Walking Off Grief on the Appalachian Trail

Is finding closure via grueling through-hike a new idea? Not even a little bit. But that doesn’t mean that Gunnar Lundberg’s account of remembrance and renewal isn’t a compelling read. It might just make you want to grab a map and some moleskin.

For me, to “finish” grieving meant making a choice. So many of my choices since his death were rooted in penance and shame: guilt for planning our hiking trip to Isle Royale, for swimming in Temperance River, for not jumping back in. Finishing grieving meant finally choosing to forgive myself and to celebrate, rather than mourn, his life. Those 144 days taught me to carry only the things I needed most and to leave behind what weighed me down.