Veolia retiree conquers the Appalachian Trail

Former Veolia waste management professional Dan Goade is all about the long haul. That was his approach to his 18-year stint at Oak Ridge’s TRU Waste Processing Center. It is equally true for the other life interests he has maintained, essentially since childhood.

One of them has been outdoor adventure. Bicycling, backpacking, kayaking - at one point Dan dipped his rear bicycle tire in the Pacific Ocean, and he didn’t stop peddling until he reached the Atlantic.

His other focus has been his high school sweetheart, Sally, who shares his love of the outdoors. It has been a backdrop for their marriage which spans nearly half a century.

So, no one who knows Dan was surprised by his decision, as a post-retirement hurrah at age 67, to embark on a 2,190-mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail – the world’s longest hiking trail, crossing through 14 eastern states – despite the fact that he had undergone double knee replacement surgery.

Undaunted, Dan set out in April 2024 from Springer Mountain, Georgia, with metal knees and his trusty canine companion, Rocky. Along the way, he became immersed in the thru-hiker culture and earned the trail moniker Titanium - a nod to his new medical hardware. Sally and the couple’s other dogs formed the rest of Team Titanium, ferrying supplies to distant trailheads and joining Dan on stretches of the trail.

The beautiful views, the ugly injuries, the weather delays and the kind, generous people he met along the way – it’s all recorded in his blog, danrockyadventure2024.blogspot.com.

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, about 3 million people hike a portion of the trail each year, but only 20,000 people have reported completing it, including both thru-hikers like Dan and those who complete the trail in sections over multiple years. Roughly only one in four thru-hikers successfully finish the entire trail in a single attempt – averaging 5-7 months to complete.

In October, after 192 days (slightly more than six months) Dan reached the trail’s northern terminus, Mount Katahdin in Maine, following which he wrote: “There's nothing like adventure to let you know you're actually living your life.”

“And yes, there will be more adventures to come,” Dan said. “For me, retirement doesn't mean sitting on my laurels and watching life go by.”?