Around 900 members and friends of the Dartmouth community covered approximately 95 percent of the 2,175-mile trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, in 24 hours, according to Matt Dahlhausen '11, co-director of the "AT in a Day" event.
Event organizers hoped to cover the entire trail, though they were pleased with the actual outcome, Dahlhausen said.
The hike was planned as a central part of the Dartmouth Outing Club's centennial celebration.
"It was a way to bring attention to the club and to the [Appalachian Trail]," Dahlhausen said.
Saturday's hikers included current Dartmouth students, alumni and friends of the Dartmouth community.
Chris O'Connell '13, who hiked Mount Moosilauke and helped organize the event, said the highlight of his experience was meeting alumni and seeing the excitement surrounding the event.
"I met a woman who was an alumna, and it was the 20th anniversary of the first time she hiked this part of the trail," he said.
O'Connell is a member of The Dartmouth business staff.
One of the hikers was 91-year-old Henry Merrill '39, who hiked half a mile across the College campus with members of his family.
Merrill said he was very involved with the Outing Club during his time as a student.
"I spent all my time up here," he said. "My family never saw me."
Michaela Yule '10, who hiked Moose Mountain in Hanover, said she was excited to join the Outing Club's efforts.
"I wanted to be part of something bigger, and it was a great reason to get outside and on the trail. I love that they're doing this," she said.
Sam Streeter '13, who hiked a local section of the trail, also expressed his enthusiasm for participating in the hike.
"While we were walking through Norwich, people stopped us and were so excited that we were part of this event," he said.
There were no major problems during the day, aside from a broken-down van, Dahlhausen said.
Several students traveling to hike a section of the trail in southern Virginia accidentally put seven gallons of diesel into their gasoline-powered minivan, Ryan Nightingale '13, a member of the group, said.
"If we had started it, the engine would have been destroyed," he said.
The group attempted to siphon the diesel out of the van's tank, but faced difficulties after the hose they used broke, and part was left inside the van.
After removing the hose, the group put the van in neutral and pushed it to a nearby parking space, he said.
The hikers slept in the van until another group of Dartmouth hikers arrived to pick them up, according to Nightingale.
"It was a lot of fun. It was more about the journey than the destination," he said.
Other hikers said they encountered minor difficulties, though their hikes were generally successful.
Yule said her group faced challenging weather early in the hike.
"It was cloudy and cold when we started, but right when we got to one of our final peaks the fog broke and the sun came out and it was beautiful," she said. "It was like the heavens smiling down on the DOC."
O'Connell said he also encountered weather-related difficulties.
"We stopped for a break and because of the rain the trail was slippery, and I slipped and slid down a 30-foot rock face into a waterfall. I was freezing for the rest of the day," he said.
Rebecca Vogel '11, who hiked with Streeter, noted that her group got lost initially after following the wrong road, but later found the right path.
