The Best Mistake I Ever Made

In the Spring of 2001, I attempted to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in a single effort. In hindsight, the attempt was foolhardy. At the time, I had little experience with traveling on my own and no experience at all with backpacking.

I was born with Asperger's Syndrome as well as a bit of an anxiety disorder (neither of which had been diagnosed at the time). I was also taking medication for epilepsy. None of these things made me an obvious candidate for a long walk --alone-...