2022 Wrap Up

September 1, 2022

I am done tackling the Appalachian Trail for the 2022 season. After Labor Day I start teaching. The sections of the AT that I still need to do are too far from Williamsburg to do over a weekend, so I am now officially done with the AT until spring.

I have completed 1411.2 miles, and I have 781.9 miles to go! In the past sixteen months I have hiked 64% of the Appalachian Trail.

This year I have hiked alone and with friends, in cold and heat, in my home state and miles away from it. I have laughed with new-found friends, heard stories that would break your heart, and eaten lots of junk food.

I have hiked entire days without seeing another human being. I have successfully controlled my fear when I have bumped into snakes. I have learned that you can hike through really tough terrain if you just go slow and focus. But I have also cried at the very idea of staying completely alone at a shelter. So while I am braver now than I was when I began this adventure 16 months ago, I am still learning how to be strong.

I have learned that after days, weeks, or months on the trail everybody looks the same — scruffy and dirty. So when you sit down to talk with a fellow hiker over a meal at a picnic table, you have no idea whether that person is a successful Army surgeon or a high school dropout who is recovering from addiction. And people tend to not talk much about the background, instead focusing on commonalities.

And it is truly amazing how much we all have in common. We may not look at politics or religion or education in the same way, and we may have wildly different lifestyles, but we can still share a sunset or a campfire or a good joke or some candy. And facing being alone at a shelter overnight makes you really appreciate anybody who shows up, no matter how many tattoos they have or what unnatural colors their hair is. People are awesome, and we’re all doing the best we can.

On trail I have not solved world peace, I have not become a saint, and I have not even figured out how to prevent blisters! However, I have loved my time away from civilization. I have treasured the disconnect from our hurried culture. And I have especially valued connecting with random strangers on the trail. We have such a deep bond with all the other humans on this planet!

I do want to think everyone who has supported me with prayers, texts, emails, random comments, and inquiries. I especially want to thank my extremely patient husband, who has not only showered me with love and support but also dealt with this blog and generally maintained the homefront while I have been off chasing my dreams.

In 2022 I completed the following:

• I hiked approximately 100 miles of random sections in Virginia, officially completing Virginia (which is 25% of the entire AT!) at the McAfee Knob parking lot on April 23.
• I hiked all of Pennsylvania in late May and early June.
• I completed Vermont, hiking the 50 or so miles remaining from last year’s attempt in early August.
• I hiked all of Massachusetts in early August
• I hiked all of New Jersey in late August

I have now completed eight states in their entirety!

I have three sections of AT that I still need to do — one in the South, one in the mid-Atlantic, and one in New England.

• In the South I have the 267.6 mile section from Deep Gap, NC, to Indian Grave Gap, TN.
• In the mid-Atlantic I have the 128.2 mile section from Greenwood Lake, NY,  to Salisbury, CT.
• In New England I have the 386.1 mile section from Hanover, NH, to Jo-Mary Road in the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine. That is by far and away the most difficult section, and I will only attempt it with a hiking partner.

I have now completed 1411.2 miles — 64% — of the Appalachian Trail!

And what an adventure it has been!

Today is a great day for a long walk in the woods!