This “Unprepared” Hiker Made It to Katahdin!

Hey everyone—long time no see! I know I dropped off of this blog very early on in my hike, but I did summit Mt. Katahdin on October 8th after completing all 2,193.1 miles of the Appalachian Trail. It became clear to me pretty quickly that I was not going to keep up with blogging. At the end of the day, I found myself wanting to hang out with my friends or wind down from a long day of hiking. When in town I found myself wanting to relax and not feel any need to write. I was putting pressure on myself to keep up with posts for the first few hundred miles, but I eventually let go of that and allowed myself to enjoy the hike without any expectations. Having said all that, I did want to follow up now that I’ve completed my hike and had some time to reflect.

The final steps of the descent down Katahdin.

Early on, I wrote a post about how much I was struggling during the first week of my hike and what a disaster my 5th day on the trail was. I lost my water filter, I was stranded in town in an expensive hotel room by myself, I had possibly the worst sunburn of my life, just to name a few things. Someone who is well-known in the hiking community commented on my post claiming that I wasn’t properly prepared and that this was why 75% of those who begin a thru-hike do not finish. I knew it wasn’t personal, but this did not sit with me well because I had spent hundreds of hours obsessively preparing for this hike. This person knew nothing about me, nothing about my mental fortitude. Lucky for me, instead of causing me to doubt myself, this lit a fire inside and I was more determined than ever to finish. Sure I had many hiccups in those early days but guess what – I found a shuttle out of town, I picked up a bottle of sunscreen at Mountain Crossings, I bought a new water filter in the next town, and I was stronger because of all of it.

The rocks on this trail were constantly testing me.

More than six months later I can safely say that I had days that were much worse than my “Day Five Disaster.” My pack was stolen in New Jersey and never found, I made a trip to the ER, I processed the end of a serious relationship, and I battled severe anxiety in New England. Through all of that, I never considered quitting or skipping a single mile. I learned how to deal with each hardship as it came my way and I pushed on with a stubbornness that I knew was going to lead me to Katahdin as long as I was physically able to walk.

New pack and gear after mine were stolen.

No one will EVER be 100% prepared for a thru-hike. If there is anyone out there who is thinking of attempting one, know that you can do it as long as you expect things to go wrong and are flexible and adaptable enough to pivot as those setbacks occur. Barring any injury or illness, there is nothing that will be thrown at you that you cannot handle if you want Katahdin badly enough. As long as you do not give up, you will learn and figure out the rest as you go. As long as you are willing to push yourself out of your physical and mental comfort zones, you will continue to move forward. Don’t doubt yourself, and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do this on your own because you absolutely can.

The climb up Katahdin.

Congratulations to the rest of the AT Class of 2021, and best wishes to the Class of 2022! Maybe I’ll be better at blogging my next hike 🙂