Brian Cornell

“This is going to change your life,” is a phrase all first-time thru-hikers hear. The line is repeated so regularly you become numb to it and eventually forget about all the changes you’re supposed to be making, which is for the best. Expectations of the journey can trip the most experienced hiker as you wait for the moment when everything is suddenly different. Following graduation in 2014, Brian put his Environmental Studies degree to good use and hiked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail with his older brother. The repeated tagline proved honest and this life-changing experience has since encouraged more experimental world-widening pursuits. After completing the AT, Brian moved west to Mammoth Lakes, California where he enjoyed life as a ski bum for four winters and spent two summers exploring the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. In 2018, after a few years of attempting to settle in a transient town, Brian moved out of Mammoth Lakes and packed his backpack for another thru-hike, this time on the much more elusive and challenging Continental Divide Trail. Growing up in Front Royal, Virginia, minutes away from Shenandoah National Park, Brian was spoiled by easy access to wooded acreage and forced lovingly outside by his parents. More recently, he spent five months traveling around Southeast Asia, taking his travel bug abroad to swim in foreign waters and eat lots of noodles. Since then, he has returned to hike shorter trails in the states, including thru-hikes of the Pinhoti Trail and Benton MacKaye Trail and sections of the Arizona Trail and Palmetto Trail. Brian plans future escapades when he is trapped in seasonal money-making schemes and he is a strong advocate for the 6-month work-year. If you would like to catch up on past adventures and learn more about Brian, check out his website at terminallycurio.us.