Alayna Caricofe of Dennysville was inspired to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail (AT) after she read the book A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson when she was a seventh grade student at Edmunds Consolidated School. Summer Hodgdon, also of Dennysville, grew up listening to her father, Bruce Hodgdon, tell stories about his hiking the AT. She wanted to hike it, too. Both young women have just completed hiking the entire 2,192 miles of the AT, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine. They hiked from May 14 to October 5, spending only about 20 nights off the trail.
     After graduating from the University of Maine at Machias in May 2019, the women immediately flew from Bangor to Atlanta to start at the trail's southern end. Along their hike, they encountered 24 bears, countless deer, a wild hog in the Great Smoky Mountains and a rattlesnake, which Hodgdon nearly stepped on. While Caricofe was resting while they were in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness in Maine, she was able to take a video of a huge moose that ambled into the nearby water. The video has been viewed by thousands of people on social media.
     The women slept in tent‑like hammocks most of the time rather than using shelters along the trail. Their families sent boxes of supplies to pre‑arranged post offices for replacing what they used. They carried seven days' worth of food at a time, some of which they cooked on a small gas stove. However, most of their diet consisted of dried food and health bars.
     Although the AT is marked with white blazes on trees, they were sometimes difficult to see or find, so the two had to be constantly wary of their way forward. They did not carry a gun for protection. They found that the trail sections in New York and Pennsylvania were difficult because of the rocky terrain. In fact, it was in New York that they both wanted to quit their journey, but they persevered. By the end they had worn out three pairs of footwear.
     In some places, they met people who were helpful, such as giving them fresh water and food. In Virginia, a woman took them to her house for the night, fed them and allowed them to shower and do laundry. In Vermont, a man took them to a restaurant for breakfast. There were many other hikers along the AT, more going northbound than southbound, and at times the women hiked with several other people.
     Caricofe and Hodgdon agree that they were not lonesome. They were at times homesick, especially when they were hiking in the heat of the south, and sometimes in rain and even snow, which meant wet clothes.
     Both young women would not hike the AT again, but Caricofe's advice to anyone who is contemplating it is, "If you want to do it, you can." Hodgdon recommends it, saying there is no "right way to do it." Some people complete the hike all in one trip, and others do portions of it at different times in their lives.
     Both women are presently seeking jobs in their chosen fields. Caricofe's degree is in biology, and she hopes for a career as a forest ranger. Currently, she is lobster fishing with her father. Hodgdon's degree is in marine biology, and she is seeking work in the field of marine mammal research. She is presently substitute teaching. Hodgdon is the daughter of Bruce and Amy Hodgdon of Dennysville, and Caricofe is the daughter of Molly Calder of Dennysville and Sean Caricofe of Lubec.