Adventure on Deck: Appalachian Trail c/o 2017

Well, it's officially official...we head out in March to thru-hike The Appalachian Trail.  As in 10ish weeks from now.  It's a little unreal that we've actually decided to make a go of it. 

 Our holiday card photo & announcement of our plans to hike

Let's go back a bit...somewhere about 4 & 1/2 years ago I was working night shift at a little community hospital.  My managers were realistic and reasonable, and allowed for reading and/or studying during the late night hours when we had few patients.  At some point or another, I'd had enough of studying and began reading a book written by Kevin Runolfson, an average guy looking for the next steps in his journey.  He completed a thru-hike in 2001 with his dog, Rufus, and later created a short book from his trail journal called The Things You Find on The Appalachian Trail.  The story is basically of his walk Northbound ("NOBO") on the Appalachian Trail ("AT").  Erik had previously mentioned wanting to hike, and my response had always been "yeah, maybe someday."  And then...I read Kevin's book.  I recall coming home after a shift and telling Erik that I wanted to hike.  I don't think he believed me right away as at the time, I had no time for dreams.  Eventually he did believe me, though, and our dream to hike was born.

Over the course the next weeks we talked about [among others] what hiking would mean, what it would look like, when it would fit, what we would take from it, and the all important Why?  It seems that Erik got a lot of support as he told friends over the years that we wanted to do this one day.  I, however, got a lot of "WHY"?!  As in, why on Earth would you want to go wander in the woods for months on end?  We discussed the whys often and came up with some good reasons.  Eventually, I came across another book; Appalachian Trials:  The Psychological and Emotional Guide to Successfully Thru-Hiking The Appalachian Trail by Zach Davis.  In this helpful guide to preparation for a thru-hike, Zach suggests writing two lists before starting:  

The first is a list of Why I want to hike the Appalachian Trail.  The goal here is to share with family, friends, and followers what our motivations are.  This allows for support and the ability to ground ourselves when (not if) we have a bad day.  We can go back to this list and remind ourselves why we set out to do this in the first place.

Sari's List--I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail because...

1. I'm excited to try this Epic Adventure! 
2. It's the biggest goal we've had yet--I want to prove to myself I can accomplish it 
3. If I can do this, I can do Anything! 
4. I want to see what the trail will teach me 
5. Life is short and we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, so we need to live for today--Go do what you are driven to do 
6. To come away in the best shape of my life 
7. I would love to inspire someone out there to follow their dream!
8. To seek the following in a meditative, contemplative fashion:  If I am not for myself, who is for me? When I am for myself, what am I? If not now, when? 
9. Most importantly--I can do this, and I will for all those who can't!

Sari's List--When I successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, I will....

1. Be stronger than I ever imagined I could be
2. Have stories from one very epic adventure!
3. Be closer to myself
4. Have a deeper, stronger relationship with my husband
5. Overcome the fear of failure 
6. See the world as a new me, as a Thru-Hiker with less judgement and more acceptance

Erik's List--I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail because...

In progress

Erik's List--When I successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, I will....

In Progress

Additionally, we firmly believe that working to save money (while very important for a multitude of reasons) is not a lifestyle.  I've had a lot of people respond to  my  news that I'm leaving my position at work to go hiking for 6 months with something like, "Oh my gosh, so you're just going to leave?  What about the house, the dog, the bills, the responsibilities of life....That's amazing, good for you!"  I'm so grateful for the support I've received.  Most everyone has been excited for us, some have had really great questions which I'm really happy and excited to discuss, but I disagree with this notion that we're doing something that no one else can do.  You can do it (whatever you're putting of and telling yourself you can't), most of us just choose to not.  More importantly, we owe it to ourselves to chase our dreams and conquer our goals!

Notes on our plans/answers to frequently asked questions:

• We will take phones, though will only have service in towns and will upload blog posts while in towns
• We will NOT take a weapon--most hikers don't for a few reasons.  First, the community is almost entirely friendly and safe making them unnecessary.  Second, weapons are heavy, and every ounce counts.  Third, we don't have weapons, weapons training, or permits.  Fourth, this is a lesson in going with The Trail--She is unpredictable in every way, and we are at her mercy.  We will learn what she teaches us, and weapons are not part of the curriculum.
• We will do our business in the woods utilizing Leave No Trace Principles
• The Appalachian Trail is approximately 2,180 miles long beginning in North Georgia and ending in central Maine, and takes an average of 6 months to complete
• We'll be in towns once a week give or take, and will resupply in grocery stores and other shops as needed.  We'll carry about a week's worth of food at a time, and filter water from streams daily
• We will occasionally stay in a hostel or hotel (BED! & SHOWER!), and eat in town, but mostly we'll cook our food on a small camp stove and sleep in a tent

Find fantastic information on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's webpage 

  

We will continue to update over the next weeks as we prepare for departure, and also while on the trail (probably weekly updates or so).  Thanks so much for supporting us in this journey--we love and appreciate you more than you know, and we can't wait to share the experience with you!