Making presentations, fighting fears: The Trek

Hello everyone, I’m Sara. This is my first blog post about The Trek and I’m excited to be here. I will be embarking on what I hope will be a NOBO hike on the Appalachian Trail in April 2026. With my start date quickly approaching, I thought it was time to introduce myself. I am originally from Kentucky and have lived in Tennessee for the past three years. I have loved hiking and spending time outdoors for much of my life. I hope you follow my journey.

Things I’ve done to prepare for the hike

• money saved
• quit my job
• I almost chickened out and asked for my job back.
• I taught my husband how to wash clothes.
• I gave my cat a pep talk
• I kept all my backpacking gear in the corner of my one-bedroom apartment and stared at it for three weeks.
• I defended my life decisions to imaginary people in my head.
• I booked my stay at the Amicalola Lodge.
• I wrote this blog post

Do we feel safe? Well, me too.

My knee injury

I have been planning my 2026 Appalachian Trail hike for the past two years. So, I thought that when my start date finally arrived, I would be over the moon with excitement. But an unexpected knee injury a few months ago has contributed to his hesitation about starting this journey. During the summer of 2025 I started training for a marathon. Things were going great for a while, but increased mileage gave me persistent knee pain that I eventually couldn’t ignore. An MRI confirmed Hoffa fat inflammation in my right knee.

Although I was initially relieved that I didn’t have a stress fracture (as my doctor predicted), I learned that Hoffa disease can be a delicate injury that is sometimes difficult to correct. Cause? It is likely due to a multitude of factors, including overuse, poor positioning of the kneecap, and weakness of the supporting muscles. I stopped running in November and have spent the months since my injury strength training and doing the physical therapy exercises that were provided to me. My knee feels good, but not great. The stress I feel because my knee doesn’t feel good doesn’t feel good either. But despite everything, I keep going.

Final thoughts

I hope everything turns out well. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Learn more about mksc. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.