PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 10, 2020
Rob Landry of Portland planned for three months to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. He contracted out work at the small business he runs, and flew to Georgia to begin the hike on March 7, his 53rd birthday. Then the coronavirus outbreak swept through the country. A few weeks later, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy asked thru-hikers to get off the AT to stop the spread of the virus. Landry mulled his choices and decided “my best option was to stay on the trail.” He used sanitizer, washed his hands frequently, and wore a neck warmer as a mask when he went grocery shopping off the trail. Now halfway through the 2,200-mile trek, Landry said the Class of 2020 AT hikers, however many there are, will have a very different thru-hike story to tell.