Inspired by Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, director Douglas Morse and producer Heide Estes traveled to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. They wanted to capture the stories of those who had planned for months, left families, left jobs and set aside half a year for the trek to Maine and then quit the trail after their first week. Hundreds of them. Some after one day. Morse and Estes found some hikers leaving the trail, but became fascinated with all of the hikers they met. From Jack, who got stuck with an angry dog, to Malice and Kentucky, the Cheech and Chong of the A.T., to Matt and Angie, who planned to get married on the trail when they reached Pennsylvania. On the first day out, Estes and Morse met Chad, an easy going guy in excellent shape who found himself tempted to walk off the trail after just a few days. Hikers like Chad become our eyes and ears on the journey to Maine's Mount Katahdin, more than 2000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia.