Walking Home: Steve Berger’s stories from the Appalachian Trail
End of the Trail, August 8th, 2015 ... 149 days, 57 pounds lighter, seven lost toenails, three pairs of shoes worn out, and six stitches. Courtesy of Steve Berger
Karl and Steve just hanging out, taking in the view from McAfee Knob in Virginia. It’s about 1700 feet straight down if you are in a hurry. Courtesy of Steve Berger
Snow in the Smokies. The Bergers felt right at home. Courtesy of Steve Berger
End of the Trail, August 8th, 2015 ... 149 days, 57 pounds lighter, seven lost toenails, three pairs of shoes worn out, and six stitches. Courtesy of Steve Berger
Karl and Steve just hanging out, taking in the view from McAfee Knob in Virginia. It’s about 1700 feet straight down if you are in a hurry. Courtesy of Steve Berger
Snow in the Smokies. The Bergers felt right at home. Courtesy of Steve Berger
On Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m., the final program in the Boothbay Railway Village’s winter lecture series will take guests on a journey from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail. This is a continuation of the Voyagers Series begun in 2015 with Rinker Buck’s Flight of Passage and Ryan Leighton’s Stowaway Aboard the Charles W. Morgan. From the beginning of humankind, men and women have been explorers setting out to discover new lands and more often than not finding out that trip also reveals truths about themselves. This time we follow along as Steve Berger recounts his journey on America’s trail to reconnect with his 24-year-old son, Karl, and to challenge himself both physically and mentally to overcome the grueling 2,180-mile trek.
Steve grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and after college spent two years in the Peace Corps in Senegal West Africa. In 1979, he moved to the Boothbay region and in 1982 began work with Boothbay Homebuilders, now Knickerbocker Group, where he has been building homes for 34 years. Last August, at 62 years old, Steve became one of less than 500 hikers over 60 to ever thru hike the Appalachian Trail. Neither Steve nor Karl were seasoned hikers, and hadn’t camped out under the stars since Karl was 8 years old.
From ticks to lost toenails and from blisters to stitches, the trail certainly left its mark on the father and son. Steve’s trail stories put the colossal trip in human terms. Thru-hikers have a saying “hike your own hike,” Steve will share with us what that means to him having returned home.
Coincidentally, Ryan Leighton of Channel 7 is producing a full-length documentary about the Bergers’ hike on the Appalachian Trail. He’s planning to screen the Preview of that film at the end of the presentation should it be ready in time.
The talk will take place inside the historic 1847 Boothbay Town Hall at the Boothbay Railway Village. A donation of $5 is suggested for admission. A beverage and homemade cookies will be provided for guests. The Boothbay Railway Village is located at 586 Wiscasset Road, Route 27 in Boothbay.
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