AT Hiker Portraits

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL – FORT MONTGOMERY PROJECT

PORTRAITS OF THRU HIKERS ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

Every year starting in mid June, thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail start to appear in Fort Montgomery, NY.  They are often at the post office picking up mail drops of food and supplies that they prearranged before starting on their 2285 mile journey from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  For several years, I thought that shooting portraits of them would make a fascinating study.  Finally in June 2014 I started and kept going until the beginning of August.  Much to my surprise I was able to convince 166 of them to come back to my studio and have a portrait taken.  The diversity of the group astounded me. The youngest was 8 years old and part of a family of four. The oldest was 66 and a former Space Shuttle pilot.  By the time I met them, all had walked 1400 miles.  It was truly a joy to meet such an amazing group of individuals and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them publicly for their generosity and trust.  These are a few of the images from the project with the hiker’s trail name below. I hope they excite you.

Enjoy, Stan

 

To read the press release Stan Goldblatt Photo Press Release  Highland Falls Library Presents The Appalachian Trail – Fort Montgomery Project: Portraits of Thru Hikers on the Appalachian Trail