The Kallin Family Summits Mount Katahdin!

Home Hiker Stories The Kallin Family Summits Mount Katahdin!

The Kallin Family from Dresden, Maine -- Dave the dad, Madeline the cool kid, Nathan the all-boy boy and Emily the mom -- finished their quest to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail as a family on Sunday, August 31, 2014.

Their insightful blog, KallinFamily.com, kept readers well-informed and almost as excited as the Kallins themselves.

This wasn't Dave and Emily's first rodeo. They thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2002, according to their blog. They've been hiking ever since. They say, "Backpacking for our family has always been about relationships forged in the mountains."

The family is being billed as the "16th family with young children to complete a thru-hike of the AT" by folks who still believe it's only 2,160-miles long. I'm not sure who keeps count, but this is a fabulous accomplishment whether they're the first or last to ever do so.

The Kallin Family thru-hike took five months since they began in Georgia on March 31st. They finished sooner than they expected.

After a few stumbles climbing down from Mt. Katahdin, the family had lunch in Millinocket at the Appalachian Trail Cafe, always a fine choice for dining and tale-telling.

What's next for the Kallin Family? "The adults have lots to do before our lives really get back to normal, and the kids are excited to head back to school this week to see their friends. At any rate, after waking up tomorrow we'll have to do something other than walking north."

Congratulations Kallin Family! We're proud of you!

Tags: Attractions, Appalachian Trail, and News