15 Year Old Girl Becomes Youngest Person to Solo Thru-Hike the Appalachian Trail

Reaching her goal to be the youngest person to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, 15-year old Neva ‘Chipmunk’ Warren completed her 2,200 mile trek on October 23, 2013.

On April 1, 2013 in Springer Mountain, GA, Neva took her first steps towards completing her goal to be the youngest person to ever solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. On average, Neva covered 12 – 13 miles per day, taking her just under 7 months to reach her goal. For her safety, Neva’s parents tracked her daily via a Spot GPS and she carried a cell phone for emergencies. Every day she would carry a backpack with enough supplies for 2-3 days in the wilderness but would often meet her parents at night and sleep in the family camper dubbed the ‘Chipmobile’.

When asked about her accomplishment, Neva said, "The whole time I was hiking, I kept in mind a favorite quote by Babe Ruth: 'Don't let the fear of striking out, hold you back.” Neva followed that up with “I'm tired but I'm glad I didn't strike out."

Quite the adventuresome girl, Neva has a personal goal to perform 12 Herculean tasks in her lifetime. This Appalachian Trail hike is the second of the 12, while her first was celebrating her 13th birthday in the summer of 2011 while riding 3,842 miles, visiting 28 race tracks in the Eastern U.S.

Asked about the one piece of gear she depended on to get her through the entire 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail and Neva will quickly respond that it was her Vasque Breeze 2.0 GTX boots. The Breeze 2.0s, which kept Neva’s feet dry and comfortable for 7 months, are perfectly tuned to the realities of today’s hiking trends where lighter loads and a faster pace rule the trail.

You can read about Neva’s journey at www.ridethenation.org.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies