Dumpster diving, bears and nudity – the great American adventure of the Kiwi

Driven by hunger, Matheson Brown removes a box of chicken bones from the trash and chews the last remaining meat from the bones.

After the bare bones have returned to the trash, the 21-year-old returns to another long day of walking.

That willingness to push his body and mind to the limit almost ended his quest to complete the Appalachian Trail, a 3500 km trek through East America.

Towards the end of his journey he got a "free gnarly stomach bug" – possibly from drinking contaminated water, instead of food that came from dumpsters dug over the path.

And no hospital in the neighborhood and despite a developing knee injury he kept trudging forward.

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"I was vomiting and could hardly eat, and on some days I could not, I did not even see it right, but I just wanted to finish the walk and then solve it.

" I did not know what the injury was. It was just so painful, but I did not want people to know exactly how bad it was in case they tried to make me stop. "

Last week he completed the journey and became the youngest New Zealander to complete the path

He lost seven kilograms since he left on March 25, but Brown was still able to finish the journey in four and a half months. rounds, compared to the usual six.

This achievement is also because only one out of an estimated four hikers completes the path, which takes place in 14 states, from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north.

And the experience of the Taranaki man was different than most.

Brown, who spent his last academic year at Otago Polytechnic couch surfing around Dunedin flats, took his appetite for adventure to a new level. [19659006] Polluted water? Certainly. But leftover chicken bones out of the trash?

"I just really, really hungry."

"You really have to hope that the person was not sick, that or your immune system is strong enough to deal with it," Brown explains.

After paying off his student loan and saving for his flights, he decided to save money where possible.

That meant that the relative luxury of hostels was not right. limits so that he slept in the forest.

And instead of taking showers, he bathed in rivers, with his personal account of going without a hot shower nearly 650 kilometers, the equivalent of walking from Wellington to Auckland.

beginning of the course many walkers overboard put food from their packs, which Brow n is eagerly swollen. That was in stark contrast to the end of his journey to the north, where he would even drink the remains of the occasional bottle of spirits left.

Accompanying him was Vince Ostrowski, an American whom he met after the first 300 km on the track, and who was there when the wounded Brown stumbled to the end.

While the last 100 kilometers were the hardest, it was much compensated by the highlights.

That included the & # 39; rail angels & # 39 ;: people who offer free food, attractions, even accommodation for walkers.

A man even lent the pair keys to his pickup. The couple could replenish supplies at a supermarket, shower later and sleep at the man's house.

Brown got the nickname & # 39; Bear & # 39; on the trail, partly tribute to the famous TV adventurer Bear Grylls – which he imitates in a serious YouTube clip, and also his habit of eating out of the trash.

His predilection for dumpster diving was driven by saving money and "because I dislike seeing waste so much".

And in an attempt to shed some weight off his knee, he threw his tent away to make his backpack even lighter, and later his sleeping bag.

Without that heat he struggled to sleep through the night, but "if that was the price I had to pay to finish this thing, it was a price I would pay twice."

One of the many highlights of the course were the encounter with animals that were not to be seen in New Zealand.

That meant entering almost a few deadly snakes, and seeing 16 bears, including baby bears apparently sitting alone in the forest.

"I could not see the mother, so that's a potentially very dangerous situation, but it always seemed to be okay."

Brown, in a nod to his student days in Dunedin, also the odd leg was completely naked.

When asked why he would walk more than twice the length of his own country, Brown said it was because it was something measurable.

"For that period of my life, I can look at a map and know that that's what I've done with my time."

The path itself, apart from the White Mountains in New Hampshire, was not so heavy as he thought, but there were difficult moments. There was the time that he walked through the snow six days in a row, and then there was the heat wave that other walkers brought to the hospital.

"Everything is easy when you are fit and healthy and have enough food, but you can not do it and it starts to become a lot more challenging, and for me this happened a lot."

Spiritually, the steep distance for hikers discouraging every day, "but if you take things one day at a time and do not try to look at the big picture until close to the end, that makes it much easier."

"I really wanted to see if I could do it. "

The course offered the opportunity to see a large part of the country "in one go".

"I would recommend it, but not to everyone. You have to be a specific type of person to do that."

Brown gave his body a few weeks to rest and recover when he finished his trail documentary, tentatively called Operation Northbound & # 39 ;.

He plans to do some rock climbing in Germany and Sweden, before working as a ski instructor in Canada in the northern winters.

And he is also looking for someone who wants to sponsor his next adventure, with the almost reformed garbage container diver who is looking for "food brands that want a face for their product"

On tests night of the night the Brown contracted Giardiasis and E. coli revealed on the trail "No wonder it was so rough," he says

– Sunday Star Times