After bouncing back from a debilitating spinal injury, Audrey Payne quit her dream job working for World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. She loved (almost) every second of it. From there, she moved to beautiful Boulder, Colorado, where she works in public relations for a scientific research organization and spends her free time hiking, backpacking, skiing, paddleboarding, and learning to play the guitar. She has gone on to hike the Colorado Trail, Foothills Trail, Wonderland Trail, John Muir Trail, Trans-Catalina Trail, and more, and she hopes to thru-hike another long trail in the not-too-distant future. Check out her AT memoir, “Where the Rhododendrons Bloom,” on Amazon and Kindle.
Posts
Magic in the Daily Routine of a Thru-Hiker
A few people have asked me to post about what a typical day on the Appalachian Trail is like. And so, your wish is my command. A typical day on
Thanks for the Lessons, Georgia
As I crossed the Georgia border into North Carolina, I smiled and let out a little whoop of excitement. I'd done it - made it through my first state
The Joy and Rhythms of the Trail Get into Your Blood
The other night, I dreamed of a space heater. Yes, a space heater. That was the one thing, in all the world, that I wanted more than anything. I was
Compiling the Soundtrack to My Journey
Sitting on the plane, about to embark on what I hope will be the greatest adventure of my life so far, my feet won't stop tapping. Tap, tap, tap. I'm
Ready, Set, (Almost Time to) Go!
Whatever happened to the calm before the storm? You would be surprised just how much preparation goes into a thru-hike. It seems simple, right?
The Long and Winding Road to the Appalachian Trail
Why? That is, of course, the first word that tends to pop out of a person’s mouth the moment you tell them you’re planning a thru-hike of the