Abstract
During the spring and summer of 2000, just before beginning the ELM program, I hiked
the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) in what is called a thru-hike. During my hike I wrote a
biweekly column for my hometown newspaper about my journey. Writing about the hike made
it more fulfilling for me. As I hiked, I thought about other ways I could write about the AT. My
partner, Brad Stone, is a nature photographer. The hike was his idea originally, and he captured
our hike on over ninety rolls of film. We daydreamed often about doing projects together as a
writer and a photographer. Being that we are both passionate about nature, I explored the idea of
designing some sort of natural history guide to the trail, as well as writing about the experience
of hiking with our dog, Willow.
When I began ELM, I looked for ways to integrate my trail experience with Earth
Literacy, not wanting to let the hike be just a fun adventure I had in my youth. Some of my
initial assignments I fulfilled by writing about the AT. I also continued my newspaper column,
but with a different emphasis—Earth Literacy. When the time came to choose an integrative
project, I knew I could take the opportunity to create something more substantial about the AT.
During my time as an ELM student, I was also substitute teaching in my local school district,
experimenting with being an educator. I wondered about bringing that part of my life into my
project as well. The idea for a book for young adults arose.
