I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail

I plan to hike the entire 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail starting in mid March 2023. Over the next 6 months or so, I will walk all day every day carrying about 20lbs of gear (3540 km and 9kg, respectively). I will walk up mountains and through streams, be eaten by bugs and eat too many ramen noodles, and be pushed to the limit in many different ways. A popular motto along the AT is "no pain, no rain, no Maine."

I have loved hiking and camping since I was a young Girl Scout. Sleep away summer camp was a huge part of my life for many years as a camper and staff (13, but who's counting). Camp was where I really started to appreciate how time outdoors can lead to personal growth, confidence, and leadership skills that extended beyond those wonderful summer days. At summer camp, I felt like a better version of myself, one who knew a lot of technical skills, could be loud and in charge as needed, sang A LOT of off key camp songs, and had a calm head in a stressful situation. Plus my slow roasted, golden-not-burnt marshmallow technique is *excellent*.

My first backpacking trip was on the Appalachian Trail with my college pre freshman orientation group, and we talked with several thru hikers and a local trail angel. At the time, I said about hiking the AT, "I could do this someday." The first mile with 1000 ft of elevation gain was rough; I'm not sure I had even carried my borrowed pack more than a few steps. With hindsight, my packing list from camping was NOT ideal for backpacking. It has been tough to balance pack weight and my over-prepared ways. After all, my camp counselor name was Scout, as in the motto "be prepared", due to my neverending backpack full of useful things. I've learned a lot since that pre orientation trip, especially over the last 2 years when I started planning my own trips and backpacking solo. At least I never forgot the same thing twice, and when (not if) I got lost I always found myself eventually.

Pictured: not my current gear set up, though the rainbow pillow pet makes it on car camping trips

Like many people in their mid 20s, the Appalachian Trail will be part of a broader transition time in my life. My post-trail life is a big question mark at this time since I'm leaving my job and moving cross-country, exact details TBD. It's a bit cliche to say that "finding myself" is a goal of this journey, though it's not wrong. I'm choosing to prioritize outdoor recreation now and in my future home.

The first questions I hear, upon telling someone that I'm hiking the AT, are "the whole thing‽*" and "by yourself‽". While it is certainly not easy, the AT is geographically accessible and draws quite a crowd between day hikers, National Park visitors, weekend warriors, section hikers, and thru hikers. What feels crowded on a trail is subjective, though it is reasonable to say that you will probably see several people every day and can choose to increase or decrease that amount. I will be starting in "the bubble" within the densest window of NOBO thru hikers and will not lack for company. One of my ongoing goals is to find community in the outdoors, and like another popular saying, "the trail provides." 

Happy hiking!

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*This punctuation mark is called an interrobang and I believe very accurately describes the tone of incredulity that accompanies these questions. Per Merriam Webster: interrobang • \in-TAIR-uh-bang\ • noun. : a punctuation mark ‽ designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question.