Dusting off my trail name

I set foot on the Appalachian Trail a year ago, on March 22, 2025; reaching the summit of Mount Katahdin four months later.

The return to everyday life was abrupt. There were so many things to readjust to, from keeping track of my car keys after carrying all my belongings in a backpack for months, to having to regain comfort in the downtime after starting and ending each day with the goal of getting to Katahdin.

I finally regained my footing this winter, enjoying the stability and routine found in seasonal work, with my 5-9 filled with outdoor activities thanks to living in a trail town. Check out yhbg. I enjoy cooking real food for myself, starting each day with a shower and ending with the comfort of a bed.

The more time passed since Trail, the more I was able to process how the experience of a hike makes you grow. You don’t step back into society as a completely different person, but you slowly start to notice how you relate to others and respond to situations differently than before.

Whether I present my real name or my route name, the AT stays with me in everyday life.

It has made me a stronger athlete, taught me how to better compartmentalize stress, and I am more confident in my decision making.

The AT introduced me to people and experiences that I would never have been exposed to under other circumstances – it was the adventure of a lifetime and exactly what I was looking for.

Part of me felt comfortable at home, since the burning itch to earn the title of hiker disappeared months ago. I still grimace every time I walk past packages of tuna in the supermarket.

As I hiked the AT, I knew there would be more hikes to come; I wanted to experience the freedom, camaraderie, and cultural and environmental immersion found through hiking. Too tempting despite how comfortable the roof and bed may be, and I wanted to spend another summer walking across the country.

The more I learned about CDT, the more my fascination grew.

Every time I met someone who talked about CDT, they had a trace tattoo or a hang tag on their backpack; I would have the same sense of wonder I experienced when I encountered hikers while hiking the AT section in Maine. They had navigated deserts, alpine areas, snow, lightning, gray areas and remote areas for months, something truly rough in my eyes and something I aspired to do.

I loved the Green Tunnel of the Appalachian Trail and the familiarity with the East, but I felt the pull of the adventure that comes with the Wild West.

Hiking exposed me to a unique way of traveling as I was able to engage with environments and communities in a way that tourism cannot replicate. It’s been years since I’ve traveled west, and a big part of my motivation for hiking the CDT comes from wanting to see the national parks of the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier through the lens of a hike.

This spring, I will hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) north from Mexico to Canada.

New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Between 2,300 and 3,100 miles, depending on alternatives. High routes, low routes.

I hope everything is marked until 11.

I hope to go from one unknown extreme to the next, from desert to altitude to grizzly bear country; and learn to adapt to the weather, logistics, and skills needed to navigate each accordingly.

I’m told the highs will be higher and the lows will only be lower. The AT pushed me through extremely difficult times, but the thought of quitting never crossed my mind. I am fully anticipating the brutality of the CDT to push me to my physical and mental limits.

The CDT always felt out of reach.

Too remote, too dangerous, too far from my east coast element.

But the AT showed me that I could do really difficult things, but the risks, difficulty and beauty of the CDT alone make the adventure worth it.

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