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Parrish McWhorter

@theparrishm

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Potentially lovely. Perpetually human.
Quip AT 2026

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Appalachian Trail - The Leftovers
140 miles of trail plus lots of random adventures

I could not have asked for a better month post-Katahdin. I am so grateful that I skipped some sections because it meant continued time with trail friends, getting to hike in peak fall foliage, time to process this adventure, and a more gradual transition off trail. I will miss my life on the AT so much, but am so proud of myself for finishing, and overwhelmed with gratitude for all the memories, experiences, and friendships that I am bringing back with me.

Cheers to chasing dreams and doing hard things 🥂 Loon will be back on the trails soon.

After some time in Acadia and temporary goodbyes to Quip and Singe, my mom and I spent a few days driving through New England and I got to show her some of the most special places on the AT at the best time of year.

Even four days away from Quip and Singe felt weird and we had a joyful reunion in Vermont, this time as day hikers with their cute matching cars.

We skipped one day of hiking in southern Vermont and promised to come back and all hike it together post-Katahdin, and we DID! A beautiful and perfect fall day and the best section of trail.

Tagalong joined us 🥹 We finally got to do another coldplunge together (throwback to Fontana dam)

Quip and I drove back up to Maine and I supported her on about 80 miles that she needed to hike. The foliage really exploded in the week we had been gone from Maine.

I got to drive Quip’s cute orange car through beautiful back roads and gawk at the foliage for four days

We found the best camp spots each night. Trail was quiet and peaceful and the weather was perfect. Truly a dream.

Grateful for a few extra nights falling asleep to loon calls and time to myself to soak it all in.

Supported Quip as she hiked 30 miles in a day! She flew through these miles. So proud!!

Our last full day in Maine I got to go white water rafting, which was something I regretted never doing on trail. Somehow the only day I could make it work was one of the few high water days each year on the Kennebec river, and it was like a holiday. Everyone was out enjoying the class 4 rapids. I’m hooked!

We drove

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Late summer/early fall in the Adirondacks, Valcour Island, and the Finger Lakes (tour de upstate New York if you will)

23/ADK46 (until next year)

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AT on disposable cams !

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a whole post of the incredible natural beauty we saw at Acadia National Park (last pic a little less of a ‘natural’ beauty but a miracle nonetheless) ☀️

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March 21 - September 15
Hiker #1234
179 days.
2,100+ miles hiked.
5 toenails lost.
Countless memories made.

I don’t even have the words yet to describe what this experience has been like. It was everything I expected it to be and nothing like I expected it to be. I fell. A lot. I laughed. I cried. I laughed some more.

My faith in humanity has been restored time and time again. The kindness of complete strangers baffled me at times. I met some of the most wonderful people and made the most incredible friends. I’m not sure I would have wanted to keep going some days if it weren’t for the people who were by my side throughout this journey. I can’t fully express how much these people mean to me.
Golden Bingus forever!!

The day before starting this hike, I almost decided not to go. It felt too big, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the task. Unfortunately, I had already told just about everyone I knew that I was doing this, and the thought of telling everyone I’d changed my mind was somehow scarier than just going for it.

Thank god I took the leap. And I did the damn thing!!
I’m going to be reeling from this one for a while. Hilary Duff said it best: “This is what dreams are made of.”

My life has been forever changed by this experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful for every mile, every hard day, every silly side quest, every sunrise and sunset, every trail angel, every blister, every laugh, every tear, and every person who made this journey what it was.

Till the next trail, Smurfette out 🫡

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Miles 2083 - 2198 (Monson, ME - Mt Katahdin, ME):

Well, it's all done now, I did it. I walked from Georgia to Maine, and I submitted Katahdin. I'm trying to summon the WHOO YEAH LET'S GO SO EXCITED energy that I feel like I should have, and don't get me wrong I am excited and proud of accomplishing this goal, but similar to the PCT this feels more like an ending of a way of life than it does finishing a task. When I do a trail like this, at some point I forget that there is an endpoint and it just becomes the life I am living. As much as I disliked this trail (and you can ask anyone I was around just how much that was), I am going to miss this life greatly. The simplicity of it, the lack of cares and possessions, and the other people you meet doing the exact same thing is not something easily found outside of an experience like this. But enough of being sad, let's celebrate!

A lot of people have all of their stats that they've collected throughout the trail, like total days, lakes swam in, times cried. I have not kept track of any of that, I suppose I could do the math on some of that but I'm lazy and don't want to. The only stat I have is I had 10 biscuits and gravy on trail, and let me tell you was I let down! I thought for sure the south would have some banging biscuits and gravy, but alas, the best I had on the whole trail was a guy on the side of the trail who made it for me in a cast iron over a fire (which was honestly pretty sick). Other than that, the stats don't matter to me as much. I would love to know the ratio between times laughed, cried, and swore. I think that would be a really funny way to represent the trail, and I think it would be shockingly in favor of the latter.

My caption appears to be too long, so swipe over to the next photo if you want to continue reading!

The last section of the trail, through the hundred mile wilderness and up Katahdin, was one of the most beautiful sections on the whole trail. I was a bit surprised after all the fear mongoling about how there are no roads in the hundred mile wilderness and you better not get hurt yatta yatta, that there were in fact many roads and people and even an AMC cabin where we stayed a

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WEEK 19 & 20 — MAINE
Maine felt like a perpetual dream state.
After so long dreaming about getting here, suddenly being this close to finishing was surreal. I wanted to soak up every second while also desperately wanting time to slow down. For most of Maine, I felt like I was floating somewhere just outside of myself, watching this long-held dream finally unfold.
I held my friends a little closer, knowing this chapter was coming to an end. I swam in lots of lakes, caught my first glimpses of Katahdin, cried... a lot, got to see pitcher plants in bloom, had a magical zero day in the 100 Mile Wilderness, spent a lot of time identifying trees, decided I was going to be a vlogger for a day and quickly realized I wasn’t cut out for that kind of life, tripped over more roots than I could possibly count, reunited with the rest of our group after a long time apart and hit our last milestones before Mama K.
There was a lot of laughter, a lot of tears, a lot of walking, and a whole lot of trying to make the days last just a little longer.
Maine was everything I hoped it would be and somehow even more magical than I imagined.

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last week, Parrish/Quip completed her thru-hike of over 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine - just something to keep in mind next time Parrish tells you something is “walking distance” 🚶🏽‍♀️

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Appalachian Trail - the finale 🥹

Monson - Baxter peak, Katahdin.

The last 120 miles of this trail were an absolute dream. We took our time, soaked in every moment, slept on every beach we could, laughed constantly, cried a lot, slept under the stars, watched Katahdin get closer and closer, and then made it to the Northern Terminus on the most glorious day ever. I am still processing my last week on trail, and I wish I could relive it over and over. For now, I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience, these people, and the memories I will cherish forever.

Here’s a little glimpse into this magical final week…

The first couple days in the 100 Mile Wilderness were not the easy terrain we’d been promised, and we were struggling. Leave it to this group to stumble upon a lodge in the “wilderness,” where we spontaneously stayed and enjoyed 3 meals, a sauna, and a lakefront cabin with a wood burning stove.

A day hike from our cabin to Gulf Hagas and a cold plunge in the most perfect swimming hole!!

Followed by a magical afternoon on the lake watching bald eagles and listening to loons

Water levels are low this year, but we still had a few ankle-deep crossings to navigate!

Climbed Whitecap and got a good cry in looking at Katahdin close up for the first time

Spent an afternoon on the “riviera” before cowboy camping under the stars, waking up to loons, and swimming and lounging on the beach for hours

A half day of hiking to camp on another beach!

Third night camping on a beach. It was rainy and buggy and Katahdin was hiding, but it was our last night in the wilderness and we were determined to enjoy it. We sang karaoke, made a mega-tent, painted our nails, and had a blast.

Last day! We woke up early and hiked under the stars to make it to Katahdin stream by 7. We had a group of 13 and starting our hike all together was so surreal and special.

Above tree line and in the boulder field and it was a BLAST. This mountain is epic.

And what a spectacular day to be up here 💙

Such a happy day :)

These legs carried me all the way from Georgia!! And this pack held my whole life in it and came with me the whole way!! 🥹

These two are the g

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The miles can wear down your legs, but sometimes it’s your mind that takes the biggest hit.

Our 2026 Trail Correspondents open up about the mental side of life on the AT, PCT, and CDT, from stretches of doubt and thoughts of quitting to the people, routines, and small victories that keep them moving forward.

Listen to episode 12 wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio 🎙️

#trailcorrespondents #thetrek

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🦞🌲🥾 weekend in Maine bc P-meister completed her thru hike!!! I have a million pictures, but this post is for the videos that capture a bunch of the little moments, sounds, “wow”s, laughter, and conversation that I never wanna forget.

there she is 🥹
reunited on summit day! Beer was drink’d! Battleship was played! Flies were swatted!

*sound on*

my dad and I SAW TWO MOOSE! 🫎 whipped the car around to admire these two and crash their date! many Brian Regan jokes were made ofc!

📍Acadia National Park

table manners brought to you in part by Perfectly Polished iykyk (I’m an etiquette school drop out, now yk)

clean clear water to ruin you for all other water

traveling & hike with a dad who doesn’t deny his inner child >>

🧡🍦🚂 just Parrish things.

Mary Moosen

Dave?? Hello??

thru hikers are such show offs 💪🏼

my idea of tackling the purple route

weigh in - did the moose show themselves because of my dad’s freaky accurate moose calls y/n?

little layover in my favorite place 🍎

easiest purchase of my life

reminding myself to open a Bway themed confection shop one day called Hotcha / Whoopie (pies)

conclusion - Maine is awesome 🌈

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A magical solo summer for me🦋 this summer was full of giggles, adventures, good outfits, and whimsy

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