Who am I? How did I get here? Where am I going?

Big questions

But let’s start with the obvious. I am a long-distance hiker. My parents did not name me Apple Pie, they named me Arlette. A beautiful old fashioned French name rarely used in my native country of the Netherlands.

‘Apple Pie’ is the trail name I suggested for myself while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2003. I suggested it because I love Dutch Apple Pie, know how to bake it, and in general, one shouldn’t let life or the dessert tray pass you by. Never mind that I thought it was a silly name after I suggested it, too late, it stuck.

So I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2003. I caught the long-distance hiking bug and have kept hiking ever since. Being outside, active, exploring new scenery every day, feeling strong (and sometimes not so strong); it is what makes me happy.

And then one day Nimblewill Nomad told me, “You have done so many of the national scenic trails already, why don’t you hike them all? You could be the first woman to complete them all.”

Small problem, one of the trails left was approximately 4700 miles long. That being the North Country Trail. But it looks so flat, it can’t be that hard right? Oh, but it was! I finished the thru-hike of that beast in February of 2022. One of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done.

Now I am getting ready to tackle the last two. The Natchez Trace and the Ice Age Trail. The Natchez Trace is really mostly a walk along the parkway and it doesn’t make much sense for it to be a national scenic trail, but I’ve discovered that the NST designation doesn’t necessarily mean that a trail is exceptionally scenic or actual trail tread. The Ice Age trail does have more woods, and I’m looking forward to exploring Wisconsin while hiking it.

I plan to do some updates while on the Natchez Trace and daily entries on the Ice Age Trail. Getting busy packing now! Wheeee!!!