I read somewhere that a common topic of conversation, especially when first starting out on the trail, is the motives behind doing a thru-hike: “Why are you here?” “How did you get here?” Each person who takes on the trail does so for his or her own set of reasons and with different expectations and goals in mind. I am excited to have these conversations during my hike and hopefully share some of the stories with you. For now I will attempt to dissect my own reasons for hiking the Appalachian Trail and how I got here.
Growing up I always had an “end goal” of getting good grades, going to a good college, getting a good job and having a comfortable life. I worked hard and landed a position with a great start up company right out of college. I lived near NYC, traveled a lot, and had an adorable apartment and a boyfriend who was my best friend. I was really happy until I was not.
As time passed, I started to realize that the fast paced city lifestyle was not something I enjoyed. I was always sad leaving the office at the end of a beautiful day, knowing I had missed it all while staring at a computer screen. I would go home with a headache, too mentally exhausted to do anything. Weeks flew by, years flew by.
One evening, I came across an old friend online and reached out to him. I learned that he was living somewhat of a non-conventional lifestyle but was following his dreams and what really made him happy in life. Our conversations sparked something in me that to this day pushes me to go after what I want in life even if it seems out of reach.
I started to consider what really made me happy and began doing those things more. I tried rock climbing for the first time and fell in love with it, I went on hikes in the NJ area and in the Catskills, and on my first backpacking overnight since high school, I took my bike out and explored the NJ canal system and I went on long weekend trips across the country. I got scuba certified and went skydiving and I could not get enough adventure. I re-focused my finances and my free time into things that I loved and I realized that the only thing that would hold me back (what holds a lot of people back) is fear of change and failure. Letting go of that fear, I sold my things and moved to Colorado.
Being in Colorado has transformed my life even further. I have been fortunate in that I have been working part time since I moved here and have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time exploring the state- hiking, climbing and skiing in many beautiful areas. These experiences and the emotional euphoria they provide me has only reiterated in my mind that I am on the right path for me and that I need to keep pushing myself along.
Lily Mountain, Estes Park Colorado
In the future I plan to have a career related to the outdoors industry. There are a number of routes I can take, and I cannot even begin to speculate where I will end up, only time can tell. In the short term, my “next step” is to hike the Appalachian Trail. I am looking at the trail as my grad school, an education for where my life is headed. I know I have a lot to learn, I know it will be hard and I know there is no way I could completely prepare for this journey. I also know that I have the motivation and drive to overcome the obstacles that I will face and I have faith that I will finish with a sense of confidence and independence that I cannot even imagine. I can’t wait.
The AT Experience 