Soren West was known to the Appalachian Trail community as Sojo for Sojourner.  Soren was born in Manhattan and grew up in New England. He went away to camp at the tender age of 6 and hiked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire at 12. Soren went to school in northern Massachusetts, just south of the border between Vermont and New Hampshire and it was there, at 14, that he first thought to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

Life took over, however, and Soren went to England for a year as an Exchange Student before entering Yale from which he graduated with a BA in English in 1964.

In the spring of his senior year, Soren met his future wife, Bonnie Rowan from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He fell in love with her good looks, her generous and vivacious spirit and her extraordinary gift of story-telling. Bonnie helped keep body and soul together as Soren attended Villanova Law School on a scholarship, after which he became an active trial lawyer in Pennsylvania for nearly 50 years before the trail claimed him.

Bonnie and Soren had 2 children when Soren was in law school and 3 more after. They have 8 grandchildren. Although all have traveled extensively, Lancaster remains home base.

One more thing you should know: Soren’s family says he and his Golden Retriever, Theo, are of the same litter.