Quite Contrary

Hello, everybody!

My name is Mary, and I’m heading north on the Appalachian Trail in 2025.

I am so so excited to be writing here on The Trek, and I wanted to start off with a bit of an introductory post.

I know many of the people reading this are friends and family (hello!!), but if I’ve got any strangers reading, hopefully we’ll be a little more acquainted by the end of this post.

Packs Up? Hike On!

I went on my first backpacking trip when I was 13 years old to the beautiful Crabtree Falls. My brother was a Boy Scout (now Eagle Scout, holla!) and he and my dad took me out with them on a gorgeous fall weekend. The leaves were beautiful shades of orange and red, the waterfall was flowing with an immeasurable strength, and my life was never the same.

Soon after, I learned about the Appalachian Trail. I was enthralled by those people who spent months out in the woods, living life simply and finding courage mile after mile. At 13, I knew one day I had to do the same.

Following that first trip, I went backpacking every Halloween weekend and birthday until I left for college, always with my dad. We got snowed on, rained on, snuggled up in shelters with strangers, brought our (kinda insanely heavy) packs through rock scrambles and along exposed ridges.

Baby’s first backpacking trip! Shoutout to my brother (right), and the questionable photo quality of the early 2010s.

We made so many memories, and they live among my favorites to this day.

I went to college out of state, and didn’t spend as much time in the outdoors as I wish I had during my time there.

Between college years I did spend a summer working in Glacier National Park in Montana. I hiked more that summer than I ever have, and it was an incredible experience. I met amazing people, had adventures that high-school-Mary could only dream of.

I also gained confidence. After that, I knew I could do scary things, and that they would be worth it. I realized stretching my comfort zone and pushing myself to be brave resulted in memories and, more often than not, views that I would never forget. That summer was life changing, and I’m grateful for it (and miss it) every day.

I moved back home after I graduated, and began working at an outdoor outfitter. I pretty quickly was promoted to assistant manager, and that position has been so fun! I got to expand my gear knowledge greatly and help others become more confident and safe in the outdoors. I also worked with a lot of hikers, and there’s nothing quite like nerding out about walking thousands of miles with your coworkers.

After a few months, I realized the timing might finally be right. I gave myself a deadline for my job, and started really considering the AT.

I also got back into backpacking, logging about a trip a month. I got more comfortable sleeping in the backcountry, met some really cool people, and learned more about myself and the things that are important to me on trail.

As my time at home went on, my AT dream only grew.

I talked to my parents, siblings, and friends. I considered all of the possibilities. And I realized that if I didn’t do it now, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

So, I made it official. And look where we are now!

(A Little) More Than a Hiker

I love hiking, don’t get me wrong. Otherwise, this journey would be a really bad choice.

But I love a lot of other things, too!

I’m a writer by trade, having graduated with a Public Communication degree with a Journalism concentration. My honors thesis was a podcast focused on effective environmental communication with a historical context, and it was such an incredible project! I hope to build my career in that field.

I love writing, but as almost every writer would probably agree, I do it less often than I should.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to be blogging here for The Trek! I’ll hopefully have a bounty of stories to share and a reason to share them. (This is also my first time publishing writing without an editor, so please forgive any grammatical slips or structural calamities.)

I also read a lot, and while my 2025 goal of a book a week is feeling less and less reachable I also know I’ll have some good time for audiobooks while I walk. Please feel free to send recommendations my way!

I consume a lot of media, actually, and alongside audiobooks am a big fan of podcasts and music (mostly folk, like a lot of hikers I bet, but I’m also not ashamed to admit that my top genre has been showtunes for, like, 5 years running).

I’ve got a Spotify playlist that I’ll be updating on my hike by picking a song to represent each day. There are no rules, so if I find myself feeling “Fergalicious” three days in a row, you bet you’ll have that song playing three time in a row. Find it here if you’re interested, and again, please send recommendations! I’ll also be documenting my trek on Instagram, @mary.kueser, and I’d love to see you there as well.

My other hobbies are mainly craft-based. As I write this, I have a small pile of knitting and book-binding projects that I’m hoping to finish before I leave for my journey. I’m going to miss my craft time while on trail. Therefore, I’m bringing a wood carving knife and will explore a new-ish hobby in whittling! (Don’t worry, remember aforementioned Eagle Scout brother? I was trained on knife safety before I even had one of my own.)

Grapefruit the Trail Pig

Perhaps one of the most important features of my hike: I’m bringing a stuffed animal!

The ultralight-gram-crunchers just dropped their jaws. The old-school-traditionalists who scoff at the idea of comfort items are quaking in their full leather boots. I know, I know, it’s an unusual item to carry with you. But hear me out.

My little pink stuffed pig is named Grapefruit. He weights 3.5 ounces. He sits in the side pouch of my pack, often with salt-and-vinegar almonds and gummy bears.

Grapefruit sits proudly in the pocket of my ancient North Face pack. He will be with me on trail, unfortunately this pack will not :’)

He also puts a smile on the face of everyone who notices him. He provides a cute little snuggle on the really tough days. He listens when I talk. He’s there for the highs and lows.

I know some people still won’t get it, and that’s ok! But I feel less alone knowing I’ve got a mascot who will be with me from Georgia to Maine.

And So…

What else is there to share?

I like colors, my hiking outfits are as colorful as they can be.

I always carry a deck of cards because I’ve made tons of friends at shelters this way.

I’m usually cold. I’m really excited to hike through my home state again. I don’t have a trail name yet. I’m hoping to read through some Shakespeare while I’m on trail. I’m not a breakfast person but will make coffee every morning.

I’m terrified. And I’m so so excited.

And, last of all, I’m grateful you’re going on this journey with me. Thank you, and Happy Trails!

Until next time,
M