Morgan Davis

I've always been an avid hiker, and ever since I was a teenager, I dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail - a more than 2,000-mile path stretching from Georgia to Maine. I wasn’t able to do it when I was younger, but I always figured I’d tackle it "someday."

In my late 40s, I began experiencing pain in my right hip. I couldn’t put on a sock or tie my right shoe, but I lived with it, thinking I was too young for a hip replacement. I also feared that surgery might end my ability to hike—let alone take on the Appalachian Trail.

Eventually, the pain and immobility became too much. At my wife’s urging, I went to see Dr. McLawhorn, a decision that turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever made. In 2021, I finally had the much-needed hip replacement, and within a few months, I was back to hiking my local trails.

After a lot of preparation, on March 4, 2024, I headed to Georgia to begin a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. After hiking over 2,197 miles and climbing countless mountains, I summited Mount Katahdin in Maine on August 6, 2024.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have achieved this lifelong dream. Completing the Appalachian Trail has changed my life in countless positive ways, and I’m forever grateful to Dr. McLawhorn and his team for their exceptional care. Thanks to my new hip, I was able to experience the adventure of a lifetime.