Appalachian Trail Sign

As a 21-year old I thought I knew it all and could do it all, that is, until I tried to hike from Georgia to Maine. Take it from me, if you ever want to reveal your ineptitude and ignorance then consider hiking the 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail.

I had very little experience when I started the trail, my longest backpacking trip had been an overnight, but that didn’t deter me. I had grown up in Hendersonville, North Carolina a few hours away from the AT and I knew that after college, I was headed straight to Georgia. For me the trail meant putting off a job, having a great adventure, and making new friends.

What I hadn’t counted on was how hard it would be. I didn’t expect my body to hurt every morning and my shoulders to scream under the weight of a pack. I hadn’t calculated that the mountains would be quite so high or that the early spring weather would be quite so cold.

Mountain Laurel with Snow Dusting

But I could handle the physical challenges. I could handle being struck by lightning and hiking through two feet of [Read More]