Gene Espy

Eugene Marion Espy (April 14, 1927 – August 22, 2025) was an American hiker who is recognized as the second person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, making the entire 2,025-mile journey alone in one outing, covering 14 states in just over 123 days.

Biography Born and raised in Cordele, Georgia, Espy first heard about the Appalachian Trail from his seventh-grade teacher.

During his hike, Espy chanced to meet Chester Dziengielewski, who was thru hiking southbound, at the Smith Gap Shelter in Pennsylvania on August 6, the first ever meeting of a northbound and a southbound thru hiker on the Appalachian Trail. Dziengielewski completed his hike 10 days after Espy.

The Appalachian Trail Museum honored Espy by including him in the first group of individuals inducted to the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Espy married Eugenia Bass in 1954.

Works The Trail Of My Life: The Gene Espy Story (2008)