AdventuresNW
Long Lost
by Tami Asars; Palmetto Publishing, 2026
Some of us who live in the West may feel a little superior about our long-distance trails, and may view the Appalachian Trail (AT) as a low-elevation jaunt. North Bend hiking guide author Tami Asars had already completed the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails before her hiking partner invited her to hike the AT. It had not been her intention to complete America’s Triple Crown of long-distance hiking trails, but the offer was too good to refuse.
Hiking from north to south, Asars quickly learned that the AT was going to be no jaunt. It’s true, the trail lacked the deserts and high granite peaks of the Sierra and the Rockies and the jagged landscapes of the Cascades, but the trail was rugged and brutal in its own way. Roots, steep climbs and descents, boulder fields, narrow tunnels of greenery with poison ivy, and constant mildew-inducing rain made the hiking challenging in ways she hadn’t expected. She learned to examine northbound hikers’ legs for scrapes and bruises as an indication of what she and her partner might be facing in the coming miles. The two of them also had to contend with a COVID-like virus, sinus infections, and norovirus along the way.
But in the four months it took to complete the hike, the author had trail experiences that outshone the negative. The AT has more access to towns than the western trails, and thus more opportunities to meet people along the way whose simple acts of kindness and generosity made their hike just a little bit easier. From free pizza coupons to hot soup, showers, and laundry, it was the people they met in towns and along the trail who turned a challenging trek into one of shared community and fond memories.
