My Appalachian Trail thru-hike is the best thing I’ve ever done. I started my hike at Springer Mountain in Georgia on March 15, and ended at Katahdin in Maine on August 7. I hiked 2,189.2 miles, and was hiker number 196 to summit Katahdin this year. It took me four months and 23 days, and I’ve never been so mentally and physically challenged on a consistent basis. If you’ve ever thought hiking the Appalachian Trail was easy, you’re mistaken. I felt exhausted all the time, and got pretty burnt out on hiking during my final month. I would wake up, dread hiking, but would have to do it anyway. I never thought thru-hiking would be easy, but I definitely underestimated how difficult it would be. In my last month I really pushed myself, partially because I was ready to be done. Now that I’m done, I regret not slowing down. I miss the trail already!
KATAHDIN
On my final day I woke up at 5 am, met up with my friends at 6 am, and we began our hike up to the summit of Katahdin. I had so many mixed feelings. This was the day I had been dreaming of for so long. I was so ready to summit and return to the real world, but with the end in sight I wasn’t ready for my hike to end. Crafty, Uphill, Wookie, South Pole, and I started off on relatively easy terrain. It’s a five mile hike from the base of Katahdin to the summit, and I’ve often heard it described as the most difficult climb on the AT. I was hesitant to believe this. After all that I had been through I wondered just how difficult a five mile climb could be. About two miles into the hike, doubt turned to understanding. For the following two miles we were literally climbing up the side of a mountain on car sized boulders. I would say that I’m mildly afraid of heights, but I was having a minor panic attack while climbing. Looking down and seeing nothing but a straight line of boulders while you’re 4,000 feet above sea level is terrifying. However, our last mile was just about perfect. We entered the tablelands, a grassy alpine plateau. We quickly made our way up to the summit, and it was surreal. When I had imagined summiting I had always seen myself crying, because this was the goal I had been working towards for the last four and a half months. Upon arrival, I ran up, kissed the sign, and felt almost emotionless. It was totally surreal. But when I finally hopped up on the Katahdin sign, I felt so much joy. I felt on top of the world. We hung out on the summit for a while, and then began our descent. After starting down the mountain, Crafty turned around, looked at me, and we both immediately began crying. We said nothing, but I could see in her eyes the same emotions I was feeling. First and foremost, I was proud. I’ve never worked so hard to achieve a goal. At the same time I was incredibly sad. I’ve made amazing friends, have incredible memories, and have had so much fun over the course of my hike, and now that it was over I didn’t want it to end. Thinking about returning to the real world was so daunting. Thoughts of apartment hunting, moving, and work were overwhelming. I just want to stay in the woods and be happy and free forever.
Adjusting
I’ve gone through a serious adjustment to real life process in the last few days. While hiking, I got used to consuming around 7,000 calories a day in order to sustain my energy level. Now that I’m not hiking 20+ miles a day with a 30-pound backpack I’ve had to seriously watch my eating. If you know me, you know that this is the thing I’m having the most difficulty with. I love eating! Being able to eat a cheeseburger, fries, and then a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting was amazing. Having to be calorie conscious and practice portion control is a constant struggle. However, I definitely don’t miss trail food. I gag at the sight of Clif Bars, and if I never saw a Clif Bar, Lara Bar, or Kind Bar ever again I’d be so happy. I definitely took driving for granted. I never really realized how convenient and easy it made my life until I had to rely on hitch hiking for transportation. I feel super strong, and like I could run for days, but my joints don’t agree. I tried to run yesterday, and immediately felt like I was being stabbed in the knees. I always felt fine enough while hiking, but almost five months of hiking has caught up to me, and my body is still trying to recover.
Friends!
I knew I’d make friends, but saying I just made friends doesn’t do any of those relationships justice. I always joke that my friends are I were like married couples, but realistically, we spent way more time together than married couples. We woke up together, hiked together (sometimes), and then went to sleep together. We suffered together, celebrated together, and had so many experiences that Muggles (non thru-hikers, sorry) will never understand. Uphill, Crafty, T.R., Wookie, you all helped shape the course of my hike. You were there for me when I needed you, and I can't even begin to explain how much all of you mean to me, and how much I value your friendship. I couldn't have done what I did without you, and I miss all of you dearly! I know we’ll all be friends for life! VIVA STRUGGLEBUS (eagle cry)!
Trail Magic
I have been truly blown away by the generosity of my friends, family, and total strangers. I can’t thank everyone enough for all of the support I received. I love you all, and it truly meant the world to me to have such an amazing support network at home.
Kellie Lingle
I wanted to start by thanking the one person who has helped me the most. Before my hike even started, I moved multiple times in order to save money. Kellie was a champ and helped me move at least 3 times (and will probably help me again when I return to Richmond). In addition, she also sat and listened while I had minor panic attacks about leaving, and to hours of excited gear talk (which she probably didn’t understand or care about). Once I was on the trail, Kellie sent me all of my food mail drops, most of which were on 3-4 days notice. She was also one of the only people who texted me consistently, and helped me feel like I had any connection to the non-trail world.
Mom & Dad
I’ll be the first to admit that my parents didn’t seem thrilled when I announced my plan to thru hike. I was met with “why don’t you get a real job instead”, and “why do you want to do this?”. My parents thoroughly surprised me, and came to my rescue many times when I needed help. They sent me a ton of gear mail drops, and drove all the way to Maine to get Sullivan and bring him home when he got injured. In addition, they’ve put up with a formal living room full of my living room furniture, bedrooms full of my other possessions and furniture, and are currently housing Sullivan and me while we look for housing in Richmond.
Friends, Family, & Strangers
If I took time to write paragraphs for everyone that helped me this blog post would be forever long! I really can’t thank everyone enough for supporting me, and helping make my dream come true! I don’t think I can ever really express how grateful I am.
Things I would do differently
I felt really good about most of the choices I made on my hike, but there were definitely a few drastic changes I would make if I could do it all over again.
Sullivan
Sullivan is a true champ. Kellie brought him to me right after the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee/ North Carolina, and he hiked with me until Maine. He’s truly an amazing trail dog. He’s built for endurance running, is intelligent, and is really great off leash. I would let Sullivan run in front of me, or hike behind me off leash, and he would (almost) always stay on the trail. He would consistently run circles around me, and loved hiking. Unfortunately, the rocks of the White Mountains and southern Maine proved to be too much for his paws. He got injured, stopped loving hiking, and I felt like a selfish, mean mother for putting him in that situation in the first place. While Sullivan was a great hiking dog, he added stress, financial strain, and having a dog in general was pretty limiting.
Gear
Overall, I was surprisingly happy with almost all of my gear. My tent, a Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 was amazing. My sleeping pad, an Exped synmat UL, survived being jumped on by Sullivan, and was extremely comfortable as well. I do love my sleeping bag (Marmot hydrogen 30), but would definitely choose a 20 degree bag over a 30. I used an Osprey Exos 48 backpack. While I do love my backpack, I would go with something different in the future. I do think my Exos was the perfect capacity, and I do love the back ventilation, but it was far from comfortable. I came home, got to examine my body, and all of the scars my pack left. I have hip belt bruises, shoulder strap bruises, and lower back bruises. My next pack will definitely be a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider pack. They’re super comfortable, lightweight, and waterproof! But, backpacks are very much personal preference, and knowing what works for you and what doesn’t.
Lasting impact
My hike has definitely changed me (I think for the better)! I learned just how mentally strong I am. I pushed myself to what I thought was my breaking point several times, but always managed to keep going. I’ve always loved nature, but living in the woods gave me way more appreciation. Through this I’ve started to be more conscious about sustainability and living with less. I also felt like a fairly competent backpacker/ hiker when I started. Wrong. I’ve learned so much about gear, and reading terrain and weather. I didn’t have nearly as much time as I thought I would have for introspection, but I still feel like I learned a fair amount about myself and the kind of life I’d like to live in the future. I’ve always had faith in humanity, but sometimes questioned it. Now my faith has totally been restored by the selfless generosity of complete strangers. More importantly, I’ve learned that being passionate and following my dreams, despite what others may think, is key to a happy life. When I first announced my plan to hike, so many of my friends told me they wished they could do what I was doing, and they could have. Quitting my job, and leaving my life for five months wasn’t easy, but it was a risk I was willing to take. I really believe that the greatest rewards do not come without risk. Andrea Singer sent me this quote shortly after I began hiking, and they’ve really become words that I live by, and strive to still live by in the future.
"This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find … themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. … they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.
Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.
Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? … Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”
Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe … life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path. "
I’m not sure what the future has in store, but I’m excited to see what comes next!
