Who are Scooch and Tate?

 

The post you have been waiting so eagerly for! The post about who we are, where our trail names came from, and just random information on our thru hike! This is the story of Scooch and Tate!

The Favorite in this duo…

Of course we have to start with the one that you all secretly care most about. The infamous Tater Tot also now known as Baked Potato as he just received his trail name this past week! Tate is my 8 month old Aussie/Lab pup. Tate came home with me from Nuzzles Rescue in Park City when he was just 8 weeks old. Since then we have constantly been hiking and camping any chance we can get. Tate has put in an insane amount of miles in the past 6 months!

I constantly get asked if I believe that he is ready to hike over 2,000 miles starting in February. That is an easy answer… YES! You see when he was just 4 months old he accompanied myself and a group of friends on a multi-day backpacking trip up King’s Peak, the highest summit in Utah, and carried a weeks worth of food. That is a big reason why I have had him hiking with me since he was 8 weeks old. This Tot can truly handle anything! On that same backpacking trip he hiked 17 miles in one day through 2 insanely large hail storms!

Still weary of Tate attempting the adventure of a lifetime? Know that even recently on a multi-day trip from Springer to Woody Gap with temperatures dropping rather quickly, he handled it like a champ! That is where he got his trail name Baked Potato! The story behind it is quite simple. The temperature was a bit too cold so I tossed the SOL blanket over him which he snuggled up in. One of my trail friends quickly yelled out “He looks like a baked Potato!” It stuck.

 

The human…

Now to tell you about me. My name is Sarah, but you can call me Scooch. I originally started my thru hike September of 2019 going SOBO, but due to a previous climbing injury I had to come off in the 100 Mile Wilderness. After many MRIs and physical therapy I was able to return to the trail in March going NOBO, but due to Covid I came off the trail around mile 128. That is why I am thrilled to be returning to the trail this coming February!

So why Scooch? Well, when I was SOBO, I lapped a few NOBOers up Katahdin and one shouted out to me “We see you Scooch.” I turned around confused and they replied with “yes, Scooch, that’s you, keep on scoochin’ down those mountains and have a great trip.” I couldn’t believe I got a trail name. Honestly, after everything that has happened to me Scooch still fits me perfectly.

Here I am, now, only 2 months and 15 days from going back to the one place that makes me feel like home. Still jobless and more excited than ever for the adventure that I and Tate are about to begin! Truly can’t wait to share all these ups and downs! Until then, happy trails!