The Appalachian Trail is an awesome course that spreads for over 2,190 miles. The course takes people from Maine to Georgia and Heather Bolint dreamed about hiking it since she was a teenager. However, this hike would prove to be an even more amazing experience than Heather could ever imagine.
20. Polish Crested Rooster
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Heather is an animal lover and she knew that she needed to save this Polish crested rooster from the moment that she saw him standing in the middle of the road. There weren’t any houses around and the rooster was all alone.
19. Surviving Alone
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Roosters are domesticated farm animals and their chances of survival while alone in the woods are very slim. This is when Heather knew that faith put the rooster in her path. What she did next will amaze you!
18. Hiking Buddies
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Without giving it any second thought, Heather took the rooster in her arms and decided to take him on the hike of his life! Isn’t this amazing? Especially when considering that the woods are filled with predators that put the poor rooster’s life in danger.
17. The Mason-Dixon Line
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Heather was close to the Mason-Dixon when she found the rooster and this meant that she still had a long way to hike. Luckily, the rooster would prove to be quite the hiking buddy. Check out what Heather had to say about this.
16. Hiking is Not Easy
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“I held him in my arms and continued 15 more miles in 80 degrees, humid weather until the sun began to set”, said Heather. Seeing how much Heather had to endure, we can clearly see why hiking is not for everyone. You won’t believe what hilarious name Heather decided to give to the rooster.
15. Naming Him Eddie
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Seeing how funny the rooster looked, Heather decided to call him Eddie. Now that she named him, they were officially best friends! To make things even more amazing, Eddie took pictures with all the people that Heather met on the trail.
14. Taking Pictures with Friendly Strangers
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Isn’t Eddie just the cutest thing ever? This woman sure loved taking pictures with him. Heather met up with other hikers as it got dark and they also wanted to take pictures with Eddie!
13. Night Time
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“He hardly ever made a peep and was quite content with just sitting in my arms or in my raincoat while we hiked”, said Heather when asked if it was difficult to carry Eddie. It seems like Eddie knew he had to be silent. The next picture will bring a smile on your face!
12. Mirror Selfies
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Who doesn’t like taking mirror selfies with their best friend? Make sure to click next if you want to see Heather and Eddie at the end of the Appalachian Trail.
11. Hiking is Over
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Heather and Eddie’s adventure was coming to an end now that they reached the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters in West Virginia. How many miles do you think they traveled together?
10. Hiking Through Three Different States
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Heather and Eddie hiked 46 miles together! Now this shows us how strong-willed Heather is because hiking 46 miles is no joke, especially with a rooster in your hands. The two passed through three different states while covering those miles! To make things even better, this is what the Appalachian staff had to say after seeing them together!
9. The Staff Was Amazed!
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“Now we’ve seen everything”, said the folks who work at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Now that the hike was over, Heather needed to find a place for Eddie to stay.
8. Finding a New Home
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Heather was lucky and she quickly found a new home for Eddie. The people who wanted to take Eddie in worked at the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary which is located on Poolesville, Maryland. This is what Heather had to say about her departure with Eddie.
7. Parting Ways
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“I wanted to make sure he was happy and healthy, and living a life he wanted”, said Heather. Luckily for Eddie, the folks who work at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary were more than happy to take him in.
6. Happy Rooster
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Eddie was a lucky rooster and Heather believes that faith put him in her way. Although, there was one issue about his new home and you won’t believe what it is!
5. Changing Eddie’s Name
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The only problem that the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary employees had with Eddie was that they already had a rooster named Edward. This is why they decided to change his name and they couldn’t pick anything more appropriate than this!
4. Renamed to Mason
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Eddie was renamed to Mason and there couldn’t be a better name because Heather found him at the Mason-Dixon line.
3. Making People Happy
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Heather says that the most amazing thing about carrying the rooster with her while hiking was seeing how happy people would get after seeing him. The rooster brought a smile on everyone’s faces and Heather was glad to see that.
2. Experience of a Lifetime
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“I am so grateful that I got to experience life on the trail with a rooster, and to witness the joy he brought to others. This little guy was the sweetest rooster”, said Heather.
1. A New Life
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Even though Heather and Eddie are now separated, Heather is happy to know that Eddie gets a chance to live a happy life. Not only that, but Eddie is also going to make friends with the other animals at the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary.