World’s Most Mediocre Hiker

Hey! I’m Traci Withani (trail name Purple Lotus) and I am the world’s most mediocre hiker. Now, before you get all ‘awww’ on me, let me explain. I remember when I was a kid and I’d walk through a gift shop and see a rack of “World’s Greatest” mugs. Besides thinking about the logical fallacy of selling more than one mug in each category, I would think about the people who would receive those mugs. Would I ever be given one? What would I be the ‘best’ at?

Fast forward to my adult life where on any given day you could find me trying to be the world’s best mom, daughter, wife, friend, family member, business owner, housecleaner, chef, volunteer, neighbor, pet parent, savvy shopper, caregiver, educator, crafter, laundress, citizen, gardener, errand runner, advocate, carpooler, and friendliest person you ever met, usually exhaustingly all at the same time. And then one day, I saw it. It was probably on social media, the details escape me, but I clearly remember what I felt when it first came into view. It was a mug that said “World’s Okayest Mom”.

This was a mug I wanted to be deserving of more than any other titular mug I had ever seen. There were so many levels behind it. First of all, let’s face it, it means you’re not the worst. That’s a nice relief. But, you might say, it also clearly says you’re not the ‘best’, isn’t that bad? Well, I don’t see it that way. To me, receiving that mug would mean that it was noticed that I did my best and my best is enough. It would mean that I prioritized experiences over appearances. It would mean that I cultivated an environment where being real is more important than being perfect, where people have good days and bad days and either way they are still loved for exactly who they are. That, in the end, I was not only ‘okay’, I was the ‘OKAY-EST’!

Is this a mug website, I thought this was The Trek?

Yes, yes, I have a hiking point to make with all this. For a long time, I’ve compared myself too much to others who adventure outdoors. I would get all up in my head every time I got passed by someone hiking faster than me. I would watch videos of people effortlessly scrambling up rock formations without even a sweat stain on their shirt, meanwhile I often have to mop my brow just getting a fully loaded backpack on. I saw the glorious summit pics of exotic and faraway places while I’m just living in the Midwest (the highest point in my state is only 1,700ft). I see the strong and experienced backpackers in their perfectly matched gear, while most of the time I look like I’ve cobbled together a look out of a ‘lost and found’ box somewhere. I thought I was ‘less than’, hated to take pictures of myself on trail, and have been waiting to be outed as an imposter to the outdoor world for being so unexceptional.

But you know what I’ve come to realize? I am me. I am not the fastest hiker, but I’m not the slowest. I’m not the youngest person enjoying the outdoors, but I’m not the oldest. I’m not the most experienced backpacker, but I have learned some amazing things. And even though my body sometimes lets me down, it also makes me incredibly proud, too (same with my brain). I just may be the WORLD’S OKAYEST HIKER! (I’m assuming the mug for that is titanium).

So, what can you expect from this mediocre hiker?

First of all, how amazing is The Trek for having this space for ALL KINDS of people to blog about their adventures? Yes, even middle-of-the-road people like me have a voice here. The first thing I’m going to do with my time at The Trek is share my journey as I hike the Appalachian Trail NOBO in 2024 (meaning northbound from Georgia to Maine). And while that may not be a rare thing anymore, I can promise you a fresh and funny perspective on it as I document my travels. For the past couple of years, I’ve been sharing my backpacking triumphs and tribulations on my social media (@emPLOWered) and the feedback I’ve gotten from those who know me (and a few total strangers that have stumbled across my stuff) is that my storytelling style allows them to be there right with along with me, enjoying many laughs and even a few tears.

I like to share with the audience in mind, and usually I’m envisioning the audience being myself several years ago, a novice backpacker full of questions and having never set foot on a mountain of any kind. I like to define terms as I go, so don’t worry if you’ve never hiked on the AT (or even if you never want to!), I’ll never leave you wondering what a ‘nero’ or an ‘aqua-blaze’ is or any other hiking/AT terminology. I LOVE to tell stories of the people I meet, and that makes for fascinating content, since every person has something special and interesting about them (even if sometimes it’s just how loud they snore in a shelter!). I will do my best to keep my posts regular and varied, I mean you can only post about how steep a day’s climb was a couple times before it becomes, tedious right? I love to take pictures along the trail, not just of beautiful vistas but also bugs, animals, faces in trees, people, places, and that dang mole on my left shin that I always think is a tick, so I’ll share lots of pics with you as well. I promise I will be 100% honest and transparent, so you’re going to be right there with me on the hard days with all the rain and the broken trekking poles and the frustrations as well as the perfect days with the perfect weather and endless views. And in that spirit of honesty, I should probably also tell you I’m also likely to be pointing out all the funny place names along the way, especially those with ‘dick’ or ‘knob’ in them, because I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old boy.

But most of all, I promise I will never quit.  That’s a bold thing to say, but I’ve been sealing up all my exits off that trail as best I can. I’ve made it a point to be very public about what I’m doing (writing here at The Trek is part of that plan). I’m doing the work, making plans but staying flexible. I’ve assembled a support team. I’m getting my head right, doing daily affirmations and mental prep work to ensure success (‘Appalachian Trials‘ by Zach Davis much?). I’m getting physically ready, not just walking around with weight on my back but doing weird stuff like standing on a wobble board to strengthen my ankles. I’m laying in six months of supplies at home to make things easier while I’m gone and leaving notes about how everything is run so things stay the same here, even though everything will change for me. I know statistically there’s still more chance than not that I won’t reach Mount Katahdin this year, but I swear that if I get off trail it will be because fate dragged me off, not because I gave up.

Come along with me, then?

Look below this post (or click through to my author page) at my bio and you’ll see a box below my profile pic that says ‘Subscribe to Traci’. Enter your email and you’ll be notified whenever I make a new post. Let’s get to Katahdin together!