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Cornishes hike the entire Appalachian Trail together

By Darby Hinkley 6 min read

ALPENA -- It's the true test of strength -- body, mind and spirit. It's the Appalachian Trail.

The Cornishes have accomplished what only about 750 people accomplish each year -- a thru-hike of the entire Appalachian Trail. All 2,193 miles of it.

It's a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenge, and they both feel tremendous gratitude for having completed it together.

Eric and Michelle "Shelly" Cornish have been avid hikers for years, but they wanted to take their hiking to the next level. So they set their sights on the Appalachian Trail.

Both retired in 2020, planning to lace up those hiking boots for a new journey into the next chapter of life after work. Eric retired from working for more than 20 years as an orthopedic surgeon, and Shelly retired from 25 years of teaching and administration at Alpena Public Schools.

"We had done sections of the Appalachian Trail, and we knew how huge of a demand it was, physically," Shelly explained. "And we're not getting any younger."

They figured the sooner the better, as Eric was 62 when they started the trail on Feb. 26, 2021. Shelly was 49 at the time, and they hoped to finish the whole trail on her 50th birthday, but they ended up completing it a few days after the big day, on Aug. 11, 2021.

"We've both been outdoors people," Shelly said. "We hike a lot. Norway Ridge (in Alpena) is our favorite place to hike."

Shelly hiked out west with Russ Lewis with Bike and Boot Club when she was in her 20s.

"It just embedded in me this desire," she said.

Shelly also used to be a runner, and has completed many races, including a marathon. Her knees can't handle that anymore.

She got further inspiration when she met author Jennifer Pharr Davis when she came to the Alpena County Library in 2010. Davis hiked the Appalachian Trail in 57 days, which was the fastest known time for a woman at that time.

"She hiked 37 miles a day," Shelly said of Davis.

Shelly said she came home that day and told Eric, "We're going to do this someday."

And so they did.

The couple had hiked a lot prior to their trek, but Eric had only slept in a tent a handful of times.

"I didn't even know how to put it together," he said.

Now, he could probably teach a class on it.

They prepared in advance to hopefully be ready for success on the trail. Since Michigan does not have mountainous terrain, they spent a month hiking in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, in October 2020.

"We took a week-long class called the Appalachian Trail Institute, by a hiking legend, a guy named Warren Doyle, he's completed the A.T. 18 times," Shelly said.

That's more than anyone else, and Doyle is 72 years old now.

Shelly said the weirdest part of preparing is trying to figure out how to just put the rest of your life on pause for six months while you go hike the trail.

"How do you just be gone for six months?" she asked.

They figured it out, making sure they had someone getting the mail and paying the bills from their accounts while they were gone. And by the way, it's not a cheap vacation. It's taxing on the body as well as the wallet, since all the gear costs upwards of $1,500 per person, not to mention you're not making any income while you're out on the trail. You also wear through about three or four pairs of hiking boots in the meantime. And you have to buy food and, yes, pay for hotels or hostels here and there. That's not considered cheating, as long as you get back on the trail right where you left off.

So, all told, if you're planning on hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, you might want to stash away about $8,000 to cover all your expenses. Oh, and being retired helps, since most employers aren't too keen on giving six months off.

Despite the cost, the Cornishes planned and they were ready to go.

Since the terrain is craggy and much rougher than the flat "Michigan miles" they were used to hiking, they ended up averaging 14.3 miles per day. Which is really nothing to sneeze at, when you consider the effort and energy it takes to hike that far each day, rain or shine. Through laughter and sometimes tears.

"If you could do 15 miles per day, you'd finish in exactly five months," Eric said. "We finished in five-and-a-half months. And we did take 10 zero-days to rest."

Shelly said the amount of calories you burn out there is insane. She could basically just eat a whole large pepperoni pizza and not gain a pound. She lost 40 pounds on the trail, and Eric lost 28 pounds.

"The thing they say is, 'You just have to earn your trail legs,'" Shelly said. "When I started, I couldn't make it up a whole hill."

But it comes as you do it.

"Your body gets used to it," she said.

Eric said the trail was the perfect place to kick off the next chapter of life.

"I kept saying on the trail, this is like adult summer camp," he said. "You get to hike all day, and hang out with cool people, do things you'd never tell your mother."

Shelly said there's a whole trail culture out there.

"Everybody's got these cool nicknames that they go by," Eric added.

Eric told Shelly that if he had a patient who came in with her knees, he would tell them they can't hike the Appalachian Trail.

"My knees are bad," she said. "They're bone on bone. But I did it."

Courage and willpower definitely factored in.

"It is freeing," Shelly said of the experience.

"And you're communing with nature," Eric said.

Shelly added that the path itself is 100 years old.

"There are times that we would cross over and see historical walls, foundations of homes," she said. "And then there was a sign where George Washington's troops were inoculated for smallpox in New York … there were times that we would say, 'We are walking in the footpath of famous people who have traversed these ranges throughout time.' It was pretty amazing."

They didn't have any serious injuries, although Eric did break his little toe. But he kept on keepin' on.

"It hurt for about six weeks," said the trooper.

The Cornishes had a blast on the trail, meeting all kinds of new people who will always be part of their "trail family."

Of the more than 3,000 people who attempt a thru-hike each year, only about one quarter, or roughly 750 people, actually complete it.

Eric and Shelly Cornish are now in the elite few.

Their next plan is to go back and do "Trail Magic" which is encouraging hikers along the trail by setting up a station with snacks, water, or whatever you think a hiker might need for encouragement and sustenance.

"We called ourselves slow and steady," Shelly concluded.

Starting at /week.