Take the Smallest Path & Always Go Up

Things are about to get real.

We have no camping experience, are notoriously lazy, and do not have all of our gear. We are adopting the Couch-to-5K model in that we will be going straight from the couch to the Appalachian Trail. We leave, appropriately, on April Fool’s Day. But on the upside, we’re super good at eating junk food and spending all day walking around, talking about how awesome we are. So it’s safe to say we’re starting at a neutral point.

Get it?

Over the past couple of years, we’ve traveled the world together. We’ve eaten pumpkin lasagna in Venice, rode motorcycles in Munnar, watched the sun set in Reykjavik and sprawled in front of earth’s coolest fountain in Barcelona. During our adventures, we developed two rules that have served us well: always take the smallest path, and always go up.

Sometimes literally.

In Barcelona, this took us to the top of Mt. Tibidabo. There was a mysterious light at the top of the mountain that had followed us all around the city. Being naturally curious, we hiked up to find out what it was. Our smartphone conveniently ignored all of the nice, gently winding roads filled with cyclists and joggers and left us with a vertical trench to scale. We knew we were in trouble when a couple with trekking poles passed us… and then again when we were surrounded on all sides by cacti.

Whatever is on the other side better be worth it.

But when we finally reached the top, we found the literal light (a gorgeous church) and across from it, the third-oldest theme park in Europe. We rode a roller coaster that crested over the whole of Barcelona, showing us in one sweeping moment what we spent half a day conquering.

It was the kind of adventure you want to have every day. So, we decided we should. Live life like it’s vacation, drink in every great and beautiful thing, go to places we’ve never dreamed of and experience it all. So that’s why we’re thru-hiking the AT. It will be an epic new journey for us, and we can’t wait to get started.