Barry Hill

Barry Hill Profile Photo

Just me

I was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia, area and moved to Lakeland, Florida, as a teenager. There I eventually worked a 28-year career as a law enforcement officer in Polk County, Florida. I have been married twice and divorced twice. I had two children by my first wife, a daughter and a son. My daughter was killed in a traffic accident on Interstate 4 in Central Florida in the year 2000. She was 18 years old. My son still lives in Lakeland Florida and is pursuing a career in acting. When I was about 10 years old I spent a week at summer camp in the North Georgia Mountains. During that week we hiked for three days and two nights on the Appalachian Trail. It was the first time that I ever knew the trail existed. All these years later I remember those few days on the trail and the impression it left on me. I moved to Knoxville Tennessee in the year 2013 and immediately started hiking in the mountains. I have since hiked about 1,500 miles to include 615 miles on the Appalachian Trail all in day hikes. It has always been a bit of a goal and dream of mine to attempt to through hike the Appalachian Trail. On April 8th, 2022, my daughter's birthday, I am going to start my thru-hike attempt of the trail.