Ryan and Catherine Thompson of Old Forge, also known as “Hit and Miss,” shared their extreme hiking and paddling adventures with a mixed-age group at Niccolls Presbyterian Church in Old Forge on Sunday, April 14.
In April of 2010, the couple started a long trek by canoeing from Old Forge to Fort Kent and Portage in Maine. Their canoe was provided by Tickner’s Moose River Canoe Trips.
From there, they connected with the start of the Appalachian Trail (AT) at Mount Katadin, and made the 2,175 mile hike from Maine to Georgia.
The Thompsons had hiked the AT in 2008 from south to north, and looked forward to making the trek in the opposite direction.
They arrived at the end of the the trail, in Springer Mountain, GA, on September 23.
Prior to doing a through hike of the AT, they had hiked from Maine to Pennsylvania, and Georgia to Maryland in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
Hit and Miss entertained the audience with stories of wild weather and interesting characters they met on the trail, challenges they faced, lessons they learned and obstacles overcome during their five-month adventure.
“It’s not that bad,” is a phrase which became their common refrain over the five months.
Audience members from youth to older adults were inspired by the example and messages shared by Hit and Miss.
“We both realized that completing our journeys in life, like our trail life, is nearly impossible without support—family, friends, communities and people along the way,” Ryan said.
The Thompsons are considering hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,600 mile trail that runs from Mexico to Canada.
Ryan would like to hike that trail, then hop on a bike and pedal across Canada to Maine.
Amy Bartell co-leads the Niccolls youth group with her husband, Pastor Lawrence Bartell.
“We invited the Thompsons to share because we want to give the youth a strong example of what great things you can do in your young adult life if you set your mind to it, stick to your goals and make great choices,” Amy said.
“We are hoping to do a bit more of that with presentations by some other folks we know in the community,” she added.
The Bartells meet monthly with the Niccolls youth group, which is currently six to ten students strong.
All students from grades 7 to 12 are welcome to meet with the group, whether or not they attend Niccolls.
They will meet two more times, on Sundays, May 19 and June 9 at 4 pm, before breaking for the summer.
Anyone interested can call the church office at 369-3475 for details about those gatherings.
Youth group meetings are social, inspirational, service-oriented or a combination thereof. Examples of activities from previous gatherings include packing baked goods to be sent to college students who are part of the church family, enjoying a game night and hearing speakers on topics of interest.
