Franklin to Fontana

My hiker hunger has officially set in. My blog might reflect food a lot this time around.

Two of my favroite people drove up to Franklin, NC during my zero day to keep me company and provide some encouraging words! We all slept in a motel in Franklin & hiked from Winding Stair to the top of Siler Bald together! Libby was Ooo-ing & Ah-ing the entire time (it was adorable), Justin seemed to love my hiking poles (being a quadropod) & they both seemed to really enjoy the foggy hike! We said goodbye and that night me & Noah made camp and successfully started a fire in the wet foggy conditions! The view when woke up with the mountain tops peaking through the fog was majestic! P.s. freeze died chicken gumbo is amazing! We ran into a trail angel that gave is bananas, fresh OJ & peanut butter cookies right before a 360 Panaramic viewing tower. 

1 down, 13 to go.

Day 7 through 12

Since I last blogged a lot has happened! I've met some beautiful souls & hikes some crazy hikes. The thing about doing something like this (thruhiking) is you get really intimate with the people you spend your time with. Privacy is rare, people's generosity continously grows and a bond seems to form stronger & faster out here then it does back in babylon. Everyone is hiking their own hike yet everyone is in this together.

Noah started hiking with me & EZ. He is an old soul from Indiana. He is phenomenal! The first night we were together we camped out at the cheese factory site on Tray Mountain with a handful of other hikers. Bonfire & group harmonica sessions went well into the night! The wind that night was wicked (no idea how my tent didn't get blown off that ridge).

Week one & still walking to Maine :)

Today is day 6 that I've been on the trail. So many things have happened. And my life has already changed!

My mother and sister drove me up to Amicalola so that we could register and grab some snickers! Then we drove to springer and started from there! The first day was a lot of fun! Met a few awesome characters that keep popping up!

Last day in Babylon.

I leave tomorrow morning.

I'm about to take a very long walk in the woods, with hopes of making it to Maine. 

I've gotten every reaction possible about my upcoming trip... The consensus seems to be that most people wish they could, but never will, and that i'm crazy (which i'm in no position to deny). I know that the journey I'm about to take is a road less traveled, one that will shape the rest of my life. I am equal parts excited & nervous! Id like to thank everyone who is following my journey!

I've triple checked all of my gear. I can boil a cup of water in under 5 minutes. Heet seems to be the best fuel for my homemade alcohol stove. My pack is lined with a trash compactor bag in hopes of keeping most of our belonging dry when the sky decides to open up on top of us. And we have enough thermals to keep us warm throughout the horrid flip flopping weather through georgia & the smokies. My pack is packed to the brim, I know some of it will be sent home, it'll be interesting to see what I don't actually end up needing. I'm afraid my cooking pot is to small, but luckily I can remedy that in 4 days at mountain crossing if that's the case.

Dear family & friends

Over the next six months I will meet some amazing characters, I will see and experience things that i'll remember for the rest of my life, and ill have one heck of an adventure. But there will be days or weeks that will be extremely taxing and rough, mentally and physically. So if you get a phone call in a few weeks and i'm homesick or discouraged that is normal. give me a few words of encouragement, tell me to pick my chin up and keep walking!

       The First Big Change

       I chopped off a good portion of my hair in an attempt to make it more manageable during the next six months in the woods. It'll help prevent a billion knots and hopefully detour some ticks! I loved my long hippie mane, but having short hair is actually really refreshing & will be a godsend on the trail!