Meet a Pennsylvania Hiker: Cyril

Meet Cyril, a fellow PA hiker and KTA Representative at Large!

Q: When did you start hiking?
A: "I hiked as a boy scout (I was an Eagle) but didn't hike much as an adult. I eventually weighed 540 pounds and hiking was not that feasible. About 10 years ago a former student took me to Ricketts Glenn. I loved it, and I went back there 4 or 5 times a year (it was almost a 2-hour drive for me). I didn't know of any other hiking trails, and wished there were trails near me. During Covid, I found out about Trexler Game Preserve and hiked every mile of that park several times. Again loving it, but wishing there were more trails to hike. I finally saw and purchased a book of 50 hikes in the Philadelphia Area (from South Jersey to the Lancaster Area) and started doing them. I recently finished my 48th hike from that book!"

Q: What are you currently excited about in your hiking life?
A: "I have been doing some trail maintenance, and hope to become more qualified to do certain things in that region. I am also trying to hike every mile of every trail on the KTA map (as well as the entire AT)."

Q: What makes hiking in Pennsylvania special/meaningful to you?
A: "Well first and foremost it is where I fell in love with hiking, and it has the AT. It is a strange thing, but when I drive down I 78 or I 81 and I look at the ridge, I have this feeling of wow, that's my true home.
Also, meeting hikers, both those chance meetings you have on the trail, or while doing trail magic, and the relationships you develop with a hiker partner. I just started doing the Mason Dixon with Wanda Shirk, and we spent our first three days laughing, talking, arguing (friendly), and just enjoying each other. We got into personal stuff that usually you wouldn't talk about with someone you had just recently met. Hikers are great."

​Last year Cyril received multiple KTA hiking awards! Find out which awards you can earn here: kta-hike.org/hiking-awards.html

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