Heather Bolint and Mason the rooster at the Mason-Dixon line on the Appalachian Trail. (Photo courtesy Heather Bolint)
Heather Bolint, a Newcastle native and Lincoln Academy graduate of 2004, recently completed one of her lifelong dreams: to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Bolint was introduced to this idea while reading Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” as a book assignment in Patti Sims’ English class at Lincoln. Since then, the notion had always been on the back of her mind as something that she dreamed of doing “someday.”
After discussing the adventure at length with various friends over the years who had hiked the Appalachian Trail themselves, Bolint finally worked up enough courage to set out on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. After working for three years as the Seattle grassroots director for an international farm-animal protection nonprofit, The Humane League, she decided it was time for a change. Bolint gave her notice in May 2017, and by the end of June she was on the trail and geared up for her six-month journey. As a parting gift for The Humane League, and because she is such an avid animal lover, Bolint decided to use her hike as a fundraiser for the organization, and ended up raising nearly $10,000 by the time she finished.
Because of the timing of leaving her job, Bolint decided to start the trail in Maine and head southbound to Georgia, which is not nearly as popular as the traditional northbound direction of hiking the trail. She flew into Bangor, then after taking a bus and a shuttle, she arrived at the Appalachian Trail Lodge in Millinocket.
The next morning, she set out to start her Appalachian Trail hike by summiting the fabled Mount Katahdin on June 26. It then took her nine days to hike through the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, a daunting section of the Appalachian Trail, especially if one is new to long-distance hiking. But soon enough, she gradually got her “hiking legs” and began to mark off state after state, until eventually she reached the 14th state, Georgia, and completed the trail at Springer Mountain on Dec. 21.
Heather Bolint and Mason the hiking rooster. (Photo courtesy Heather Bolint)
There was nothing too out-of-the-ordinary about Bolint’s thru-hike, except for one thing: around mile 1,124, her trail name evolved from Mama Duck, to Mama Cluck, and she became known to members of the Appalachian Trail community and enthusiasts around the world, as the chicken whisperer. Here’s why:
The following is the story of finding Mason the rooster, in Bolint’s words:
“It was love at first sight. I had seen a lot of strange things on the trail since starting my trek in Maine over three months earlier, but never once did I think I would come across a lost rooster. I knew something was awry when I discovered my feathered friend just north of the Mason-Dixon line, completely alone on the trail, with no nearby houses or farmland. I would later hear from other southbounders that he had been there for at least a few days before I found him.
“After much contemplation, I decided to scoop the little guy up in my arms and continue with him until I could find civilization, or at least cellphone service. Little did I know that this chance encounter would be the start of a beautiful, if short-lived, friendship. Through hot, humid weather, we climbed up and down mountains, stopped at streams to filter water, and took breaks in sunny fields. We met friendly folks who wanted to take our picture, breezed past day hikers who took double takes, and squeezed by troops of school kids who mistook him for a fluffy dog.
“After a full day of dripping sweat and shifting Mason’s weight from one arm to the other, I decided that night hiking would be the best way to avoid the next day’s heat and impending rain. After our brief night’s sleep in my tent, I awoke my typically early-rising sleeping partner at midnight. I tucked him into my raincoat for a long night of hiking through Maryland under the surveillance of car headlights and watchful, glowing eyes from the woods.
“We made pit stops at empty park restrooms, and took frequent breaks for Mason to finish his oatmeal breakfast. Exhausted, hungry, and soaked from the morning rain, we ended our grand adventure at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters in Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., by noon the next day. We had hiked 42 miles in a little over 24 hours together, with only two hours of sleep, from Pennsylvania to West Virginia.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff were stunned to see a section-hiking rooster, and proudly announced: ‘Now we’ve seen everything!’
“Mason now lives at Poplar Spring animal sanctuary in Maryland, where he can peacefully live out the rest of his days with other chickens, as he deserves. I miss my feathered hiking companion dearly, but I know that he is living a happy life, still dreaming of that one time he hiked the Appalachian Trail.
“Since the story of Mason first appeared on social media, it has been shared by dozens of media outlets around the world, including The Boston Globe, Today Show online, The Dodo, The Week, and even People magazine in South Africa! I never could have imagined anything like this happening when I first set out on this grand journey, but now I am forever changed because of this little feathered friend I made along the way.
“It almost seemed too perfect, as growing up in Sheepscot I had pet chickens and loved them dearly. I hope the story of Mason will continue to live on, and to inspire others that each of us can make a difference, no matter how small.”
