Journey of Discovery
Jesse Spohn celebrated his birthday in the woods last week. And if you know the 23-year-old Butler High School graduate at all, you know he couldn't have been happier.
Spohn has been hiking the Appalachian Trail for more than three months, on a journey that has been on his mind since he was a young boy.
Back then Spohn's dream was broader — he wanted to walk across the United States — but less fully-formed. He loved the idea of a minimalist lifestyle and experiencing God's presence in nature, but wasn't sure how to live out an adventure that captured those ideals.
As the years went by — first high school graduation, then a full-time job that kept Spohn busy in between his true passion: adventuring.
Or as his friend, Gordon Beiber, calls it “chasing waterfalls,” — Spohn decided that he would see more walking the trail's 2,200 miles than shuffling between towns and cities across the country.
Spohn, an avid fisherman who loves to chase trophy Steelhead and Muskie, said the idea of hiking the trail also emerged as a way to keep himself motivated after high school, where his father, Mike, said he gravitated toward wrestling because of the mental and physical discipline it required.
“I needed a goal to work toward,” Spohn said. “I didn't go to college or anything like that. And I was working a job that wasn't necessarily fulfilling, so I set a goal kind of off in the distance and started working toward it.”
Spohn reached his goal earlier this year, when he quit his job as a machine operator at Pittsburgh Plug and Products Corp., went on hiatus from his position as an assistant junior high wrestling coach at Butler School District, and closed out the lease on an apartment he was renting with his best friend.
For many people those changes would signal the end of something. For Spohn, who left home on June 23 in a rented van with five friends, they marked a beginning.
The group took a road trip to Maine, where they hiked to the top of Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, which is the trail's northern terminus.
Spohn's friends left the mountain that day in the van, embarking on a 13-hour drive back to Butler County. He left on foot, beginning a hike that has taken him more than 1,500 miles across nine states so far.
Over that three months, Spohn has racked up an impressive stable of stories to tell and encounters that are too close for comfort, said his mother, Kelli McGaughey.
At different turns Spohn has had to conquer the challenging White Mountains of Vermont, which tested his physical condition; a 100-mile wilderness hike while low on food; and endure numerous close encounters with wildlife — from brushes with poisonous snakes to encounters with bears, coyotes and even a herd of cows he stumbled upon while on a night hike.
Spohn says it's all part of an adventure he's been preparing for his entire life.“I'm grateful that God gave me the opportunity to do this and show me some of the amazing things he's made,” said Spohn, who went on to reference a Bible passage from Romans 1:20 that muses about God's power in nature.“We're absolutely without excuse when it comes to the creation of the world,” Spohn said.Back home, when McGaughey inevitably gets asked how she handles the stress of Spohn's trip, she always tells curious friends and parents the same thing.“My answer is always: he's exactly where he's supposed to be,” she said. “I would much rather worry and fret and enjoy the triumph of him being able to follow his heart's desire than watch him stagnate in a lifestyle that would just let him atrophy.”McGaughey, herself a lifelong hiker and outdoor enthusiast, joined her son on the trail for four days last month, walking with Spohn from George Washington State Park in Maryland to Harpers Ferry, W.Va. There he met up with another friend and parted ways with his mother, who said she's still in awe of the connection her son has with nature.“It was the time of my life,” she said.Now with only about 450 miles left on his hike, Spohn must travel through Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia before reaching the trail's southern terminus at Springer Mountain.Already on his third pair of shoes, the former wrestler is averaging somewhere between 21 and 30 miles per day on the trail — a blistering pace that, if sustained, will see him home by the end of this month and in time for McGaughey's birthday on Oct. 29. It's a pace Spohn has told his mother he wants to keep, but something she has advised against focusing on.“It was never about an artificial deadline,” she said. “It was always about the experience. I told him: enjoy the rest of the trip; don't endure it.”For Spohn, however, perhaps the most gratifying part of this adventure has been the support he's received from friends and family at home.He said they offered him encouragement and support as he walked away from conventional concerns and toward a minimalist lifestyle that helps him connect more closely with nature. Happiness is something Spohn often thinks about while on the trail.“Being happy isn't something you can buy. It's a state of mind,” Spohn said. “It's not something that comes with a fancy job or a car. You've got to decide you're going to be happy.“I enjoy being me every day. And I get to do it without all the other stuff around me.”For Spohn's father, Mike, who has followed the trek on social media, where Spohn posts regular updates and photos, the impending end to this adventure seems like yet another beginning for his son.“Any challenge that he puts in front of himself, he's going to accomplish it. I think this is the beginning for him,” he said. “I think he's going to make a dent in the world in a positive way.”
