How to Talk Your Mom Off the Ledge Before Your AT Thru-Hike

It’s common sense that living in the woods for 4-6 months isn’t exactly deemed safe by a majority of moms, and if your mom is anything like my mom then she is absolutely freaking out about the dangers of the trail. So, to help calm the nerves of all the trail mothers out there, I have compiled a little list of things to say (and not say) to your mom before you head out:

1. Rattle snakes only live on SOME parts of the trail.
   (I didn’t say anything about copper heads…)
2. I’m always close to a town! (Four days of hiking and a short hitch hiking experience from a stranger that is.)
3. I will call every chance I get. (Once a week at 1AM when I miraculously find phone reception.)
4. I will be hiking with trail friends. (You mean those people who look and smell homeless?)
5. Black bears are harmless. (Famous last words before they steal all of your food.)
6. The trail is well marked and I have a guide book to help me. (I only walk the wrong direction for half the day sometimes.)
7. I get to sleep in shelters every night. (They have a whole three sides and I get to cuddle with mice, snakes, and smelly strangers!)
8. I will be eating well and working out every day! (4 beers, 7 snickers, and 3 Belgium waffles: the newest diet trend.)
9. It’s just a little walk in the woods. (That involves massive elevation changes, cliffs, poison ivy, ticks, and river crossings.)
10. It will be one of the greatest thing I will ever accomplish. (The woods are calling and I must go.)

Shout out to my trail mom- Thanks for always letting me rant about my latest hiking adventure and always being there to remind me to pack extra snacks! xoxo