Meet the youngest person known to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. She’s not even two.

By Joshua Tehee

jtehee@fresnobee.com

Updated October 11, 2017 5:35 PM

Every hiker who makes it halfway through the trail - to the offices of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, Va. - gets their photo taken. Here, Ellie Quirin gets her turn. Screen capture

Ellie Quirin might not be old enough to be considered a hiker, technically.

She’s not yet two years old and kind of just learned to walk.

And she learned while in the middle of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail.

At 18-months old, Ellie is the first baby known to have hiked the trail, which she completed with her parents, Derrick and Bekah Quirin, last month.

The Appalachian Trail travels through 14 states, from Georgia to Maine, in its 2,200 miles. “Thru-hikers” – those who cover the entire trail in one go – tend to take five to seven months to do so.

The couple kept a log of the six-month hike both on a website and Instagram, where they shared photos of their life on the trail.

The oldest and youngest on the trail! Gray Beard is thru hiking at 82 years old and is as spry as ever!! #ellieontheat #at2017

A post shared by The Quirin Family (@ellieontheat) on Apr 23, 2017 at 9:25am PDT

Like the time Ellie met Gray Beard, who was hiking the trail at age 82.

In pictures from the hike, Ellie peeks out from a pack strapped on Bekah’s back or stands, tentatively, with a pair of toddler-sized hiking poles.

Ellie said her first words while on the trip, according to a story in Mother Nature Network.

“Other than mom, dad, and no, ‘backpack’ is her most recognizable word! How appropriate,” the parents reported from the trail.

Previously, the youngest person to complete the trail was five-year-old Christian Thomas (aka Buddy Backpacker) in 2014. So, news of a baby on the trail made news among avid hikers.

Commenters on the AT discussion board WhiteBlaze.net weren’t convinced taking a toddler on the hike was a good idea, or that the Quirins would finish the trail. One called them attention seekers. Another wrote, simply: “I suspect they will not get far.”

Once the family did complete the trail, another WhiteBlaze poster offered, “Congratulations to them. Looks like some of you early posters will have to eat crow.”

“We want to immerse Ellie in the outdoors and have it become normal for her from the beginning and this is about as early as we can manage,” Bekah said in a Skype interview with Outside magazine, prior to leaving on the trip. “Time flies so much faster after you have kids. People always say, ‘I wish time could slow down.’ This is the best way I can think of to do that.”

Thru Hike Day: 195 - Mile 2,190.3 Ours is a story of an adventure that was far greater than any we could have hoped for. It is a story of a little girl, her adventurous parents, and a big dream. Its a story of hundreds of people contributing to make that dream come true, and we thank you with our deepest gratitude! On March 20, 2017 our story began as we left Catawba, Virginia, southbound on the Appalachian Trail. Six months and ten days later we've returned, having walked 2190.3 miles through 14 states, climbing around 464,464 feet, in every type of weather and through seemingly every sort of physical, mental, and emotional obstacle. While all of the typical thru hiker accomplishments are great, they pale in comparison to this: we watched our daughter grow, take her first steps, say her first words, and play in creeks and on grassy bald mountains. We stared with her at sunrises and snuggled with her into every sunset. We listened to her giggles as we climb above tree line, and been awakened by her imitating owls hooting nearby. We witnessed the pure joy she felt simply being a child in a spectacular and mesmerizing creation. We never missed any of it, not one single moment. We lived our dream, and we have no regrets. We learned how to be parents and still be adventurers. We learned how to love and care for someone else even when everything our bodies felt told us to be selfish. We learned that there are a lot of amazing, beautiful, and good people in our world. And we learned that nature is perhaps where we feel the most at home, and certainly where we feel the most alive. We learned all of this and more, we hope that Ellie did too. This is our story, though it's not the end, but the turn of a chapter, another to begin. Now go dream of big adventures, and chase them into the wild places. - Kanga, Roo, and Sherpa . . . #ellieontheat #appalachiantrail #trailbaby #whiteblaze #trektheat #childhoodunplugged #adventurefamily #at2017 #thruhike #adventurefamily #hike #trektheat

A post shared by The Quirin Family (@ellieontheat) on Sep 30, 2017 at 5:16pm PDT

While the trip may look like a fun time out in nature, it was not without its challenges – for instance, diapers.

Everyone wanted to know about diapers, according to Mother Nature Network. The Quirins told them they double-wrapped the diapers in Ziplock bags they brought along just for that purpose. They then carried the bags until they could dispose of them properly.

This story was originally published October 11, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Meet the youngest person known to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. She’s not even two.."

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