Bitten by insects: why I’m hiking

The error

A couple of years ago I spent the night at Wood’s Hole Hostel, a place intended for hikers on the Appalachian Trail, but I wasn’t a hiker at all. Instead of walking tired and covered in dirt like most of their clientele, I was driving my friend’s trusty Prius, who was out of breath after we dragged her across a few miles of scattered gravel roads. The owner of the hostel seemed confused to see such clean and comfortable children strolling from the outside world towards her hidden sanctuary. Although we didn’t exactly fit in, we asked a lot of questions and soon became captivated by this new world we found ourselves in.

People often come to the Appalachian Trail. It is not a hidden secret, it is not intact, it is not written about. But despite the trail’s popularity (over three million hikers a year!), not everyone is “bitten by it,” as my hiking friend would say. That experience at the hostel, my brief encounter with the world of hiking, was the mistake that made me feel good.

I knew I had to walk everything and I had to do it soon.My friend Audrey (left) and I (right) after arriving at Wood’s Hole Hostel in Virginia.

the bite

Once bitten, the victim must decide how to proceed. The first sign might be consuming a lot of YouTube videos about the trail and reading countless accounts of attempted hikes. Then before you know it, you’re getting nerdy about the equipment at an REI. At some point in that journey, it’s time to decide. Am I really going to do this?

I’m not the type of person who almost does something. Quite often I find myself being a passionately committed person. This stubbornness doesn’t always do me a favor, but in cases like this, It made me create a plan to hike the AT northbound directly after I graduate from college, which is in about 100 days.

North

As this dream gets closer and closer to reality, I still feel like that inexperienced, squeaky-clean visitor who confuses and perhaps infuriates the people who visit. in fact hikers, in fact outdoor activities, in fact engaged. I’m only 21, I don’t have more than a few overnight backpacking trips under my belt, and I’ve never been known for being the athletic one in any group I’m in. I feel like an imposter quite often. But when a trip like this discovers your name and starts saying it, there’s not much you can do before you give up and find yourself under the arch at Amicalola Falls State Park, just days after completing a bachelor’s degree in English.

It feels like a decision out of my control.as if I were a mere spectator watching them drag me towards Maine, whether I like it or not. I had never been to Maine before. You could also walk there.

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