The Fork on the Appalachian Trail

In 2019, a hiker named Martin Strel stood at a junction on the Appalachian Trail near Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. One path led north along the well-blazed white markers — the route that thousands of thru-hikers had followed to Mount Katahdin. The other veered east down an unmarked spur trail that looked easier, more shaded, and frankly more inviting on a sweltering July afternoon.…