Epic journey brings hiker known as Redbeard to Confederation Trail

Stephen McGill first got the nickname Redbeard in 1987, while hiking along the Appalachian Trail, which spans 14 American states. 

While the beard may not be quite as red now — more than 30 years later — McGill is once again happily roaming one of North America's trails. 

And if Islanders are lucky enough they might spot Redbeard walking the Confederation Trail over the next few days as a part of a nearly 9,000-kilometre hiking trip, which he's set aside an entire year of his life to complete. 

The epic trail runs from Key West, Fla., to Belle Isle, N.L., but McGill said he will end the trip in Virginia.

Hitting the trail

"Every day is a little bit different," he said. 

"But I usually get up around 6:30 a.m., take a couple of hours for coffee and breakfast ... and then pack up and hit the trail." 

About once every four days, McGill said, he stops at a motel to clean up, take a hot shower, and maybe get in some light grocery shopping. 

I suppose it can get monotonous but I am not one to get bored.— Stephen McGill

"I do look forward to those breaks but then when I am in town, by the day's end, I'm ready to get back into the woods again," he said. 

Some trails can be more social than others, like the Appalachian Trail, where hikers meet as strangers but end up becoming hiking partners exploring the trails together, he said.

Life on the Eastern Continental Trail

Other trails, like his current journey along the Eastern Continental Trail, offer more solitude. But McGill isn't bothered by that. 

"I suppose it can get monotonous but I am not one to get bored," he said. 

While McGill said he does get distracted by the odd ice cream parlour or coffee shop, the trail often allows his mind to wander freely. 

"I don't focus on anything I just kind of let my mind drift away and think about what it wants to think about." 

Keeping in touch with family

He said his mind does drift back and forth to his husband and dog in Pennsylvania, where he lives. 

"We speak and text as I can. I don't always have a signal," McGill said. 

We all have a lot of inner strength that we don't realize [and] a mile is longer than you think.— Stephen McGill

"Emotionally, it was a tough thing to bring up to a partner, to say, 'Hey, would you mind if I slipped away for a year?'" 

Slowly, the pair have grown to become used to the time apart, he said, and have even embraced it. 

Bragging rights

Aside from bragging rights, McGill said, he's learned some valuable things while on his journey. 

"We all have a lot of inner strength that we don't realize [and] a mile is longer than you think," he said. 

Some hikers who have completed the journey have done it within a season but McGill put aside a year to help savour the experience, including the people he's had the opportunity to meet. 

"I have met the most beautiful people while on this trail. Everybody has been kind to me, treated me with respect," he said. 

Redbeard intends to finish what he thinks might be his final hiking trip, in Virginia, by Christmastime. 

"I'll always keep the name but hiking, yeah, that'll do it." 

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