How Thru-hiking can Harm Your Health

Tom Heinbockel:
After graduating high school in 2013, Tom thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Weeks after finishing, he started college at Salisbury University and studied Exercise Science, ran cross country and track and field, and spent time in an exercise physiology research lab. In 2017, Tom moved out to Colorado to start a Master's program in the Physiology of Aging at The University of Colorado Boulder. He completed a research assistantship in a cardiovascular aging clinical research laboratory and a teaching assistantship in exercise physiology. He thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer of 2019 and completed pre- and post-hike physiological measurements in his laboratory, the data of which have been published in the journal Physiological Reports. Tom is now living in Whitefish, Montana, romping around Glacier National Park, and is in nursing school.

Tom Heinbockel "Tarzan" (@tom_heinbockel) • Instagram photos and videos

Could Thru-Hiking Be Bad For Your Health? A New Study Makes a Troubling Find. | Backpacker

Junk food and big miles may not add up how ‘thru-hikers’ hope | Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine | University of Colorado Boulder