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appalachian trail hike time lapseThe Appalachian Trail is a beautifully scenic 2,181 mile stretch of hiking ground that runs through the eastern United States, which many avid hikers set out to conquer in a single season. It isn't easy. One hiker, Kevin Gallagher, set out on this hike in Georgia and wound up in Maine, all the while taking 4.000 pictures of his epic journey that he managed in six months. He's condensed the photos into a 4 minute time lapse and the result is this stunning video of how beautiful America can really be.

I know first hand that this must have been a difficult trek. I once attempted a hike with a couple buddies of mine in Shenandoah National Park. When we were preparing our packs for all the worst possible scenarios we didn't really consider how heavy they were getting but were too proud to admit that we could barely carry them out of my living room, and grossly underestimated how grueling such a hike would be.

If we had made a video of the three of us carrying our 80 pound packs up the side of a mountain there would have been large time lapses of us passed out on the side of the trail from exhaustion. I remember the whole time thinking of ways I could make my pack lighter. Maybe I could bury some of the dozens of canned goods we thought we needed, or just chuck that 3 pound hatchet we brought to fight off bears.

Our epic 50 mile hike ended at about 16 miles and we found ourselves, defeated in a Burger King in West Virginia, appropriately munching on our Angry Whoppers. That learning experience really makes me appreciate what a successful hike looks like. This video is amazing and my hat is off to Kevin Gallagher for his achievement.


Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.



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