John Michael Little, information aide at Arcadia Mill, has ambitious end of summer plans: hiking the Appalachian Trail. “I got inspired to take this hike by my mom,” he said. “She was quite the world traveler in her day and she has always encouraged me to take the path less traveled.” Little said he and his friend Garrett Perry will travel to Maine and start the hike at Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park. Little said he plans to be on foot from August to December, ending his journey at the top of Springer Mountain in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest. Little said, “My family traces its roots back to the Appalachian highlands. In fact, my great-great-grandparents’ homestead, in Virginia, sits just a stone’s throw away from the trail itself.” According to Little, he’s camped for a month before, but has never been on this long of a hike. Little, who also works with For the Children helping to make the homeless-youth shelter ready for residents, said he’s looking to raise between $4 and $6,000 for the trip. “The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommends taking $1,000 for every month you’ll be gone, but I don’t think I’ll need that much,” he said. Part time landscaping work has already come his way to help pay for the trip, but Little said he would be interested in finding odd jobs in the area. “I'm looking forward to connecting with nature and my family's heritage by exploring the great American wilderness, which, in my opinion, is our nations' greatest treasure,” Little said. To reach Little, you can find him on Facebook by searching for Michael Little, call 686-2138, or email him at jml67@students.uwf.edu.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Arcadia Mill guide plans five-month hike