Charles Bethea remembers tiny fragments from a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in his 20s. What helps crystallize the rest can be found in a journal he kept while traversing the 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine.
Preserve the integrity of memories by documenting them and remain curious were some of the pointers from Mr. Bethea, a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. His visit to campus Thursday and Friday was made possible by the Cooper Living Arts Series, now in its fourth year.
Mr. Bethea thanked the boys for their thoughtful questions – he is after all used to being the interviewer and not the interviewee.
Mr. Bethea is based out of Atlanta and his love for mountain biking leads him to western North Carolina on occasion. He grew up attending the Falling Creek Camp for boys in Tuxedo, N.C., where a friendship was struck with Director of Student Engagement Jim Goodrum P’29.
Mr. Bethea’s award-winning investigative reporting has delved into politics, true crime, and issues around the South. It’s not all heavy topics with his writing though. His latest piece for the New Yorker recalled interactions with climber Alex Honnold of Netflix’s “Skyscraper” fame, who first burned his name into the nation’s consciousness through the “Free Solo” documentary.