Sharing Fun Facts About Myself.

I hate this.

You know those “team building” exercises when a new group gets formed, where they suggest we go around the room and everyone share a fun fact about yourself, something interesting that gets everyone excited to work together? Gross.

I’m not very good at talking about myself. I freeze and spit out the most generic response when someone asks what I’ve been up to. “Oh, not much, living the dream.” So introducing myself AND announcing a very fun fact about myself (doing an Appalachian Trail thru-hike) has given me a little anxiety.

Get over it!

There’s no reason for it, the anxiety. I’ve encountered nothing but the positive when it comes to this community. So this is my chance to get over it, share who I am, and what I’m doing, and try to explain why I’m doing it. Plus, I actually have a lot of really fun fucking facts about myself.

Hi, I’m Naomi…

I’m a married Mom of two teens. Full-on teenagers. So, a perfect time to run away to the woods, right? I have three dogs and have been told I can’t have anymore. I am a Navy veteran. I am an artist. Currently, I’ve been working as a cake decorator for the cutest little nonprofit bakery that educates and employs folks with disabilities.

I’m currently living in Virginia right on the coast, read: barely at sea level. Growing up in Southern California I could look in any direction and see mountains. Now I drive 4+ hours to see them. As long as I get out there regularly, I’m ok. The cool thing about those mountains 4+ hours away is the AT runs right along those bad boys, so I’ve had the privilege of spending some good times on the trail already.

I’ve done a fair bit of traveling/ adventuring. I did the Red Bull 400 in the Black Forest of Germany. I rode go-carts through the streets of Tokyo dressed as Luigi from Super Mario Bros. I went horseback riding in Iceland through the most beautiful part of the world I’ve ever seen. Scuba diving while I lived in Cuba. Hiked some epic trails in State and National Parks.

Adding a thru-hike to my list of fun facts.

Now that I’ve spent some time hiking pieces of the AT since living on the East Coast, I have been looking at the idea of doing the complete trail for a while, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do when the kids were little. Plus, my husband’s work has had him out of the country more than in it for most of our marriage it seems, and I was needed here. The time is here when the kids are older, my husband’s work schedule can avoid travel for a while and I’m physically at a good place to attempt this.

“Why ask why”

I can’t really put into words why I’m doing it. People keep asking. I don’t have one reason, I have a thousand reasons. But it comes down to I just want to do it and I think I can. Nothing really deep or revealing there. But it’s the truth.

Getting excited!

So I’m a few weeks out of my start. I’m excited and nervous. I’m ready to have the experience of a lifetime.

I’m not a gear fanatic so I probably won’t have a gear list coming your way, but I’ll shout out a particularly good piece as I go if it seems warranted. I feel prepared and comfortable with my setup.

That’s a lot about myself. Dang.

See you out there on the trail!