This 5-year-old became one of the youngest kids to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Harvey Sutton and his parents hiked more than 2,100 miles in 209 days – a feat mom and dad, Cassie and Josh Sutton, have been preparing for when their son was still a baby.
Harvey Sutton and his parents hiked more than 2,100 miles in 209 days. (Joshua Sutton via AP)
(Joshua Sutton via AP)
“Making a goal to hike in 2021 lit a fire in us to save and build a business to a point that we could take 7 to 8 months off of work,” Cassie Sutton, of Lynchburg, Virginia told FOX News via email of putting her job in real estate on hold to save up for the hike.
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The family began hiking when Harvey was 2 – walking in parks and slowly began increasing the length of hiking time while exploring different climates, Sutton said. The family worked their way up to a 50-mile backpacking trip that sparked the inspiration to hike the Appalachian Trail, the Associated Press first reported. On the hike, their days consisted of waking up at 5:30 a.m., sleeping in a tent and hiking during the day.
“I thought being cold and wet was going to be the hardest part of hiking the Appalachian Trail. But in actuality, it was the mental game of motivating and keeping an upbeat attitude to help Harvey stay positive and enjoy his hike,” Sutton said.
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To keep the kindergartener occupied, Sutton recalls transforming the hike into fun and games playing pretend to help Harvey use his imagination along the way, despite challenging elements like snow and rain.
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Harvey even participated in a treasure hunt with hidden toys while hiking the trail through New Jersey, when hikers gave him toys like Hot Wheels and a pet rock, the Associated Press reported.
“The hiking community really surprised me. I didn’t know how interconnected it was,” Sutton said.
“Everyone is there to support and help each other,” she added. “They really look after you. And not just those hiking. Past hikers come out to the trail to give out food or what we call ‘trail magic.’ It’s truly a special community.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
