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(Patrick County High School graduates Chad Slate and Nathan Harrell recently completed a thru-hike of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail. Tyler Harris also hiked the trail but finished at a later date. Following is the last part in a three-part series.)

Slate admitted that the thought of quitting had crossed his mind. "But the disappointment I would have to deal with personally would have torn me apart. I just couldn't let myself quit," he said.

Most hikers the pair ran into in New Hampshire and Maine were amazed that they had started the trek together. "It's rare two people who start together finish together," Slate said.

When Slate and Harrell submitted their applications for the 2,000-mile hikers' certificate, 62 people had finished the trail this season. "I am filled with pride when I think about the numbers; it makes me feel like I can do anything, Slate said.

"Being one of such an exclusive group is probably my favorite thing to bring up in front of women," Harrell said. "Other than that, it means little.

"The experiences were what it was all about," he said. "I got time to really apply thought to the things that were bothering me. I felt that those realizations are what made it worth the time, not joining an exclusive club."

Just over 10,000 hikers have completed the Appalachian Trail since records started in 1936.

One fact the two acknowledge is that more people own Ferraris than have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail.

Chad Slate is the son of Thomas A. (Sonny) Slate of Claudville, and the late Angela Carol Walker. He graduated from Patrick County High School in 2005 and is currently a senior majoring in materials science and engineering at Tech.

Nathan Harrell is a 2004 graduate of PCHS and is from Meadows of Dan. His mother is Jennifer Scott; his father is Flynn Harrell. He is a senior as a technical engineer major at Tech.

"Taking a semester off was definitely worth it," Harrell said. He discussed the decision with academic advisers and financial aid counselors; both said to "go for it."

"School has too many distractions to learn much about yourself," Slate said. "I learned more about what I'm capable of than any semester at school has taught me. Taking a semester off from school was definitely worth it."

Both hikers admitted that the hike taught them discipline. "I feel like I figured out what direction I want to take the rest of my education (sustainable building practices like green roofs, geothermal heating and solar panels)," Slate said. "By giving my education purpose, I believe I will be able to prosper in my classes. The hike will give me something to compare other tougher situations to as well."

Neither has aspirations to hike the Appalachian Trail any time soon, unless it is in retirement. Both have strong feelings about possibly hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, though.

"Hiking the Appalachian Trail isn't for everyone," Harrell said. "But with the right mindset, it's an experience that can't be beaten. It's the hardest thing I have ever done," he said.

"I got to see different places and experience a different lifestyle than I'd ever seen," Harrell said. "Every single day brought something new. I found time to sit and read some good books, including philosophy, and could actually spend whole days contemplating it instead of having to push it aside while I finished engineering homework or went to some social function. It was just what I needed. If I met someone who I thought needed the same things I did, I would beg them to do it. For me, it was perfect."

Slate suggested that anyone who had contemplated the thru-hike should do it. "Find a way to work out time and money factors because it is one of the best ways to experience the country," Slate said. "When you walk through different towns, you don't just see another rundown town. You can pick up what member of the community lives where; you're looking at what people keep on their porches and how they keep their yards. Things are more vivid. The author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance described riding a motorcycle as taking the 'frame' created by car windows away. The same thing applies to walking; one experiences the things he sees." Both hikers learned about people, whether it was the person who whizzed by at 55 mph while the two were hitchhiking into town during a driving rainstorm or the former thru-hikers who took the hikers 15 miles away to view some fantastic waterfalls.

"I hope to never let fear keep me from helping someone who appears to be in need," said Slate. "The kindness of the hiking community and the people that did help us by giving us rides, letting us stay with them and feeding us was really inspiring. The world would be a better place if it were filled with people like them."

"This was the ultimate achievement in my life thus far," Harrell said. "I can't say it was a goal. Once I decided to take this trip, it was a challenge. Nothing was going to stop me except me. It was kinda like getting dared in elementary school, but I was daring myself. I spent five months to find out the answer to the last part, and I am glad to report that I am strong enough. I did it."

Tyler Harris, another Patrick County Appalachian Trail hiker, started out on the hike with Slate and Harrell. He spent some time with family and friends along the way and is expected to finish his thru-hike around August 25.

Nathan Harrell summed up his hiking experience with this: "I am sure the citizens of Patrick County will be proud to know that three--count them--THREE--of its citizens joined the Appalachian Trail Club this year. That's probably more than any one county in history, at least in the same year. Go PC!" he said.

Tyler Harris, a former Patrick County resident, started the Appalachian Trail hike with Nathan Harrell and Chad Smith March 1. He stayed with the pair for much of the early going, but decided to alter his pace a bit after the threesome reached the North Carolina border.

"Nathan and Chad had planned to hike the trail in four to five months because they had a time schedule they needed to follow so they could start back in classes at Tech," Harris said. "I, on the other hand, did not have such restrictions on my time, so I slowed the pace a bit to enjoy my time on the trail."

Harris had kicked around the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail for several years, but never had the time or opportunity until one of his high school friends from Patrick County mentioned that her brother was planning to do the hike. "That got me interested to the point that I started making plans," Harris said. "I saw my window of opportunity and went for it."

Harris didn't do too much to get in shape for the hike. "I stopped riding a cart when I played golf, and walked instead," he said. "I also took a few day hikes in the Smoky Mountains to test my gear. I went to a sports medicine doctor to make sure that an old knee injury would be okay. I got a cortisone shot and it didn't give me any trouble."

Other than a slight case of the flu early in the hike, Harris did not have any health issues. "I was very lucky," he said.

After Harrell and Slate moved ahead in the North Carolina mountains, Harris met several hikers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio who he hiked with through to Maine.

Harris never felt lonely. "There was always someone on the trail to converse with," he said. "I had my cell phone and friends and family were just a phone call away...when I was able to get service."

Never did he want to stop and return home. "In my head, that just wasn't an option. There were some days I was totally burned out, but something always happened to keep me moving forward," he said.

Cold rainy days for two weeks in Maine made the last part of the hike miserable for Harris. "The temperature was in the low 40s and 50s. It was hard to stay motivated," he said. "Plus, we lived for the views on the trail, and because of the weather, we could hardly see anything."

The highlight of his 2,175-mile hike was the last day when he woke up at 3 a.m. to hike to the top of Mt. Katahdin, the culmination of the Appalachian Trail, to watch the sun rise. "We got to see the sunrise above the tree line. There were about 10 of us to celebrate this occasion," he said. That occurred August 22.

"The people I met on this hike made the trip," Harris said. "I hiked with a variety of people from all walks of life, from a 60-year-old man to an 18-year-old just out of high school. We found ways to entertain ourselves while we walked. For example, we carried a three-man slingshot and a wiffle ball and bat.

"There's an old saying, 'When you're awake, you're walking.' You have to create a little mischief to keep it exciting," he said.

Harris is uncertain what this major accomplishment in his life really means. "How am I supposed to know? I know the experience was life-changing, but I can't exactly put it into works specifically how it changed. I have a new appreciation for the outdoors and setting a goal and accomplishing it," he said.

"Ask me in a few months or even a year, and I might have a better answer," he said solemnly.

Harris attended Patrick County High School up to the ninth grade and moved to Durham, N.C., to live with his mother, Sarah Harris. He graduated from Jordan High School in Durham in 2002. He is also the son of Earl Harris of Patrick County and stepson of Barbara Cruise.

Harris is an electrical contractor and is heading to Knoxville, Tenn., to start a new business venture.


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		Nathan Harrell (left) and Chad Slate completed their thru-hike at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, the summit of Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine, on July 29.

	Hiking the Appalachian Trail (Patrick County High School graduates Chad Slate and Nathan Harrell recently completed a thru-hike of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail. Tyler Harris also hiked the trail but finished at a later date. Following is the last part in a three-part series.) By Stephen Henderson Slate admitted that the thought of quitting had crossed his mind. "But the disappointment I would have to deal with personally would have torn me apart. I just couldn't let myself quit," he said. Most hikers the pair ran into in New Hampshire and Maine were amazed that they had started the trek together. "It's rare two people who start together finish together," Slate said. When Slate and Harrell submitted their applications for the 2,000-mile hikers' certificate, 62 people had finished the trail this season. "I am filled with pride when I think about the numbers; it makes me feel like I can do anything, Slate said. "Being one of such an exclusive group is probably my favorite thing to bring up in front of women," Harrell said. "Other than that, it means little. "The experiences were what it was all about," he said. "I got time to really apply thought to the things that were bothering me. I felt that those realizations are what made it worth the time, not joining an exclusive club." Just over 10,000 hikers have completed the Appalachian Trail since records started in 1936. One fact the two acknowledge is that more people own Ferraris than have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Chad Slate is the son of Thomas A. (Sonny) Slate of Claudville, and the late Angela Carol Walker. He graduated from Patrick County High School in 2005 and is currently a senior majoring in materials science and engineering at Tech. Nathan Harrell is a 2004 graduate of PCHS and is from Meadows of Dan. His mother is Jennifer Scott; his father is Flynn Harrell. He is a senior as a technical engineer major at Tech. "Taking a semester off was definitely worth it," Harrell said. He discussed the decision with academic advisers and financial aid counselors; both said to "go for it." "School has too many distractions to learn much about yourself," Slate said. "I learned more about what I'm capable of than any semester at school has taught me. Taking a semester off from school was definitely worth it." Both hikers admitted that the hike taught them discipline. "I feel like I figured out what direction I want to take the rest of my education (sustainable building practices like green roofs, geothermal heating and solar panels)," Slate said. "By giving my education purpose, I believe I will be able to prosper in my classes. The hike will give me something to compare other tougher situations to as well." Neither has aspirations to hike the Appalachian Trail any time soon, unless it is in retirement. Both have strong feelings about possibly hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, though. "Hiking the Appalachian Trail isn't for everyone," Harrell said. "But with the right mindset, it's an experience that can't be beaten. It's the hardest thing I have ever done," he said. "I got to see different places and experience a different lifestyle than I'd ever seen," Harrell said. "Every single day brought something new. I found time to sit and read some good books, including philosophy, and could actually spend whole days contemplating it instead of having to push it aside while I finished engineering homework or went to some social function. It was just what I needed. If I met someone who I thought needed the same things I did, I would beg them to do it. For me, it was perfect." Slate suggested that anyone who had contemplated the thru-hike should do it. "Find a way to work out time and money factors because it is one of the best ways to experience the country," Slate said. "When you walk through different towns, you don't just see another rundown town. You can pick up what member of the community lives where; you're looking at what people keep on their porches and how they keep their yards. Things are more vivid. The author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance described riding a motorcycle as taking the 'frame' created by car windows away. The same thing applies to walking; one experiences the things he sees." Both hikers learned about people, whether it was the person who whizzed by at 55 mph while the two were hitchhiking into town during a driving rainstorm or the former thru-hikers who took the hikers 15 miles away to view some fantastic waterfalls. "I hope to never let fear keep me from helping someone who appears to be in need," said Slate. "The kindness of the hiking community and the people that did help us by giving us rides, letting us stay with them and feeding us was really inspiring. The world would be a better place if it were filled with people like them." "This was the ultimate achievement in my life thus far," Harrell said. "I can't say it was a goal. Once I decided to take this trip, it was a challenge. Nothing was going to stop me except me. It was kinda like getting dared in elementary school, but I was daring myself. I spent five months to find out the answer to the last part, and I am glad to report that I am strong enough. I did it." Tyler Harris, another Patrick County Appalachian Trail hiker, started out on the hike with Slate and Harrell. He spent some time with family and friends along the way and is expected to finish his thru-hike around August 25. Nathan Harrell summed up his hiking experience with this: "I am sure the citizens of Patrick County will be proud to know that three--count them--THREE--of its citizens joined the Appalachian Trail Club this year. That's probably more than any one county in history, at least in the same year. Go PC!" he said.



Tyler Harris, former Patrick County resident, completes hike Tyler Harris, a former Patrick County resident, started the Appalachian Trail hike with Nathan Harrell and Chad Smith March 1. He stayed with the pair for much of the early going, but decided to alter his pace a bit after the threesome reached the North Carolina border. "Nathan and Chad had planned to hike the trail in four to five months because they had a time schedule they needed to follow so they could start back in classes at Tech," Harris said. "I, on the other hand, did not have such restrictions on my time, so I slowed the pace a bit to enjoy my time on the trail." Harris had kicked around the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail for several years, but never had the time or opportunity until one of his high school friends from Patrick County mentioned that her brother was planning to do the hike. "That got me interested to the point that I started making plans," Harris said. "I saw my window of opportunity and went for it." Harris didn't do too much to get in shape for the hike. "I stopped riding a cart when I played golf, and walked instead," he said. "I also took a few day hikes in the Smoky Mountains to test my gear. I went to a sports medicine doctor to make sure that an old knee injury would be okay. I got a cortisone shot and it didn't give me any trouble." Other than a slight case of the flu early in the hike, Harris did not have any health issues. "I was very lucky," he said. After Harrell and Slate moved ahead in the North Carolina mountains, Harris met several hikers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio who he hiked with through to Maine. Harris never felt lonely. "There was always someone on the trail to converse with," he said. "I had my cell phone and friends and family were just a phone call away...when I was able to get service." Never did he want to stop and return home. "In my head, that just wasn't an option. There were some days I was totally burned out, but something always happened to keep me moving forward," he said. Cold rainy days for two weeks in Maine made the last part of the hike miserable for Harris. "The temperature was in the low 40s and 50s. It was hard to stay motivated," he said. "Plus, we lived for the views on the trail, and because of the weather, we could hardly see anything." The highlight of his 2,175-mile hike was the last day when he woke up at 3 a.m. to hike to the top of Mt. Katahdin, the culmination of the Appalachian Trail, to watch the sun rise. "We got to see the sunrise above the tree line. There were about 10 of us to celebrate this occasion," he said. That occurred August 22. "The people I met on this hike made the trip," Harris said. "I hiked with a variety of people from all walks of life, from a 60-year-old man to an 18-year-old just out of high school. We found ways to entertain ourselves while we walked. For example, we carried a three-man slingshot and a wiffle ball and bat. "There's an old saying, 'When you're awake, you're walking.' You have to create a little mischief to keep it exciting," he said. Harris is uncertain what this major accomplishment in his life really means. "How am I supposed to know? I know the experience was life-changing, but I can't exactly put it into works specifically how it changed. I have a new appreciation for the outdoors and setting a goal and accomplishing it," he said. "Ask me in a few months or even a year, and I might have a better answer," he said solemnly. Harris attended Patrick County High School up to the ninth grade and moved to Durham, N.C., to live with his mother, Sarah Harris. He graduated from Jordan High School in Durham in 2002. He is also the son of Earl Harris of Patrick County and stepson of Barbara Cruise. Harris is an electrical contractor and is heading to Knoxville, Tenn., to start a new business venture.