Welcome to Season 12. Carl Roberson hiked the Appalachian Trail at 14. Not a section. Georgia to Maine. 1974. With a 37-pound Kelty external frame pack, per-state paper guidebooks, a compass, a knife he held every night listening to noises outside his tent, and a standing instruction from his father to call home from every trail town or get picked up. In Part 1, he and Doc cover the NOLS mountaineering and wilderness survival courses that were the prerequisite for his parents' permission, his time training under a 17-year-old Scott Fischer who later died on Everest, the two months he went without seeing another human being, the river crossing in Erwin Tennessee that nearly swept him away, the SERE ambush that got him the best military dinner of his life, and the Pennsylvania rappel that ended with a park ranger handing him a wall phone and telling him to call Delaware. Hiking Poll score: 22. The Big W can suck it up, buttercup.

Part 2 drops in 10 minutes.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Carl Roberson is a Delaware-based heavy equipment operator, Marine Corps veteran, author, and, in 1974, the youngest person to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 14. He was adopted at six months old, summited the Grand Teton at 12, attended NOLS and trained under Scott Fischer at 13, and completed Georgia to Maine at 14 with a 37-pound Kelty pack, per-state guidebooks, no GPS, and a father who threatened to come pick him up if he stepped out of line. He later completed the Colorado Trail at 23, section-hiked Yellowstone and the Rockies throughout his teens, served in the Marine Corps (29 Palms and Camp Pendleton, heavy artillery), operated excavators for 47 years, and has been volunteering at Litway Hostel in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania for the past four years. His memoir, The Adventure of a Lifetime, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. A movie trailer has been submitted to 500 production companies. A film may follow.

What's Covered in Part 1


Trailblazer's Toolkit — A Compass (and the Knowledge to Use It)

The Hiking Poll — Score: 22


The Stipulations


Scott Fischer — The Instructor


The 1974 Trail — What Was Different


Three Stories


Links & Resources



  • The Adventure of a Lifetime — Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Adventure+of+a+Lifetime+Carl+Roberson

  • The Adventure of a Lifetime — Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com

  • Facebook: CarlDigit1

  • Instagram: CarlRobertson89 / Backpacking Adventures / Aquarius Excavation

  • YouTube: CarlRobertsonYouTube3698

  • TikTok: CarlRobertson3

  • Litway Hostel — Mount Pocono, PA: https://www.lakenojohotel.com


Connect with Hiker Trash Radio



  • Email: mailto:hikertashradio@gmail.com

  • Social: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — search Hiker Trash Radio.


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