FL Dad Has Hiked 3,500 Miles Since COVID-19 Pandemic Began

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Ryan Beck always dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail and in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he did just that.

Since then, he’s completed multiple thru-hikes across the United States, including Mount Whitney, the Grand Canyon, the Florida Everglades and the Colorado Trail, which he wrapped up last month.

At the time the 38-year-old fitness trainer and St. Petersburg father started planning his Appalachian Trail hike in 2019, he was working with Rock Steady Boxing. He hoped his trek could bring awareness to Parkinson’s disease in honor of his grandfather, who has since died from the brain disorder.

“I just wanted to get some attention for Parkinson’s, instead of just a normal hike for mental health,” Beck told Patch. “I thought if I could get people out into nature, I thought it would be so much better than raising money.”

He made plans with more than 100 people, family and friends, as well as strangers, at 15 stops along the way.

His grandparents were the first to cancel on him at his Feb. 29, 2020, stop in Georgia. COVID-19 had made its way to the United States and much of the country was starting to shut down.

“Then the dominoes started falling and quarantine started happening and plans went out the window,” he said. “When I left, the Wuhan, [China,] shutdown happened, but nobody really knew anything about it here. It was like, ‘That’s cool, but it’s over there.’”

Beck left from the start of the trail in Georgia and about 10 days in, as he entered North Carolina, he heard that the federal government was shutting down parks, including those along the Appalachian Trail.

“It seemed crazy,” he said. “But I figured I could stay in the woods for 10 days at a time on my own, it was like a quarantine. With that mentality I just kept going and state parks would either close or open just days before I would get there. So, mostly, the rules didn’t affect me.”

The only park that was “technically closed” as he hiked through it was Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, a stretch of about 80 miles, he said. “I was stopped by a ranger in that park, who was more concerned with why I hadn’t filled out a permit.”

Hiking the trail during the coronavirus pandemic was a surreal experience, one he hadn't expected.

“Normally, it’s a heavily populated trail that thousands of people start and stop every year,” Beck said. “It wasn’t what I expected; it was more of a little frat party, lots of younger kids who were like, ‘Hey, I’m trying to figure life out,’ and I was more of a grown-up trying to prove something.”

He did connect with some people along the way, hiking the trail with his newfound friends at various points.

“We pretty much had the woods to ourselves,” he said.

When Beck returned to Florida, he decided to write a book about his experience, “Outbreak In The Woods: Thru-Hiking During a Worldwide Pandemic.”

“I felt like my story was one that should be told,” he said.

The thru-hiking bug also stuck with him since his return to St. Pete. Every year since he hiked the Appalachian Trail, he’s tackled another adventure and has more planned.

He met a trail friend in Arizona to hike the Grand Canyon. The next year, Beck targeted Mount Whitney in California. Going straight up, the mountain is about 14,000 feet, he said. “It’s the highest in the U.S., so I thought, ‘Let’s go try that one out.’”

In December, he hiked the Florida Everglades.

“It’s right here, but at first I didn’t want to do it,” he said. “But how could I live in Florida for over 20-plus years of my life and not check that out?”

Beck plans to visit the Everglades again in December.

Then, this summer, he hiked 483 miles along the Colorado Trail, connecting Denver and Durango through the Rockies. He left July 14 for the journey and completed it Aug. 16.

He estimates he’s hiked about 3,500 miles since 2020. And since hiking the Appalachian Trail, he, as well as his family, has experienced, “an intense transformation.”

“Now, it’s a way of life,” he said. “I didn’t get anything that I originally expected out of it. What I didn’t expect was the bond that it built with my family — my kids and my wife. I leave for a month or more at a time, and my kids think I’m a superhero. They didn’t think I was hiking these mountains; they thought I was flying through these mountains.”

His daughters, 10 and 11, respectively, are active themselves, each of them close to earning their black belts in karate, and can’t wait to join their father on a hiking adventure when they’re a bit older.

He plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada with them.

“They’re a little young, that’s why we’re waiting a couple of years,” Beck said. “But what better growth and representation of who they are as they become adults than a hike like this? Mexico to Canada. It’s such a gift to give them.”