Hiya!

Well, hi! As you probably already know, my name is Colleen, and I will be attempting to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail starting May 2016. For my readers whom are unfamiliar with backpacking, and hiking culture in general, here are the key points you need to know:

  • The Appalachian Trail (also referred to as simply the AT) is 2,174 miles long and follows the spine of the Appalachian mountains.
  • The trail stretches from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katadhin, Maine.
  • A thru-hiker is a person who intends on hiking the entire length of the trail in one shot.
  • A thru-hike of the AT takes around six months.

OKAY. Now that we are all up to speed, I would like to answer the question I most often receive when telling people about my post graduation plans: why?

It’s not really a simple answer, or one I have a really good answer for. Truth be told I am not 100% sure, but what I do know is that I have an overwhelming desire to explore the mountains that I practically grew up in. There is something very intriguing about accomplishing a task as physically and mentally challenging as a thru-hike. Plus, hiking is my favorite extra curricular and being able to experience nature for six months straight kinda seems like a dream come true if you ask me. So, I figured that the time in between graduation and joining the real world would be the perfect opportunity to make my dream a reality.

I am lucky enough to have been given blog space on Appalchiantrials.com (Thanks, Badger!!!!) so I invite you to join me and follow my adventure on the AT! I promise that it’s going to be super fun!

Happy trails.

Weverton Cliffs, MD

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Comments 2

  • Nichole : Jul 22nd

    Sounds like we’ll be starting NOBO around the same time! Good luck with your prep, see you out there!!!

    Reply
    • Colleen Goldhorn : Jul 28th

      Looking forward to seeing you out there!!

      Reply

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