Bradford Woods Conservancy sponsors talk by retired geologist who hiked the Appalachian Trail

A retired geologist and author is slated to share stories of his experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail as part of an ongoing speaker series hosted by the Bradford Woods Conservancy.

Craig Eckert, a retired geologist and author, will present a talk, “Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes” at Bradford Woods Community Church on Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk is based off his five-and-a-half month hike on the Appalachian Trail. He began at Springer Mountain, Ga., on June 6, 2020. By September, he arrived at Swatara Gap in Lebanon County, his halfway point. He then traveled to Maine and hiked back to Pennsylvania, ending his journey in November 2020.

“Following this solo trek, I wrote a book about my adventures and encounters along the way, written as a series of daily logs originally transcribed from my daily journals, then embellished with additional details resulting from further recollection and research,” Eckert said in a description of his “Rocks, Roots and Rattlesnakes” talk.

Because of his background as a geologist, Eckert said, he included “a fair amount of content” about the rocks he encountered and their geologic history. Those explanations, he said, are woven into stories about his daily experiences during the hike.

“As I walked every day on nearly every imaginable kind of rock over the almost 2,200 miles, the surrounding geology was always on my mind,” Eckert said. “It is woven into the fabric of the text.”

Eckert worked in the geology industry for 38 years, including an 18-year stint for EQT Production Co. in Pittsburgh.

His book, also titled “Rocks, Roots and Rattlensakes”, includes color photos, figures and charts, and is for sale.