Sad News - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

I saw the article below in The Birmingham News yesterday. I was not personally acquainted with this hiker, even though I am also from Birmingham. Does anyone know how this happened? Did Justin have a trail name? Did he keep a journal? I’m so sad to hear of this tragedy. CBiscuit

Published on July 11, 2005, Birmingham News (AL)

City man dies while hiking Appalachian

The body of a 27-year-old Birmingham man who had been hiking the Appalachian Trail was found Saturday along railroad tracks in Duncannon, Pa.

Police said Sunday that Justin M. Kenny was believed to have been struck by a freight train and that no foul play was suspected.

Kenny’s fiancee, Emily Delzell of Birmingham, said Kenny was fulfilling a lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He had traveled 1,000 miles, she said. ‘I was incredibly proud of him,’

CBiscuit

#2

CBiscuit, there is a thread on this at http://www.whiteblaze.net

Tim

#3

I was in Duncannon last year on July 4th and a couple of hikers were talking about “boxcar blazing.” I guess the idea was you’d hop on a train, ride all night and then have to hitch or whatever back to Duncannon.

They even got up at some ungodly hour to have someone drive them down to the tracks to hop on a train as it went by but I heard later that they chickened out.

Hopefully this wasnt what happened here.

dromo

#4

If you are walking the tracks with headphones, Keep the volume down so you can hear what may be coming.

Kevin