The First Step Was Marshall

There are some goals so large they live in the imagination for years before they ever become reality.

For Daniel Parlock, one of those dreams stretched more than 2,200 miles – from Georgia to Maine.

Last summer, the Marshall University graduate completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, one of the most demanding long-distance hikes in the world. It took 139 days, countless steps and a willingness to keep moving forward even when the path ahead felt overwhelming.

When he reached the summit of Mount Katahdin on Aug. 29, 2025, the lifelong dream was complete.

But the story of how he got there began long before his journey began in the mountains.

Daniel, a Huntington native, graduated from Marshall in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in history. Today, he lives in Huntington with his wife, Hannah, his college sweetheart, and recently launched his own media company, Montani Studios.

He also carries with him the perspective that difficult moments can become the starting point for something greater.

Daniel has spent a lifetime outdoors, first introduced to hiking and backpacking through Boy Scouts. Over time, the trails became more than recreation.

“I find peace in nature, and hiking is a way to truly immerse myself in it,” he said. “While hiking, my mind and body become more restful, allowing me to decompress. While out in the woods, the world seems much simpler.”

Still, wanting to hike the Appalachian Trail and actually stepping onto it are two very different things.

Daniel began his journey April 12, 2025, in Georgia. The excitement was real – but so were the nerves.

“The very next day I was almost frozen by nerves,” he said. “It was extremely hard to turn my back on my wife and walk into the woods knowing I would not see her for over a month.”

“There was also a nagging feeling I had forgotten something.”

Months of hiking lay ahead, with only the essentials strapped to his back.

“The nerves never went away totally, but did ease up over time,” he said.

Along the way, family members joined him for stretches of the journey. So did new friends he met on the trail—people who started as strangers and became companions through miles of rain, climbs and campfires.

And somewhere in the challenge, the miles began to mirror another turning point in his life.

“College had a major impact on my life,” he said. “Though my family lives in Huntington, I decided to live on campus at Marshall, which was a turning point in my life.”

That decision opened the door to friendships, late-night campus events, concerts and eventually serving as a resident advisor to help shape the experience of others.

More importantly, it taught him something he would need years later on the trail.

The first nights away from home in a residence hall. The first nights alone in the mountains.

Different settings. Same lesson.

“Although the first nights away from home were intimidating both in the dorms and on the trail, some of my best memories, stories and relationships were forged in those journeys,” he said.

By the final stretch of the Appalachian Trail, pride had replaced much of the fear.

Then came the summit.

“Once I got to the top of Katahdin, I was struck with numbness,” Daniel said. “I could not understand what I was feeling. The journey was over – there was no more walking forward.”

Even after 2,200 miles, the accomplishment was difficult to fully process.

But one thing was clear: he had not made the journey alone.

“Even though my own two legs carried me to the end, I could not have done it without my support system, both on the trail and back home,” he said. “I am extremely thankful for everyone who supported me throughout the journey, especially my wife Hannah.”

Now, Daniel is preparing for a new adventure—fatherhood—as he and Hannah await their first child this summer.

He still dreams of biking across the country and one day completing hiking’s “triple crown,” which includes the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail.

For now, though, he hopes others take something simpler from his story.

“Do not let what happens to you define your life,” he said. “You have a choice how you respond to the events that impact you.”

He also offers encouragement to anyone standing at the edge of a challenge that feels too big to begin.

“It is outside your comfort zone where you find growth, empowerment and often, the most memorable moments,” he said. “The easiest things to do are almost never rewarding.”

For Daniel, one Marshall moment led to another.

First, the courage to step out on his own.

Then, years later, the courage to take the first step down a trail that changed his life.

Check out Daniel’s daily transformation from start to finish on the Appalachian Trail.

 

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A post shared by Daniel & Hannah (@westvirginiawanderers)

Fun Facts about Daniel’s Trip:

• The Appalachian Trail is known as the World’s Longest Hiking-Only Foot Path
• The trail is 2,197.4 miles
• 520,000+ feet of ascent
• Daniel hiked the trail: April 12 – August 29, 2025
• He went through several pairs of shoes, two backpacks and endured Lyme Disease