From a cabin in Georgia

Hi from Georgia!

I'm wrapping up day 3 right now, and I've already had so many amazing adventures, but I'll narrow it down to days 1 & 2 today. 

Day one

I was en route to Springer Mountain with Rob, and we quickly realized that his bmw wouldn't be making it up the forest service road. I got out to try and start walking to Springer/ potentially hitch a ride, when a magical red Subaru came around the corner! I waved and it stopped, and inside was a younger, slender girl and her Mother. I asked if she was solo thru hiking as well, and she said yes!

Lara

Lara (who was driving the Subaru) is 22, and recently graduated from Oklahoma University. She quickly became the answer to many of my worries! She and I have been inseparable since she picked me up off of the side of the road three days ago. I think it was fate! 

Sassafras 

We hiked 11.5 miles our first day and set up camp on top of Sassafras mountain. Setting up camp was easy, but trying to bear bag was comical. We're both terrible and still haven't mastered it. 

Day 2

We hiked another 10 miles on day 2, and it was significantly more difficult. It got warm quickly, my legs were sore, and my body was also sore from my pack. We did make friends on day 2 though! 

James & Tommy (uphill and RIP) 

James and Tommy are brothers from Durham, and I befriended them at a shelter midway through day 2. James is thru hiking, and Tommy is here hiking with him through Hiawasse. They're both from Durham, but James was living in D.C. after graduating from William and Mary, and Tommy lives in New York. They're both awesome, but are super quick hikers. 

Trail Magic

Days 1 & 2 were filled with trail magic! If you're not familiar, it's when strangers set up along the trail (or wherever) and provide food, water, beer, or just generally do nice things for hikers. We've encountered trail magic at least three times in our first two days, which was super exciting. Trail magic on day 1 had a bunch of snacks, and trail magic on day 2 had hot dogs, and a bunch of other snacks as well. 

I have so much more to write about, but I'm running out of time! I'll try to update more later! 

-Kylie 

It's my 25th birthday

IT'S TIME

After 5+ months of planning I'm finally packed and ready to go. I'm currently in the car on the way to springer mountain to start, and it's really surreal. Reality hasn't quite set in yet. In my mind I'm on a fun vacation in Atlanta. I did my final pack weigh in this morning! It's sitting at a comfortable 27.2 pounds with what feels like a generous amount of food. I meant to do a gear specific post, but I've been running around like a crazy person trying to prepare for the next 6 months, and didn't have time. As I approach the start of my hike I'd like to take a second to thank all of you again! If I haven't responded to your texts or calls it's because I've been incredibly busy, and I'm sorry! You've all been so understanding and I don't think I can express how grateful I am! 

Rob

Special thanks to my friend Rob Cabello for housing me in Atlanta/ driving me to Springer/ being the most amazing host/ helping me pack and fit my bag this morning. Finding generous friends who also have amazing backpacking knowledge is rare, and I know we'll be friends for life! 

The approach

In the final few minutes before I start I am feeling the craziest mix of emotions. I'm so excited to be starting such a massive adventure, but I'm also so sad to be leaving all of my friends and family. It's been a crazy few months of planning, but I know I'm ready, and that it'll al be worth it. I can't wait to update with stories about adventures! I love you all!

-Kylie 

The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go

If you’re reading this, you probably know that I’ve been planning an Appalachian Trail thru hike! On March 15^th, I’ll start at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and will hike north through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and finally to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. That’s roughly 4-6 months, and 2,185 miles of hiking!  If you’re wondering why I’ve chosen to do this, the best answer I can give is: why not?! I’ve always loved challenging myself and being outside, but thru hiking the A.T. seemed like a distant and unachievable goal. When I sat down and seriously considered thru hiking, 2015 became the most logical time.

So planning began!

I’ve spent the last 5 months changing just about everything in my life in order to make my hike possible. When I first started planning obvious first thoughts were: saving money, quitting jobs, moving, and acquiring gear. If you know me, you know how much I loved my one bedroom apartment, and moving out of it was painful, but was necessary in order to save money. Acquiring gear seemed easy, but I quickly realized this wasn’t the case (I’ll write a gear specific post later).  I gave up shopping, going out to dinner, spending money on anything other than backpacking supplies, and “help me I’m poor” became my life motto.

Planning continues

Many of you have asked where I’ll be and when, but vague ideas are the best I can do now! I have a general idea of what I think my daily mileage will be, but I can’t actually be sure until I’m on the trail! I’ve also been asked about how I’ll be getting food/ supplies along the way. I’m planning on using a combination of mail drops and re-supplying in town. I’ll be attempting to post my mail drop locations at least 2 weeks in advance on facebook. I’m sure I’ll be homesick, and anything from home will help, so feel free to send me anything!  

Side note

Lately I’ve been really overwhelmed from the amount of support I’ve received from my friends and family. I’d like to take a second to thank a few people who I couldn’t have done this without.

Andrea: you’ve been my best friend/ adventure pal for the last 6+ years, you’ve been the most thoughtful, and have always been there to reassure me, and make me laugh when I was the most stressed

Kellie: This girl helped me move THREE TIMES in the past 2 months! In addition to that you’ve always been brutally honest in the best way, and helped me stay rational when I wanted to freak out

Kaitlin: For helping me out and housing me last minute!

Carl: My AT spirit guide! Thank you for being so patient with me, answering my 5,000 questions (some of them multiple times), and helping calm me down and shift my anxiety to excitement. You’re the only one who truly understands what I’m going through, and I can’t thank you enough for being so helpful!!

I’ve received so many texts and calls from all of my friends in the last few weeks, and I really can’t thank you all enough.  I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends!

The final countdown

I am spending the next few days in Yorktown, counting down to Springer, and frantically trying to prepare for the next 6 months. I leave for Georgia on Friday, and I couldn’t be more excited! More to come soon!

-Kylie