HOULTON, Maine — A Sacramento, Calif. man who spent the past eight months hiking the Appalachian Trail ended his journey in Aroostook County when he successfully reached the U.S./Canada border.
David Breinke, 59, arrived in Houlton on Saturday, Aug. 2 ending a journey that began Jan. 1 in Key West, Fla.
Traveling about 19 miles per day, Breinke said hiking is his “addiction” as he has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and a portion of the Continental Divide Trail. Hiking from Florida to the border was something he had always dreamed of doing.
“I was initially only going to do the Florida Trail,” Breinke explained. “And then along the way, I decided to do the Appalachian Trail. I saw many wonderful, unique people along the way. There is just so much kindness and generosity on the trail that hikers call it ‘trail magic.’”
His impressions of Houlton were extremely positive; adding a number of people either provided a warm meal or simple conversation.
“The kindness of the people here is just amazing,” he said. “You have a nice small town here.”
He was able to purchase a vehicle in Houlton and planned to drive back to his home in Sacramento, making pit stops along the way. Breinke said the one thing he hoped people would take from his trek is that anyone can do anything
“I’m not special,” he said. “I’m a retired civil engineer. I haven’t done many remarkable things in my life. But if you step outside the box of life, this is the kind of stuff you can do. It’s there for you.”
Breinke added he hoped to inspire others to do similar things, not necessarily involving hiking.
“Do something with your life,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be hiking, but do something that challenges yourself.”
