Cleveland, GA(February 14, 2011) – Micah and Courtney Thompson, TMC alumni, finished hiking the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia on Saturday, January 08, 2011.
The couple decided to cover the 2,181-mile trail for their honeymoon. Family and friends joined them in celebrating their accomplishment at the top of Springer Mountain, Georgia.
Micah and Courtney met at TMC but did not begin dating until a few years later. Micah, a 2001 TMC graduate, reconnected with Courtney, a 2002 TMC graduate, at a mutual friend’s wedding in 2006. Amidst the celebration, Micah shared with Courtney his plans to attend sailing school in St. Petersburg, FL, coincidentally Courtney’s home for the summer. During that time in St. Petersburg and the two years that followed, Micah and Courtney fell in love, and in June of 2010, they married.
The couple spent six months and one week hiking from Mt. Katahdin, ME to Springer Mountain, GA. They trekked the entire Appalachian Trail following over 165,000 white blazes that mark the most popular hiking trail in the world. They chose the destination for both their love of adventure and the outdoors.
Constantly meeting friendly travelers along the way, the Thompsons became part of the unique camaraderie of Appalachian Trail enthusiasts. Fellow hikers even gave the couple trail names—Courtney was dubbed “Ragamuffin” and Micah became “MEGAMo” (Maine to Georgia Mo). Along the way, they used these nicknames to sign trail registers typically found at hostels, shelters, trail restaurants, and other hiker friendly places along the trail. Seasoned backpackers told them that if they could survive hiking the Appalachian Trail, they could survive anything.
Courtney and Micah averaged between 10 to 20 miles every day, and lodging in a new town every night gave them the added joy of touring small-town USA. Along the trail, the couple enjoyed amazing views, made lifelong friends, and hiked some of the tallest mountains in the East including Mt. Washington and Clingmans Dome.
The two arrived home safely, and their story will be featured in The Knot Magazine. The Summer 2011 issue will hit newsstands on April 25th.
The mission of Truett-McConnell College, a Georgia Baptist College, is to equip students to make a positive impact for Christ through disciplined scholarship and Christian discipleship. For more information about Truett-McConnell College visit us online at www.truett.edu.
###
By Vicky Kaniaru & Havilah Miller
Return to News Archive