Thru-hiking takes a toll on a person. Mind, body, and spirit. While the transformations of mind and spirit might be the real change after several months in the outdoors, it’s easier to see the body’s reaction to 2,000+ miles of walking. Cheers to the champions who overcame the odds and have the before-and-after photos to prove it.

Whether you’re NOBO, SOBO, flip-flopping, or completing your thru-hike after years of section hiking, we want to feature you. Send your transformation photos (preferably in before/after format) along with trail name, start date, finish date, and any other relevant info to [email protected] to be included in our roundup.

Big thanks to everyone who submitted, and to Taylor Frint for her production assistance.

September 28

April 2 – October 1

Mangey Karl and Game Over

Check out his YouTube channel here!

Lifesaver

March 4 – August 2

March 11 – August 26

“(My brother and I) both hiked solo, so the first shot in the collage was the two of us back in NZ before he took off to start the trail 11 days ahead of me, second shot was us finally reuniting in Cascade Locks having not seen each other the whole trail, final shot is us finishing together!”

Speedy Gonzales

“PCT: May 15 – Sep 17, 2019. The running shorts survived 2,650 miles.”

Frodo and Manifest

March 25 – September 10. “We got engaged at the end!”

Ozy

March 29 – August 25

Aloha

March 10 – July 28

Honey and Blue

March 8 – August 26

Rocket

March 31 – September 30

April 16 – October 5

Plume

April 3 – September 8

Night Walker

Smiles and Miles Check out their blog!

“Journey of a lifetime!”

Beer and Burgers

Moron

March 30 – August 3

Scarecrow

Firefly

March 8 – September 10

Doc

March 2 – July 9

Dr. Thunder

February 24 – July 1

Turd Furgeson

January 10 – August 18

Viking

Finished September 30.

SOS (Sometimes Pronounced “Sauce”)

May 9 – October 12

Duck

April 2 – September 16

Moonshine

March 20 – July 13

Wildcard

March 19 – August 14

Trail Diva

GA-> NY VT-> ME VT-> NY

April 12 – October 13