Carolyn King: 2025 Full Scholarship Recipient

Ontario, Canada

Carolyn (she/her) is a harm reduction worker, advocate, and activist from Ontario, Canada. She has been in recovery for 9 years and has dedicated most of those years to being of service to others who are struggling with their own substance use challenges or who are looking to explore recovery for themselves. Her own addiction story includes years of homelessness, social isolation, trauma, substance use-related health complications, and multiple overdoses/drug poisonings. She also mourns the loss of too many beloved friends to overdose and other drug-related deaths, who passed before getting to experience the freedom of recovery…

Kat Bell 2025 Partial Scholarship Recipient

Toccoa, GA

Kat Bell, a survivor of severe child abuse and multiple adult domestic violence situations, has overcome immense challenges to create a beautiful life for herself. As a 51-year-old paralegal who has lost almost 100lbs and regained her health through hiking and DDP Yoga, Kat’s passion for the Appalachian Trail has been a driving force in her life for the past five years. Prior to age 47, she hadn’t hiked a day in her life, but since 2021, she has been an avid hiker and Trail Angel. Having section hiked the first 167 miles of the trail one weekend at a time, …

Preston Jones – 2024 Full Scholarship
Christiansburg, VA

Preston, an aspiring adventurer, seeks healing and self-discovery through thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Driven by a desire to overcome past traumas, he views nature as a therapeutic sanctuary. With each step on the trail, Preston aims to forge a deep connection with the outdoors while networking with like-minded individuals. His ultimate goal is to leverage these experiences to establish a career in conservation or the outdoor adventure industry, combining his passion for nature with a commitment to preserving it for future generations.

Mary Wilson – 2023 Full Scholarship

One More Day on the AT is proud to announce the 2023 thru-hike scholarship recipient, Mary Wilson, from Arlington, VA. She, along with her guide dog Thor, hopes to become the first blind woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. 

Adam Dube – 2022 – Full Scholarship

Adam has been in recovery for the past year. He struggled with substance use disorder for 12 years and overcame many adversities such as homelessness, the death of friends, and his family shunning him. While in treatment a year ago, he decided that he wanted to backpack across America. When he got out of treatment he began dating a hiking enthusiast and he fell for her and the hiking lifestyle.

Justin Tucker – 2022 – Partial Scholarship

My name is Justin Tucker and my pronouns are he/him/his.  I’m 29 years old and was born and raised in Baltimore, MD.  Though I was a very athletic kid who played multiple sports, I was never encouraged to do more exploring outdoors, and therefore was a complete stranger to activities such as hiking and camping while growing up.  

I’m a 25-year-old woman who left the Amish community, the only life I’ve ever known, after surviving years of abuse from the church. Hiking and being out in nature have always given me fresh perspective. I hope to come back from this hike with clarity on what my next step will be in this new life. I hope to make friends and interact with people from other places and cultures like I was unable to do in the community. 

Carly is a working photographer and a teacher. She teaches vocational art and photography, as well as life skills, at a music infused school for young adults with disabilities. She carries with her the scars of having loved and lost an addict, her significant other and life partner of 10+ years and is seeking healing through hiking.