the WHAT and the WHY.

This summer I turn the big four-o…that’s right folks, FORTY!  

I think anytime you approach a big milestone birthday, it is totally natural to do a little self-evaluation.  About six months ago, I started thinking, “what exactly have I not accomplished or tried or done or seen yet in this crazy, wonderful life that I thought I already would have at 40?”  It’s a big question. 

For me, there was one very clear answer – the Appalachian Trail.   At some point during college, I got really obsessed with reading travel narratives and one of my most favorite writers in this genre was Bill Bryson.   A copy of A Walk In The Woods made its way into my hands and after reading it I thought, “I have to hike this trail”.  Many, MANY years passed since I first read that book and later watched the movie, but I still thought about that trail from time to time.  I got a job, fell in love, got married, bought a house, had kids, built this beautiful life, but I still thought from time to time about that damn trail.

Brandon checking out the view before
we sat for hours in a cloud. 

In September of 2022, Brandon and I went to Asheville for a long weekend to celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary.  I had done some research on hikes and read online that Max Patch has one of the most beautiful views and I was desperate to see it.   We threw a guitar, a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and some snacks into the car and drove about an hour from our airbnb to check it out.  Brandon bravely drove us up a twenty minute winding dirt road in which we saw a bear scamper across the road in front of our car.   We nervously wondered if we would ever reach the end of this road  and what I had gotten us into this time, but eventually we made it!  The view was beautiful but quite quickly a thick fog settled in and you could actually see NOTHING, which was HILARIOUS.  We laid in a field and Brandon played guitar while I drank champagne and we enjoyed having no responsibilities for a bit.  A couple of hikers walked by and I said hello and we began to chat.  They told us that they like to hike the AT on the weekends.  “OH WOW”, I said, “that’s so cool! How close is the AT to here?”  They looked at me like I was an insane person and said, “ummm you are sitting on it…”.   Who knew!? And that was the first time my feet touched the trail and this glorious idea started taking shape.

I get my best ideas while
drinking champagne.

The rational part of my brain knew that I never going to be able to take six months away from my family or my job to go and walk 2200 miles on a thru-hike.  That just wasn’t going to happen.  Honestly, I don’t think I even want to live on packs of oatmeal and pee in the woods for six months anyway.  It was time for a new plan, a more doable plan.  As I approach this fortieth birthday of mine I kept thinking to myself, “JUST START”.  So that’s what I’ll do.  The goal is to section hike the Appalachian Trail and work it into my lifestyle over many hikes and many years.  The dream is to keep returning to the trail and pick up exactly where I left off on the previous hike until one day, I find myself standing on top of that big wooden sign at the top of Katahdin in Maine.

The next question… who the hell is going to do this with me?  It can’t be my husband…someone has to take care of the kids (thanks Brandon!).   My friends mostly think I am insane (especially when I told them about buying a poop shovel and that there is no wine on this walk).  It could only be one person, my mom Janet.  I first brought this up to her over a couple of cocktails back in October and I almost fell out of my chair when she said “Sure” without even thinking twice about it.  Best mom ever!  Janet is an exercise enthusiast and in rocking shape but is new to the camping/not washing your hair for a week part.  Me? I hadn’t exercised at all since Julia was born (THREE YEARS AGO), but I love the outdoorsy part and a good challenge.  A perfect ying yang power duo. 

Me and my brave momma testing out
our new home away from home.

Over the past six months, I have been working out with a trainer once a week and getting this body back into gear.  Mom and I have had endless phone chats about bears, food, hiking boots, filtering water, bears again, sleeping pads, snakes, biodegradable toothpaste, bears again...the list goes on and on.  We have been super lucky to have friends to lend us some gear so we aren’t giving REI all of our money at once and we are so thankful for everyone that has helped get us ready.  

Shoutout to my coworker Sandy who sat on the floor of my office and taught me how to filter water and is letting me borrow a pack.  Shoutout to the Mitturas for hooking us up with a tent and all sorts of other good stuff.  Shoutout to my dad, Tom, who has graciously agreed to let me kidnap mom for a week and be our drop off and pick up mountain shuttle service. 

I still am kind of in shock that this plan has come together and that we are actually doing this!  There was no more perfect week to disappear into the mountains with your mom for a week than the week before Mother's Day.  No matter what happens on this crazy hike, I am so grateful for my mom for joining me on this adventure.  Here goes nothing!