# hike the Appalachian Trail

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hike-the-appalachian-trail
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To engage in an extramarital affair.

## Examples

- He is hiking the Appalachian Trail with his secretary.
- She suspects her husband is hiking the Appalachian Trail because he hides his phone.
- Do you think the famous actor is hiking the Appalachian Trail again?
- Everyone at the office suspected he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he started staying late every night.
- The politician's career ended abruptly after a journalist discovered he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while his family thought he was on a solo fishing trip.
- Neighbors began to gossip about the quiet professor when they realized he was hiking the Appalachian Trail with a former student from his department.
- Despite his public vows of fidelity, rumors persisted that he had been hiking the Appalachian Trail for months behind his wife's back.

## Origin

Referring to the excuse given by the spokesperson of the former Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford during his disappearance from June 18 to June 24, 2009. Upon returning from his absence, Governor Sanford gave a press conference and confessed to having travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to visit a woman with whom he had been having an extramarital affair.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.