CLEVELAND — Nature has always been a part of Stuart O. Smith Jr.'s life.
"My first time ever backpacking on the Appalachian Trail was when I was 13 years old with a group of Boy Scouts," Stuart said.
It was the first time, but definitely not the last. Over the next few decades, Stuart hiked different sections of the Appalachian Trail multiple times.
"After I finished college, I actually was an Appalachian trail thru-hiker and completed the whole trail from Georgia to Maine," Stuart said.
His impressive treks keep him motivated. He enjoys hikes with his family: Wife, Julie, and sons, Kevin and Michael. But it's when he's in the wilderness, like here on the Buckeye Trail in the Penitentiary Glen Reservation, that he feels most at home.
"The biggest thing is you're really living in the moment. You're really only thinking about this day and the next day," Stuart said.
That's what he had to do in Spring of 2022, when after hiking a section of the Continental Divide Trail, chest pains forced his plans to be on hold.
"I couldn't walk up two steps without being completely winded," Stuart said.
It was enough to send Stuart to University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute.
"Stuart has a very specific type of heart failure. He has a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy," Dr. Eiran Gorodeski, heart failure cardiologist at UH, said.
According to Dr. Gorodeksi, about 750,000 Americans are living with the condition.
"It can lead to problems potentially with some of the valves. It can lead to heart rhythm problems and even lack of blood flow to the coronaries," Gorodeski said.
In April of 2023, Stuart underwent open heart surgery.
"Basically I did a lot of research on my own, in addition to obviously listening to my doctors. So that when I met with (Dr. Gorodeski) and then later met with a surgeon, I pretty much said, okay, these are my options. And I knew that the success rate was high with the options," Stuart said. "The first day I got home from the hospital, I walked just under a mile, second day home from the hospital. I walked just under a mile."
"A lot of his symptoms disappeared. And the trophy on the top was that he was able to go back to hiking, which honestly, I wasn't sure that he was ever gonna be able to do," Dr. Gorodeski said.
Just six months after his surgery, Stuart continued on a planned hike: A 7-day, 54-mile backpacking trip of the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts.
"My endurance was completely back to how I was like, I never experienced the surgery or a heart condition," Stuart said.
His wife, Julie, in awe of his recovery and determination.
"Well it really has been amazing how fast he's gotten back into the hiking. I'm thrilled he's doing so well," Julie said.
With more big plans on the horizon, Stuart has a message for those curious about hitting the trail.
"You don't have to push it. You can go out there and just take your time," Stuart said.
Much like Stuart's journey, staying positive through the difficult paths can help you achieve anything.
"There's always the longer challenge awaiting if you get into it," Stuart said.
As far as upcoming plans, Stuart hopes to finish sections on the Appalachian Trail.
"So next year, I'm looking to do Vermont and then see how far I can get beyond that. So, I don't like to say, 'I'm definitely gonna do it because part of it is to live one day at a time and to walk your own hike. But I have had plans to go as far as I'm able to next year. So Vermont, then next state is New Hampshire, and then Maine are the next three and final states of the whole trail," Stuart said.
Stuart is a proud life member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), along with several other trail organizations.
To read more about his hiking adventures, and his heart failure journey, click HERE.
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