Arthritis, a hip replacement and a blown-out knee did not stop Provident Retiree Richard Park from reaching his goal of completing the daunting Appalachian Trail. In September, he hiked the last leg of the AT, finishing a journey he began in 1983.

When asked if he was glad to have made it to the end of the trail in Maine, he replied, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.”

When Mr. Park turned 40 years old, he began running, an activity he had not participated in since college. During the next 16 years, he ran 25 marathons and 18 ultra marathons.

In 1983, a group of trail runners from Atlanta asked him to run the first section of the Appalachian Trail to raise money for the Heart Association. He and the group ran 94 miles of the trail beginning at Springer Mountain, Ga., over a three-day weekend. For the next several years, the group met in September to run north on the trail for the next 100 miles.

Mr. Park said he completed the first half of the Appalachian Trail by running, but in 1990, he began backpacking instead. Backpacking allowed him to focus on enjoying the trip rather than getting from Point A to Point B, he said. Typically he hiked the trail in 100-mile sections, but one year he hiked 200 miles.

Mr. Park said he had planned to thru hike when he retired, but he was diagnosed with arthritis when he left his job in 1994.

In November 2000, Mr. Park had a hip replacement, but six months after surgery he continued his journey from the Mason-Dixon Line, where he had left off. After 200 miles, his trip ended early when he stepped out of a shelter in the dark and blew out a knee. He had to have arthroscopic surgery, but the injury did not prevent him from finishing.

In reflecting on his experiences, Mr. Park said he learned that there is a “burden of possessing too much. It is amazing what you can do without.” Mr. Park said he “treasures those experiences and relationships. Memories appreciate over time.”

The Chattanooga native graduated from McCallie School and attended Rhodes College in Memphis. Mr. Park was an actuary at Provident for 35 years. He and his wife now live on Signal Mountain. Their two sons and three grandsons all live in Chattanooga as well.

As for what's next, in 2006, Mr. Park plans to backpack the Grand Canyon.