Week 1 AT through walk in books

Slow and steady wins the race!

This week has been harder than I thought! After walking 46.2 miles during the week, it sure hurts pretty bad. I had to remind myself quite a bit that I’m going to be walking for 6 months and that starting slowly at first will pay off in the end.

Tramilia already?

Since starting at Springer Mountain, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some really interesting guys and have put in miles with them all week. Figuring out my routine and getting used to the road has been even better by having some friends to exchange ideas and share resources and good times 🙂

Having a Tramily allowed us to arrange a pick-up and hotel stay in Blairsville, which is where we are now relaxing for the night. There is a cold front and heavy rain, so having a hotel to relax and recharge has been a blessing. I haven’t really gotten any photos with the team yet, but when that happens, I’ll put them here. I’m sure we’ll get separated at some points over time, but that’s the beautiful part of the trail! We’re all headed to the same place!

How is?

I love the views, passing streams and waterfalls that I can jump over, and the people I’ve met along the way. Honestly, everyone is so kind along the way and it feels like a shared experience we’re all going through. People who just day hike have been walking constantly, encouraging us fellow hikers and asking us questions.

Some of the things I have had to work on and am still working on are things like sleeping comfortably, making sure I eat enough, and being responsible for the items I have with me.

Sleeping has been difficult so far. I’d say it’s started to gradually improve as the nights go on, but it’s not there yet. I toss and turn a lot at night and have been trying to find different ways to get comfortable. I have to be careful to test where I put my tent because if it’s on any kind of slope I’ll be uncomfortable all night. The first few days were very warm in the evenings, which was a bit surprising and made the transition more difficult. My shoulder since my surgery gets a little stiff at night, so I’ve been trying to find positions to feel better. I think this will improve over time, fingers crossed!

I have to be more purposeful with the calories and foods I put into my body while walking every day. I’ve been wanting to get my miles in and it’s been hard to remind myself to stop for a minute and eat something. I will say that I devoured an entire pizza at the Mountain Crossing vendor in Neel Gap, it was amazing!

I’m also not used to carrying so many things with me all the time that I forget a couple of things during the week. INCLUDING MY WATER BOTTLE!!! I left it at the first place I stopped on the road the first night, which made me feel really silly, but it wasn’t a catastrophic mistake since I was carrying a water bag that could hold up to 2 liters. I lost a couple more random items that made me want to kick myself, but I have to remind myself that it’s all part of the process.

Favorite things this week?

I had a very windy night at Jarrard Gap and I woke up because I had to pee and I saw this beautiful red moon. If I didn’t have to use the bathroom I would have missed it.

I also loved Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap. They offered showers for $8 and laundry service for $8 which came at the perfect time for my trip from stink to hiker, which was very ripe. They have a scale where you can weigh your backpack, I was 28lbs which I’m pretty proud of, it’s not entirely ultralight but I felt very strong! Plus, they have a nice tree where people who abandon their walk throw their shoes. It’s something like the 15% he gave up at that time, a shuttle driver named Gracie told me 🙂

Also, I’ll add this here, but I’ve loved having over-ear headphones for the trail, it’s been great to listen to my music while hiking but still hear my surroundings. I’m sure convinced of them haha.

Next week I hope to develop my routine even more and make more friends along the way. I’m not sure if I’ll put up the miles too much yet, I’ve enjoyed getting to camp early each day and enjoying the views.

Thanks for coming to my in-store talk!

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