Former Vandergrift lawyer hiking Appalachian Trail for charity, in memory of his wife

Aspinwall resident Tim Geary is on one heck of a trek for charity.

Geary, formerly of Vandergrift, began a solo hike March 17 on the Appalachian Trail.

He’s hoping to raise more than $5,000 for research of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in honor of his late wife, Gillen, who died in April 2020.

“I promised my wife I would dedicate this hike to her,” said Geary, 77, during a phone interview Monday from the trail in North Carolina. “We talked about this before she died. She wanted me to have a plan.”

The couple shared 53 years of marriage, and Geary served as caregiver during her seven-year battle with melanoma.

Geary said his Catholic faith has been a guiding force during the hike. If he completes it, he will have logged 2,193 miles through 14 states, including Pennsylvania, concluding in Maine in October.

He said failure is not an option, quoting a “Star Wars” character that sums up his motto while on the trail.

“I’m challenging my inner Yoda. I’m a Star Wars fan. Yoda said, ‘There is no try,’ ” Geary said.

He only packed one pair of shoes and wears a 30-pound backpack.

“Before I’m done, I’ll go through four or five pairs,” he said, adding his family will mail replacement shoes when needed. “I don’t have any blisters. I use inserts.”

Geary said he’s learning the do’s and don’ts of hiking the Appalachian Trail.

“Food. I discovered I wasn’t eating enough, and I was exhausted. I had too many carbohydrate snacks, and I need to eat more protein,” Geary said. “And there’s too much food in my backpack, weighing it down. I’m eating a lot of the packets of tuna and chicken and peanuts.”

A self-described “old man,” Geary said he’s the eldest of any hiker he’s encountered so far, earning him the nickname “Papa Smurf” from his grandson, Ryan.

“I admit that at age 77 I have most of it (my life) behind me, and my legs aren’t quite up to speed,” Geary said.

Geary uses two trekking poles to assist his hike. He said the trail is more difficult than he anticipated.

“There’s a lot of hills — going up and down all of the time,” he said.

A former long distance runner, Geary said his main ailment has been sore ankles.

He hiked into Franklin, N.C., this week. He divides his nightly lodging choices between camping in a tent or bunking at a hostel.

“I’ve had trouble sleeping,” Geary said. “That’s been hard. But I just say a few prayers, and you get past it.”

Geary reads from a downloaded Catholic Bible app on his phone because he’s unable to attend church right now.

“I do have faith,” Geary said, “and I feel like my wife is with me every moment. ”

He’s a member of St. Scholastica Church in Aspinwall and a former member of St. Gertrude Parish in Vandergrift.

His son, Brendan, posts frequently on social media for fans of “Gillen’s Army.”

“I’m excited for him because he’s talked about this for 15 years, and he’s out there honoring my mom,” Brendan said.

Geary averages about 10 miles a day. He has logged 103 miles since departing from Springer Mountain, Ga.

He began conditioning training with daily walks in Aspinwall’s Riverfront Park and on the stairwells of his residence. He later added a weighted backpack to his walks to simulate hiking conditions.

He sports a GPS equipped with an emergency beacon.

“I don’t worry about him because the trail has a lot of people there,” Brendan said. “He’s befriended some strangers, and he said he’s learned more about hiking in the first two weeks on the trail than in all of his years hiking.”

Tim Geary grew up in Maine. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a law degree, and settled in Vandergrift.

He’s an Air Force Vietnam veteran who served as an active-duty and Reserve flight navigator for 23 years.

The couple raised three children. Tim was a Kiski Area School Board director for about 20 years. He volunteered with the Westmoreland County Bar Association and the Mock Trial programs at Kiski Area High School and St. Joseph High School.

His two sons said their dad is blazing a trail.

“He’s in great spirits,” said Tim Geary Jr. of Wisconsin.

Tim Jr. and his son, Ryan, 11, met Geary on the trail for a week in Georgia.

The trio endured turbulent weather, with drenching rains and tornado threats.

“He was having more fun when we left,” Tim Jr. said. “He was getting into it. A highlight for me was seeing him spend so much time with his grandson.”

Brendan said his father is in excellent health and began training for the arduous journey about a year ago.

“After Mom died, Dad said he was going to do this,” Brendan said. “It was always on his bucket list.”

Geary is hoping to raise more than $5,000 for the AIM at Melanoma Foundation.

To donate to Gillen’s Army click the link here.