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Into the unknown: How three Eagles took on the Appalachian Trail

Written by Caroline Boykin

Three Georgia Southern University students set out to hike the Appalachian Trail in February 2021. Christian Scott, Wilson Calhoun and Dillon Calhoun took a semester off of school and completed the 2190-mile hike, taking more than 130 days to complete.

“Wilson, Dillon and I went bioluminescent kayaking with Southern Adventures and we were immediately hooked,” said Scott. “Southern Adventures really solidified my decision to hike the Appalachian trail, because we had a whole team of people back home, who were stoked for us to do this.” 

These Eagles hiked through 14 states during their more than four month adventure. Some Southern Adventures members met up with the hikers along their journey. Together they spent time rock climbing along the trail, giving the guys a nice little reprieve.

“I learned so many new skills working at Southern Adventures. Everyone has been so encouraging, so I was really excited to tell them about the hike,” said Wilson Calhoun. Calhoun took his experience on the trail and is now sharing his expertise with others as a Trip Leader for Southern Adventures.

The men hiked 20 miles per day on average, with their longest single-day hike hitting 52 miles and completing the “four state challenge.” The four state challenge requires hikers to cover four states in one day: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

“Part of adventure is being uncomfortable, basically the whole trip was facing the unknown. I want to share the mindset of being excited to face the unknown with the people at Southern Adventures and our trip participants,” said Wilson Calhoun. 

Southern Adventures has a full calendar of backcountry survival skills from October 4-8, to learn more about these events visit cri.gs/southernadventures.

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