PHILLIPSTON — In 2006, Craig Twohey and his son Ryan, an Eagle Scout, hiked at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, an experience that inspired them to talk about hiking the Appalachian Trail together after Craig and his wife, Jean, sold the King Phillip Restaurant.

Craig put the restaurant up for sale in 2018 after 36 years of operation, and it was time to make out a bucket list with the Appalachian Trail hike at the top. He and Ryan would have 2,198 miles together – hiking, talking, eating, sleeping, living close to nature, meeting people from all around the world. There could be no better father-son bonding time. Then tragically, the plan was shattered when Ryan was killed in an automobile accident in 2019.

There is no loss harder to bear than the loss of a child. Ryan was their only child. How does one begin to heal?

Six months later an important answer came to Craig – the Appalachian Trail. He and his friend Jeff LaFrenier spent the next two years preparing for the challenging undertaking. They took five-day hikes on the 54-mile Monadnock to Sunapee Greenway Trail as well as a five-day course in Tennessee from a man who hiked the Appalachian Trail 18 times.

“The instructor stressed keeping the backpack as light as possible,” said Craig. “We purchased ultralight tents, backpacks, and sleeping bags ... and the right shoes. The most important equipment you have are your feet so you must have the right shoes.”

With their backpacks down to about 30 pounds and many hiking miles of preparation, they were ready. They would begin on the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia on March 16, 2022, Ryan’s birthday – the day he would have been 31. Craig was 67. Before they began the trek, Craig spread some of his son’s ashes there. Ryan would be with his dad right from the start. This was a father-son expedition.

Craig and Jeff hiked together for 30 days. Craig began to feel weak and tired and had to fly home. It turned out that he had a vitamin deficiency that was quickly resolved with supplements, and after 13 days he returned to continue the trail. He hiked alone for 16 days, then decided to return home.

“I’d gone 555 miles and wanted to be with my wife,” he said. “I’d been with her for 40-plus years.”

It was May 2022 and he had accomplished one-fourth of the trail.

“I was thinking about quitting,” said Craig. “Someone told me the trail talks to you and by the time I got off the plane in Massachusetts, the trail did talk to me. It called me back and I decided to finish.”

Craig returned to the trail 13 days later.

All the hikers take a trail name. Craig took his son’s initials “RP” for Ryan Patrick. “Calculator” was added to Craig’s name because he was accurate in predicting when they’d arrive at their destinations. Jeff was called “Mule,” because mules carry heavy loads. Another friend was “Bear Hang” because of having to hang food from trees so bears couldn’t get it. “Trash” took that name because he worked in waste management in Illinois, and “Cowboy” came from Arkansas. Other fellow hikers were “Husky,” “Pushup” and “Asset.” Craig hiked with some for a day, some longer.

He said, “I met a lot of great people.”

Craig and Trash made a close connection and hiked 610 miles together in five and a half weeks, usually covering about 22-23 miles a day. They took a pleasant break from hiking on Easter weekend when Jean and Trash’s wife met their husbands in Virginia for a visit.

Craig told an interesting story about Trash’s hat that shows how hikers help one another. Trash lost his hat and a hiker posted about the loss on social media. A hiker who saw the message found the hat, carried it and passed it forward. The hat went from hiker to hiker, and after 300-400 miles of passing, it was returned to Trash. In the meantime, his wife had sent him a new hat, so Trash mailed the adventurous one home with its memorable story.

This year, Craig, now 68, has hiked 740 miles from March to May and came home to help Jean, who was organizing Ryan’s 5K run/walk, a scholarship fundraiser that will take place in Phillipston on June 10. Both Craig and Jean will participate in the event.

Three $500 scholarships will be given to Narragansett students this year, and the awards will go to people who share Ryan’s loves: history, music and cross-country. History was a subject he had a passion for since he was very young. He had a phenomenal memory for dates and events. His mother always told him he’d make a great history professor. Like his grandfather, playing an instrument was an ability that came to Ryan naturally. Cross country was the sport he enjoyed, where his compassion showed for those who struggled; he would often go back after he finished the race to run with those had not to give them encouragement.

Craig will resume his hike on June 11, the day after Ryan’s 5K race, with 300 miles left to go. He will meet up with Trash and Cowboy in Gorham, N.H., and hike together through Maine – the toughest segment of the trail – and end at the summit of Mount Katahdin.

Craig said to Trash, “You want to help me get ashes to the top of Katahdin?”

Trash answered, “Yep, that’s what I want to do.”

Craig said, “The hike has been tough. No shower for five to seven days. You hurt all the time. It’s the hardest thing I ever tried to do. I thought of Ryan every day. Sometimes I got emotional. There were others who had losses, and we shared stories. There’s a bond between hikers. It’s been therapeutic. I need to complete it.”

Follow Craig on Trailjournals.com. Bring up Appalachian Trail 2023 and enter RP Calculator.

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