Gene Espy
Gene Espy (born 1927) is recognized as the second person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.[1] A Navy veteran and avid hiker, Espy began his hike on May 31, 1951, at Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia with a close friend, who dropped out after just a few days on the trail.[citation needed] Espy continued alone, completing his hike after 123 days when he reached Mount Katahdin, Maine on September 30.[citation needed] During his hike, Espy chanced to meet Chester Dziengielewski, who was thru hiking southbound, at the Smith Gap Shelter in Pennsylvania on August 6, the first ever meeting of a northbound and a southbound thru hiker on the Appalachian Trail.[citation needed] Dziengielewski completed his hike 10 days after Espy.[citation needed]
On June 17, 2011 Espy was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame at the Appalachian Trail Museum as the only living charter member.[2]
References
- ^ Ed Grisamore (16 September 2011). "Espy honored for famed Appalachian Trail hike". The Telegraph (Macon). Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
- ^ Bill O'Brien (17 June 2011). "A.T. Hall of Fame inducts its first class". Appalachian Trail Museum. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
Bibliography
- The Trail of My Life by Gene Epsy
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