mail for years,” Reynolds said. 

In his trio, Reynolds favored traveling at a faster pace and wanted to push the distance farther than his companions. One day, he was calling home and encouraged his friends to leave without him. “I knew I’d catch them after my call ended. So I double-timed it down the trail, and in an hour I found them.”

Owl and Spider had set up camp for the night. Upon arriving, Reynolds discovered his friends made the “Cardinal sin” of hiking. The two placed their food bag in a tree too close to their camp. After arriving, Reynolds didn’t want to argue the point so he stored his food at the dangerous location. That night, Reynolds witnessed why hikers store their food more than 50 yards away. About midnight, Reynolds heard bears attempting to steal their food. “I heard noises, and peaked out my tent,” he said. “I saw a bear and her cubs shaking the tree, and Ron and Owl were snoring.”

In the morning, Reynolds told his friends about the unwelcome guests. “I told them about the bears, and a truck full of ‘good ol’ boys’ who threw beer cans scaring them off. They didn’t believe me until we walked and saw the cans, and bear marks on the tree.” Reynolds ended his trek after reaching Irwin, Tennessee which is about 400 miles along the trail.

During another home phone call, Reynolds realized he was needed in Waterville to solve an ongoing problem at the pool hall. Seven years later, Reynolds wants another chance to hike the legendary trail. Despite the coronavirus, his flooring business is doing fine, but the pool hall is struggling due to social distancing restrictions. Reynolds is anxious to begin his hike this April. In 2020, hostels along the trail were closed due to the coronavirus. In 2021, the hostels are open, but Appalachian Trail officials are discouraging hikers. 

“I feel like it’s time to get out there,” he said. “The big issue is COVID-19. Trail officials aren’t recognizing hikers who finish this year, but I’m going anyway. It’s like last time. If not now, then when?”