Meet Gandalf and Survivor

Meet Survivor and Gandalf! These two also met on the trail and have been hiking together since. Originally they were in a larger group but it seems to have tapered off a bit and it’s now just the two of them.

Survivor got her trail name because she has made it this far! When asked what brought her to the trail she told us that she had always wanted to do it. After some life challenges and changes  and finding her self in a funk she decided to make a change. As a New Hampshire native she began hiking the 48 and completed them in 10 months ( what a feat)! Her love and passion took off from there and now she finds herself attacking another goal!

Gandalf didn’t start out with a trail name but gained one rather quickly for his wizard like beard . Gandalf has been hiking for quite some time, enjoying day hikes and backpacking trips. He’s dreamed of doing the AT for 20 years and everything aligned for him this year.

We had a bit of time chatting with Survivor and Gandalf before sending them off to the local restaurant to refuel on town food.

While chatting we discussed a range of topics from hardships, to relationships, to different personality types, and how we all handle conflict when it arises.

Three weeks after we met these two, we ran into them on the summit of Bald Pate mountain in Maine! This was our favorite moment from this journey so far!

We had such a great time with them and wish them both all the luck as they make their way 400 miles to Katahdin!