Tramily=Trail+Family

Early Days

We are relatively late starters in the season, which means we are kinda hustling to get up to Mama K before October 15th. Plus side to late-season means we do not have to worry about shelter/tent space as we are behind the ‘bubble’ of thru-hikers. It also means that our tramily is much smaller.

It is still early days, but at first, I struggled to find my place. I even reached out to a few of my nearest and dearest and expressed that I was struggling a tad with the tramily side. I’m pretty shy and ya only have an hour or two while doing evening chores to get to know people. Sometimes a couple of us will hike a little together and that provides an opportunity to chat more, but it’s work making new friends and just finding my place in general.

Trail Provides

The day after I spoke to framily about tramily, I hiked 12.5m in the rain to a shelter. When I got to that shelter, cold and soaking wet, there were two section hikers tucked up inside.

Enter scene: Peepers and Bouji.

Peepers (AKA Truth) is in bank management, and her boyfriend, Bouji (AKA Troy), is an Army vet turned college professor. We bonded over the banking, cold/wet day, interesting people that entered the shelter that evening, but the real connection was when I loaned Bouji my dirty spoon to eat his dinner-haha.

I actually met them for the first time a few nights back when they rolled into another shelter I was staying at with a pizza; that was the beginning of their section hike. As we were tucked up, chatting/keeping dry in the shelter, I found out they were taking a field trip up to Damascus, VA for Trail Days and asked if they had one room for one more. They said yes, and the adventure continued. We hiked 18.5 together the next day, getting to know each other better and enjoying the amazing scenery. The following day we took a long car ride up to Trail Days, which is all things AT (think vendors, music, food, pretty scenery-oh and tent city which goes on forever, heaps and heaps of tents). Meeting those two kind souls has been the best Trail Magic everrrrrrr!

Muchas Gracias! ✌️?

Since they are sectioning, our time together was short but sweet. Peepers and Bouji, if you are reading, thank you,  thank you, thank you for all that you did for me and the tramily! Much love! 

Over the next few days, the thru-hike tramily grew just a little bigger and tighter. We all had lunch together at the NOC which brought us all a little closer. Tramily is fluid, as we all ‘hike our own hikes’  which means paces change, injuries happen, and people come and go, but I am enjoying the one I have for now!

? Zipsss