In October 2019, Shawn Mahoney's cousin came into his room to turn off an alarm that had been ringing too long. Shawn was unresponsive. His cousin started CPR. By the time Shawn woke up in the ICU, he could not move his hands (they were in restraints) and two doctors were standing at his bedside telling his parents he had a 50-50 chance of surviving.

He had been carrying a log for seventeen years by then. Training aid first: he had started running with it before boot camp, the way other people would use a telephone pole, and had never really stopped. The log had not yet become anything. It was just something he did.

What followed the hospital is the story: a man who almost died of a heart infection no one could diagnose (75 medical visits, white blood cell counts nearly 30 times normal) who woke up in a hospital bed, made a deal, and has been proving it ever since. The NE111 (115 high peaks across the Northeast in thirteen weeks), then the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, three consecutive years carrying a log and raising money for veterans, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and Alzheimer's research in honor of his grandmother. Then Te Araroa in New Zealand for Make-A-Wish, where he carried a 2,500-year-old swamp kauri log because he couldn't bring his own across the border. Then the Colorado Trail.

He is not done. The fire that came on in that hospital room has never gone out. He lives in a small apartment, works out, and on the weekends he hikes. He does not have Netflix. He is getting ready for the next trail.

The log's name is Larry.

Show Notes

About Shawn



  • Air Force veteran and former Air Force medic (medical technician)

  • New Hampshire-based thru-hiker, endurance athlete, and fundraiser

  • Triple Crown finisher (AT 2022, PCT 2023, CDT 2024) in three consecutive years

  • Also completed Te Araroa (length of New Zealand, 2025) for Make-A-Wish New Zealand

  • Has raised funds for veterans organizations, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Alzheimer's research, and cancer causes

  • Has carried a log on every significant hike for 22-plus years


About Larry

  • What began as a military training tool (Shawn ran with weighted logs before boot camp) became something else after his 2019 hospitalization

  • The log was named Larry by the New Hampshire hiking community when he started doing the high peaks

  • Every log is Larry, even as they are replaced, including a 2,500-year-old swamp kauri from New Zealand's North Island

  • Sea Dog Brewing Company brewed Larry the Lager in the original Larry's honor; both kegs were tapped out at the event

  • Larry has raised tens of thousands of dollars in charitable giving across multiple causes


The Crisis

  • October 2019: Shawn was living with his cousin when the alarm he set for work kept ringing. His cousin came in to turn it off and found him unresponsive. Started CPR. Called 911.

  • In the ICU he was, per the attending physicians, the sickest patient in the hospital. His parents were told he had a 50/50 chance of survival.

  • He woke up with a breathing tube, his hands in restraints, and a catheter, with no memory of the preceding day

  • He had been suffering from an undiagnosed chronic skin condition for years (75 VA and specialist visits, white blood cell counts of nearly 3,000 against a normal range of 0-100) which progressed to endocarditis (infection of the heart)

  • He was embarrassed by his skin condition for years, wearing long sleeves and leggings even in desert heat on trail


The Rebuild

  • Goal one in the hospital: breathing tube out. Goal two: pass the speech therapist. Goal three: walk the hallway. He broke the return into the smallest possible pieces.

  • First completed the NE111 (actually 115 peaks across NH, VT, ME, and the Adirondacks) in thirteen weeks, driving four and a half hours to trailheads, sleeping in his Honda Civic, repeating

  • Mid-AT (2022), left trail to complete a 12-hour Tough Mudder in Pennsylvania. While other hikers went to hotels and recovered at Trail Days, he raced obstacle courses.

  • PCT (2023) was the hardest -- a high snow year, and he hiked southbound after flipping with no other thru-hikers around for days at a time; dealt with back and shoulder injuries from the body mechanics of hiking in deep snow with a log

  • Moment on the Marble Mountains, PCT: the log slid off his shoulder and rolled down the mountain. He left all his gear, climbed down, retrieved Larry, climbed back up.


Causes Supported

  • AT: Veterans organizations ($10,000 raised)

  • PCT: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital

  • CDT: Alzheimer's research (in honor of his grandmother)

  • Te Araroa: Make-A-Wish New Zealand

  • Colorado Trail: Cancer causes


Links

Instagram: @larry.the.log


Hiker Trash Radio: hikertrashradio.com


Dark Miles: hikertrashradio.com/dark-miles


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Comments & Upvotes

Listen On

Also In Season 12