Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/603321
15 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2015 Vol :3 "A lot of the success of the trail in the northeast part of the state has to do with our relationship with Alabama Power," Felder said. "They have a done a lot for us on a lot of fronts. We likewise think we are doing a lot for them. We are being good stewards. We are promoting it." Felder is proud the ASRT brought someone like Clark, with a unique purpose and mission in life, to see and enjoy what Alabama has to offer. "This is the kind of story that needs to be at the top of people's minds when they see or hear the word 'Alabama,'" Felder said. "It was a tremendous story in itself with his personal health aspect, but for us it's the pinnacle of how a trail like the one we have created can be used as a platform for a story like his. And we're proud to be a backdrop for a story that big." Clark earned an undergraduate degree in herbal medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle in 2011. He left the country just days after his journey ended to visit his father, a nondenominational missionary, in Brazil and study plants and herbs. Then he went on to Peru for more study. Upon his return to the U.S., he hopes to enroll in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy to specialize in pharmacognosy, which is the "study of bioactive natural substances found in terrestrial and marine organisms." Clark certainly achieved much with his trip. He recruited national sponsors like Old Town Canoes & Kayaks and ENO Camping Gear to finance it. He publicized it worldwide through social media and a blog that now has about 132,000 readers. He joined the select group of 24 that, according to the ASRT's president and founder, Fred Couch, has conquered the entire trail since its inception. In Clark's mind, however, his greatest achievement was the simplest. "The accomplishment for me is just that I kept going," he said. – JIMMY CR EED Above: Photo by Bernard Troncale — Clark is one of about 24 people who have completed the entire trail. Centerfold: Photo by Bernard Troncale — Clark canoes the Coosa River near Logan Martin Lake at sunset.