Welcome to the Kallin family Appalachian Trail hike.  Dave, Emily, Nathan, Madeline and the dog Orion are all heading to Georgia in early April to start a 2,185 mile hike back home to Maine.  This has been a dream of ours for a long time and we are very excited that it became a reality this year.  Hiking together on the AT has defined our family since it began and we can’t wait to see what the next 6 months of continuous trail time brings.

We hope that you enjoy following along here.  We can’t promise frequent updates.  Indeed, we are likely to go days without even touching an electronic device.  Nor can we promise lengthy prose from the trail. We are not carrying a device that will make it easy to write at length.  But we will try to ensure periodic updates with some pictures, for a narrow window into what life is like for us on the trail over the coming months.

David Kallin

David Kallin is an attorney at Drummond Woodsum whose practice includes land conservation, land use, natural resource law, school and municipal law, administrative law and general litigation. He specializes in complex problems which require effective advocacy before municipalities, administrative agencies and state and federal courts. He is a husband, a father, an outdoor enthusiast, and an ultimate frisbee player.

Emily Kallin

Hi, I am Emily Kallin. I live in Dresden, ME with my 2 children, Nathan and Madeline, and my husband Dave. I work at home subsistence farming, growing most of what my family eats. I grew up hiking with my family and after an AT through-hike with Dave in 2002 have tried to spend as much time backpacking as is possible. Since having children 9 years ago we have made outdoor adventures a priority, always with the hope that we could do a long distance trip as a family. My favorite time with my family is on the trail. We are all together, focused on the same task, away from the demands of our home routines and appreciating the great outdoors.

Nathan Kallin

I am a 9 year old that loves hiking, fishing, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, baseball, snowboarding, snow fort building, tree climbing and just about any other active outdoor activity you can come up with. One of my favorite places to hike is Mahoosic Notch. You can make snowballs there in mid July.

Madeline Kallin

I am 7 years old, my name is Madeline but most people call me Maddy. I like to play soccer, I love gymnastics and my favorite things of all are hiking, skiing and other outdoor things. I am really excited about hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I have mostly experienceoud week long hikes so this is going to be a new experience for me. I can’t wait!

Orion

Orion likes barking, running, pulling the kids on skis and sleds, training for triathlons with Emily, chasing squirrels, eating snow, and snoozing in front of the fire.