An emotional journey on the Appalachian Trail

• Ryan Benz is expecting to wrap up his 2,189.8-mile hike in September.
• The hike for cystic fibrosis awareness is designed to launch Benz's nonprofit.
• Benz is averaging around 17 miles of hiking per day, including rest days.

WEST MILFORD — He rarely showers, often sleeps in a tent and has not seen a paycheck in about three months. Yet Ryan Benz can't stop smiling.

Roughly 11 weeks ago, the bearded Benz earned a nickname he has coveted since he was a kid hiking in the hills near his parents' home in Vernon. The name, Scrambler, was earned scaling a rocky slope in Georgia just four days into his 2,190-mile through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

“It was one of the things I was looking forward to the most,” he said Wednesday from his parents' couch, a few miles from the trail. “Another one was reaching New Jersey, because I kept telling myself that I’m hiking home to New Jersey, the place I’ve spent my entire life.”

With that goal accomplished, Benz started toward his final destination Thursday. His path runs out of Vernon into the northwest corner of West Milford and beyond along the trail’s final 828 miles.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, known as the Appalachian Trail, or A.T., is a marked hiking trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.

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“Now it feels real,” the 32-year-old said, poking his swollen feet Wednesday. “I’m starting to think a lot about that final climb up Mount Katahdin. In the beginning, to think about Katahdin is silly. It’s so far away.”

During the 1,362 miles he has hiked thus far, Benz said his commitment was tested by a 24-hour illness. He discovered the value of a smile and saw how the simplest gestures of kindness can make or break a day. The beauty of nature has also left its impression, he said. He has come across wild ponies, navigated around 10 bears and seen some of the most pristine environments on the East Coast.

The most memorable moments, he said, were watching the sun set and rise on a grassy mount known as Max Patch in North Carolina.

“I hiked 24 miles that day to get there, and the hike had a miserable elevation profile,” he said. “It was worth it … It was just incredible.”

Benz is motivated to hike by a lifelong dream to complete the Appalachian Trail.

Other factors ensure he will not quit. They include Kayleigh Faraday, a 3-year-old suffering from the genetic lung disorder cystic fibrosis. Kayleigh sends video messages to Benz every week, said her father, Pat Faraday. Those admittedly coached messages have proved to be Benz’s biggest inspiration and a regular reminder of why he ended a 10-year career in pharmaceutical advertising this April.

“Most of life’s problems can be short-lived as long as you make it short-lived,” Benz said. “Rain on the trail sucks. No matter where you go, you just get wet. You just have to think to yourself: Tomorrow I'll probably dry off.”

With cystic fibrosis, however, it is impossible to get dry. About 30,000 Americans have the illness, which leads to mucus buildup in the lungs. That buildup heightens the risk of infection and can result in premature death. People with cystic fibrosis are told not to share confined spaces with one another due to the potential for disease transmission.

Benz and his brother Jason Benz, a 34-year-old teacher at West Milford’s Marshall Hill Elementary School, are nonetheless set on bringing people with cystic fibrosis together in nonvirtual experiences. This hike was designed as a way to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and a budding charity, Adventure Heroes, which the brothers want to take on full time.

During the last 11 weeks, Benz has met up with those suffering from cystic fibrosis at restaurants and on the trail to share and take notes. The Benz brothers plan to follow this hike, dubbed Breathtaking Journey, with two- to three-day guided backpacking trips for those with cystic fibrosis. They are currently pursuing grants and sponsorship opportunities.

Benz said he is wary of getting ahead of himself, however. Even on the trail, he said, he never looks too far ahead.

“I’m in the moment constantly, and it’s pretty awesome,” he said.

A museum at the trail’s halfway point in Pennsylvania displays the original trail sign announcing Mount Katahdin. Like a hockey captain winning a conference championship, Benz said he reached out but refused to touch it. It is not the trophy he wants. He should get to that one in early to mid-September.

Benz prepared and studied for the hike. Still, he said, the difficulty of the journey and living with nothing more than the 35-pound pack on his back has struck him. Walking solo, he said, he can become emotional.

“That first week in the mountains in Georgia, I thought, how in the world am I going to do this?” he said.

Much of the way, however, Benz has found like-minded people dedicated to finishing as temporary hiking partners. There is another, significantly larger crowd that hits the trail thinking it is a party, he said. They fall off early. Half leave the trail by mile 400, Benz said.

Over the weeks, names like Keep Up, BAMF and Skittles have become Benz's steady companions. BAMF, an acronym that defies elaboration, walked through the arch that marks the trail's southern end alongside Benz on May 2.

Benz and BAMF, better known as Tommy Boucher of Montreal, have not always hiked side by side. But they hike with a similar attitude, said Benz, and arrived together in Vernon on Tuesday. 

When asked why he is hiking the trail, Boucher said, “Why not?” When asked what he would bring along if it did not weigh down his pack, Benz said a bathtub.

Follow Ryan Benz’s Breathtaking Journey online on Facebook and Instagram at @breathtakingjourney or on Twitter at @breathtaking4cf.

Follow Adventure Heroes online on Facebook and Instagram at @adventureheroes or on Twitter at @adventure_hero.

On the web

Watch a video with more of the sights from Benz's hike and learn more about Adventure Heroes. Visit njersy.co/2vFMXb6.