Summary after Day 63

There is a kind of magicness about going away and then coming back all changed.
~Kate Douglas Wiggin

November 13, 2021

Winter is coming, and my Appalachian Trail adventure is finished for this year. I am putting away my hiking boots until spring.

This has been an amazing year for me. I started out on the Appalachian Trail in early April thinking that I would thruhike the entire 2193.1 mile length. After hiking 117.2 miles I left the trail and headed home, discouraged and confused. A friend encouraged me to get back out on the trail, and I have not looked back! I have spent the past seven months hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.

The story of my trek by the numbers is as follows:

• Section 1: Springer Mtn (GA) to Deep Gap (NC) — 85.0 miles
  • Hiked in late September
• Section 2: Indian Grave Gap (Erwin, TN) to VA Rt 16 (Marion, VA) — 181.7 miles
  • Hiked in two parts, one in early April and one in early September
• Section 3: Atkins (VA) to Dismal Creek (Bland, VA) — 64.5 miles
  • Hiked over two 3-day weekends this fall
• Section 4: McAfee Knob parking lot (near Roanoke, VA) to Penmar Rd (0.1 miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line) — 356.5 miles
  • Hiked in bits and pieces in May and June
• Section 5: VT Rt 30 (Manchester, VT) to Hanover, NH — 97.0 miles
  • Hiked in late July
• Section 6: Jo-Mary Rd (100 Mile Wilderness) to Mt Katadin (Maine) — 56.0 miles
  • Hiked in late August

In summary, in 2021 I hiked 840.7 miles of the Appalachian Trail. I spent 63 days on trail, and I averaged 13.3 miles per day. My longest day was 28 miles.

I have hiked sections of the AT in nine states. I have hiked alone and with hiking partners. I have seen snakes and thunderstorms, efts and sunshine. I have shivered in temperatures well below freezing and roasted in temperatures well over 90°. I have been enchanted by wildflowers and driven to tears by soul-sucking mud. I have been frightened out of my mind. I have learned how brave I really am.

I started hiking in the spring before the leaves came out. The wildflowers fascinated me.

I finished my journey in the fall, surrounded by brilliant foliage.

I have loved the diversity of the Appalachian Mountains. I have walked through poor rural hamlets in Tennessee, wealthy college towns in New Hampshire, a sad old mill town in Maine, and abandoned manufacturing centers in the South. The one constant in every region is cows. I have seen at least one cow in every state I have hiked in!

The best part of hiking the trail actually was not the wildflowers nor the easy rhythm of walking mile after mile. The absolute high point of my time on the trail was meeting all the different people, conversing sometimes for five minutes on the trail but sometimes for an hour or two around a campfire or even longer while trying to get to sleep in a shelter! Spending time with this amazingly diverse group of people was a delight, a challenge, and a gift.

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My hike has been highly disjointed. I hiked different sections depending on what was convenient for me, and what worked for my different hiking partners.

Most people start in Georgia and head north. I had hiked over 700 miles before I walked under the arch at the start of the Appalachian trail.

Usually Katahdin is summited at the end of an AT hike. I summited after about 600 miles on the Appalachian Trail!

Surprisingly I did most of Virginia at a “normal” time in late spring and early summer with the mass of northbound thruhikers known as “the bubble“. I loved interacting with so many people on the trail!

My time on the trail truly has been the best of times and the worst of times, ranging from great conversations and wonderful sunrises to never-ending mud and scary nights. The solitude was sometimes a gift and sometimes extremely frightening. I did ask myself, “Are we there yet? “ more than a few times!

I really appreciate of all the support I have received from my family, my friends, and the many strangers I have met along the way. Over the course of this summer people have blessed me in many different ways, and I am incredibly grateful!

Thank you specifically to those who have prayed for me and/or reached out to me. Your support means so much to me. Your enthusiasm for my crazy venture has been a huge encouragement to me.

I also want to give a shout out to the friends and strangers who have provided me with rides, food, and companionship. The smiles and support of strangers have been a welcome and unexpected part of my journey. I want to particularly mention the many anonymous people who replenish the water stashes along the AT. I have no idea who you are, but your act of kindness means a lot to thirsty hikers! So many people have been so generous!

I want to especially thank my daughter Lauren, who has diligently posted over 70 of my blog posts! Thank you!

And this wonderful summer would not have been possible without the never-ending support of my very patient and encouraging husband. I am so grateful that he supported my crazy adventure. He not only kept the home fires burning but also was a constant source of encouragement and love.

“The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.“

Hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail has been a wonderful, scary, and awe-inspiring adventure. I am finished hiking for 2021, but I will resume spending time on the Appalachian Trail next spring!

And this summer has truly been a great season for a long walk in the woods!