Maine teen hikes AT and raises money for hemophilia charity

A Falmouth highschooler is in the homestretch of his southbound trek on the Appalachian trail and is set to return home in the coming weeks. He’ll return having raised thousands of dollars for a charity that helps those with bleeding disorders just like him.

After four years of planning and proving to his parents he was ready for the AT, William Addison set out on his hike in early June of this year. News of Addison’s hike on social media has raised awareness of hemophilia and the bleeding disorder community.

Over the course of the summer he has raised $22,000 for the Save One Life Foundation, a non-profit offering aid to those with bleeding disorders in developing countries.

Photo courtesy of William Addison
HIKING FOR CHARITY — William Addison has raised over $22,000 this summer for the Save One Life Foundation, a nonprofit offering aid to those with bleeding disorders.

Addison is expected to return to Maine after finishing Georgia to complete a portion of the trail at Baxter State Park, which he had to skip due to the park’s closing in response to COVID-19.

Addison made his way south after his parents dropped him off at Abol Bridge earlier this summer.

“Someone said I don’t know how you’re doing this and I just said look this is scary. It’s not easy to let your kid do something like this,” Victoria Kuhn, Addison’s mother, said.

Addison has hemophilia A and has to remain vigilant about things such as cuts, bruises and taking his medication. But the largest danger facing a person with hemophilia, his parents said, is trauma from internal bleeding.

“We just decided early on that we wanted our child to live a normal life and if that meant he gets broken once in a while and we have to fix him so be it. We’re not going to be able to stop every injury,” David Addison, Addison’s father, said.

In preparation for the hike, Addison worked with the hemophilia treatment center in Scarborough to study how much of his medicine he would need to keep with him. His goal was to infuse no more than every two days while on the trail and limit the amount of medication to save on the weight of his pack, which he measured by the ounce.

“On the AT you’re counting every ounce,” Kuhn said.

While hiking, Addison’s parents were able to supply him regularly with food and medicine at stops along the trail all the way to New Jersey. Going further he depended on the kindness of members of the bleeding disorders community.

“Community members have agreed to receive supply boxes with food and medicine,” Kuhn said.

Every now and then at end of a long day of hiking Addison was greeted with his favorite meal of hot pizza and cold root beer delivered by a community member, his parents said.

Community members able to bring Addison packages agreed to wear masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Addison’s parents said hostels and other establishments along the trail were closed due to COVID and having their son spend more time on the trail and away from towns and being supplied by select individuals has helped keep him safe.

Addison’s interest to tackle the entire AT kindled while hiking portions of it with his father and Boy Scout troop over the last four years.

“He didn’t wain on his interest. It became a passion. Then he produced a northbound schedule for us,” Kuhn said.

Addison is making his way through Virginia, which his parents said is mountainous, hot, humid and rains a fair bit.  

He had originally planned a northbound (NOBO) hike, his parents said. But with COVID, they suggested he plan a southbound (SOBO) trek. 

“So he’s joined the 3 percent of hikers that trek SOBO,” Kuhn said. 

Addison’s parents describe him as independent and consistent. He learned how to infuse his medications at age 10 and outside of hiking he runs cross country, enjoys distance running and plays baseball and tennis. 

When Addison began his hike in Maine he didn’t see anyone for the first 100 miles, which unnerved him a little, his parents said.

While on the trail in Maine, Addison was attacked. By a bird. For his hat. A hawk had swooped down and snatched his hat earning him the trail name Hats Off.

For more information on Addison’s hike and his mission to raise awareness for hemophilia and the bleeding disorder community visit his Facebook page https://facebook.com/sobo4saveonelife.