The 2180

29 - Leigh Rothermel

Oct 31, 2018

Leigh Rothermel began going on backpacking trips in middle school, and from day one, she fell in love with the outdoors. As life does, her corporate job got in the way, and tiring of morning commutes and sitting in an office, she left Atlanta, moved in with her parents, and started preparing for a 2015 thru-hike of...

28 - Colin Gooder

Oct 24, 2018

After the tragic death of his father, a falling out over the family business and a subsequent divorce, Colin Gooder was looking to do something positive to change the string of sadness he had worked through. So when he decided to open a hostel in his hometown of Franklin, NC, he found a community he's grown to love and...

27 - Larry Luxenberg

Oct 17, 2018

In 1980, Larry Luxenberg was about to start grad school in New York City after leaving the journalism business. Before he moved though he took a leap and went for a walk on the Appalachian Trail which would change his life and lead him to write a book and start the Appalachian Trail Museum, which he'd later be...

26 - Bill Van Horn

Oct 10, 2018

After retiring, Bill Van Horn and his wife moved to the trail town of Franklin, NC where they began getting active with the Nantahala Hiking Club. Their work prompted them to tackle a section hike of the Appalachian Trail, and firmed up their passion for the outdoors and working to preserve America's public lands.

25 - Ed Higginbotham

Oct 3, 2018

An airline pilot who had lived and flown all over the world, Ed Higginbotham wasn't going to stop traveling after he retired. So he set out to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail with a group of friends, and over the course of eight years, successfully section hiked from Georgia to Maine. After years in the sky and...