One month in: Iowa veteran logs nearly 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail
WHO 13 NEWS – Iowa veteran Joedy VanVelzen has been hiking the Appalachian Trail for one month.
He is making his way to Virginia with the veteran group he's a part of called Warrior Expeditions.
The veterans met in Georgia back on March 17. They've accomplished a lot in the first month with three states in the rearview mirror, including Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
'Before They Were Soldiers' profiles Iowans who did not return from Vietnam
VanVelzen said he's averaging more than 100 miles a week and coming across countless views and people along the way. While the weather has been a challenge at times, he said the vet supporters along the way have been amazing in their rest and recovery.
One tradition on the Appalachian Trail is that fellow hikers give you a trail name. A fellow veteran gave VanVelzen the trail name 'Unicorn' because it is a rare person to have forty years of military service, the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Five, and be a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
He tells us he should be over 500 miles by Friday, April 25, meaning they have nearly 1,700 miles to go until the end of the trail in Maine. He hopes to get there by the last week of August.
If you'd like to follow along, follow his Facebook page: On the Appalachian Trail with Joedy
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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