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26

Mar

2021

Day 8

My. Feet. Hurt. It was a beautiful day. I think I need to start branching out from my WE group. I like them but I feel like I’m missing opportunities to meet new people which is what I really wanted. We’ll see. I’m only a day or two from North Carolina!!! I can’t believe it. I need my foot to heal up and stop hurting though. It’s a deep ache. Sean did say my feet would hurt until December so maybe it’s just par for the course. I just found out I got selected to advance in the selection process for an amazing scholarship opportunity so that made me happy. I’m going to focus outward for a while. It gets exhausting constantly looking inward. I knew this trek would give me. A lot of time to think and I’d like to think about something else. I’m tired for once! 13+ miles today. This was our biggest day so far.

25

Mar

2021

Day 7

Hikers log! Took a zero. I was so against it but then watching the devastation of this storm I’m glad I did. It was a sunny and gorgeous afternoon and it took an angry old Marine and a Ranger to tell me I was taking the day off, whether I liked it or not. The beauty of having a trail family! Last night was my friend Liz’s last night. We all hung around after dinner and tried to console her, and after a visit to a doc today she found she does in fact have a fractured foot. It’s easy to judge people who get off trail, but when you see the turmoil one goes through when making the decision, it’s heartbreaking. I’m immensely grateful that my body is holding up so far. I have some plantar fasciatis stuff happening but I got the recommended insoles and I’m feeling good as new. Did my first resupply and my bag feels like it weighs 100 lbs, but I’m so excited to get back out there. The training wheels are off, the Warrior expeditions people take off tomorrow and we’re all in unchartered territory now. Out of the 3 new people this year I’m the only one left. And I found out that more than 300 people applied, so me still hanging tough is huge. So now we go out on our own and we will crush the next 2150 miles to Katahdin.

23

Mar

2021

Day 4

Writing this the day after! Day 4 was epic. The climb into the blood mountain wilderness had the most epic view. I got up early and it was still pitch black with a beautiful view of the stars, so i waited til first light and hit the trail. The sun was just rising over the most epic view point and just wow. I love it here. Then was the actual Blood Mountain which looked like a vicious climb on Guthook but wasn’t tooooo bad. Beautiful payoff. I was up there talking to someone in my group when a young man said ‘are you Appalachian emerald?? I follow you on Instagram!’ And it literally made my day. And now I have a new friend and feel a little famous ? love it. Such an amazing community out here. Then we got to Neel’s gap, where the famous shoe tree is where hikers hang their shoes if they quit their hike here, the first four days aren’t easy and it weeds out those who expected something else, are injured, or just decided for whatever reason not to go on. One man in our group is in this camp, I believe. I don’t think he’ll be joining us for the rest of the journey. So now it has gone from 9 to 7. The women now outnumber the men. I have found two members of the group who want to finish around the same time as me so I will push my completion date about a week to have a couple familiar faces around, unless we split for various reasons like pace. Still so stoked to be here, so stoked that I got 9 hours of sleep in a real bed, and that I’m out here doing this. Song of choice for today - bow and arrow by rueben and the dark

21

Mar

2021

Day 3

Another magical day. Trail magic of coffee and bacon and eggs was amazing after a few beautiful miles. Incredible views in the afternoon. Really starting to love this trail family and so grateful we’ll all be together for the next few days. Trying not to get preemptively sad that we’ll probaly part ways shortly after that. Got to woody gap and the guys made a fire, beers were had, dogs were pet, life was good. The song I had in my head all day was the long and winding road by the Beatles. I can see why people get addicted to this life. My tent is next to a tricking waterfall, overlooking a pond. The people are great, my feet and body are sore but healthy, my mind is in the game, I smell like campfire and tomorrow I get a shower and a real bed! Woody Gap

20

Mar

2021

Day 2

This morning we woke up to frozen tents! The rain froze as the temps dipped to 28. I couldn’t shut my brain off. Lots of trail magic today. I got an Orange. I walked through what felt like the tropics and some amazing trees and streams. When I finally got to camp a physical therapist fixed my foot and gave me an IPA. There were also dogs. My face is sunburned and my heart is full! Tented at cooper gap!

19

Mar

2021

Day 1

Approach trail complete!!! I had breakfast with my Warrior Expeditions group then we shuttled down to Amicalola Falls. I still can’t believe it’s real. I walked the 8.8 mile approach trail with a 37 lb pack and I feel great. My feet are a little sore but my body feels surprisingly good. I almost cried when I got to the top of SpringerMountain, the official beginning of the AT, and touched the first white blaze, signifying to official beginning of the Appalachian Trail. Met up with the rest of the WE group and hiked .2 miles to the shelter, set up camp, sat around, ate dinner and filtered water as the most rolled onto the mountain. Magical. Then I got into my tent moments before the rain started! Tomorrow is about a 12 mile day and I can’t wait to get up and do this again every day for the next 150 days ? The rain and a gentle thunder in the distance, along with my 15 degree sleeping bag and 30ish degree weather are making for the coziest sleeping environment ever. This is why I’m doing this! Song of choice for today: idioteque by Radiohead (this is really happening!)

2021 Appalachian Trail Thru-hike

Day 8

Day 7

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

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