AT SOBO, Let’s Go

I’m a String Player sonnet with empty pockets holding a Nephilim noggin on Katahdin. I started hiking south on the 23^rd day of July, 2025.

Why are you hiking the Appalachian Trail again?

In Hebrew, the orientation of Time is reversed from Western thought. The past is what lies before you; and the future is what comes from behind. Everything you ‘see’ stems from the past. Wisdom yet to be found. Trauma yet to be healed. Lessons yet to be learned. It’s all within your eyesight.

The future is unknown; it’s unseen. It’s behind you. Last year, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine; northbound (NOBO). This year, I’ll thru-hike the entire trail in the opposite direction. From Maine to the Georgia Arch, southbound (SOBO).

If you’ve read my recent publication titled, “Living Water Writing Project,” you’ll understand this feat is a continuation of the same state of mind. While on-trail in walking meditation, the reason for my ‘25 SOBO hike became clear.

In May of this year, my life ended deep in the Peruvian Amazon; my metaphorical NOBO trail terminus. I reached the singularity; the collapse of my old reality. So, why do I hike SOBO today? I retrace my steps because I now face the future. I walk backwards, towards a bright new prospect of peace.

I pulled the Devil out of me in Peru, while demons swirled the room. I emerged anew and now walk forward, not knowing every step, but trust the prophecy unfolding before us. Come walk with me, and together, let’s pass through the written presage in peace.

The long distance hiking community is a unique subculture of its own. It’s a fractal micro-universe within our larger collective human experience.

One staple in the hiking community subculture are “trail names.” One can give themselves a trail name or they can adopt one that’s given them, as long as it makes them smile. Trail names are special because it allows the true self to emerge from behind the stifling masks we humans wear. It’s a healthy dose of self-induced split personality.

For most adults, it’s a welcomed opportunity to be themselves, to be a kid again, or anyone they want to be; during a rare moment of freedom in the woods.

When I hiked NOBO in ‘24, I gave myself the trail name “Ragnar.” I loved the depth and fantastical wordplay. As a former Army Ranger, “Ragnar” provided a great segue to introduce myself as an author with an added hint of my surreal past life.

I choose not to adopt a trail name for my SOBO in ‘25 because there’s no one else I’d rather be. I like who I am. I know who I am. My name is Scott Chapman and I’m on the AT, hiking SOBO. Let’s go.

You’re invited to visit my Instagram page to follow along and watch me untangle this tale from behind the veil.

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Scott Chapman is a former U.S. Army Ranger who served during the early years of the war on terror, including five deployments along with the invasion of Iraq. After leaving the military, he worked in Executive Protection before returning to Afghanistan with Blackwater. Completing 22 deployments over six years supporting the U.S. Intelligence community. 

He’s an incessant Seeker who blends raw emotion with scientific curiosity, using physics, quantum theory, and positive thought to help usher in a new era of peace. Learn more at www.ScottChapmanAuthor.com.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.