the Triple Crown, or hike the three big trails in the US: the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. Having just hiked the PCT, the AT seemed the logical next one to do for me as the CDT was reportedly the most difficult. I wasn't sure about when to do it, however. I thought perhaps in a couple years after I worked on establishing a career and saved some more money.

​

But after a visit with a friend, I decided sooner was better. He had injured his back about eight months ago and had actually slipped two vertebrae disks. For months, he was in a lot of pain, could barely move, and faced surgery*. It was hard to see him like that and it scared me. It reminded me that tomorrow is not promised. Life doesn't wait for you. Putting off dreams until a more convenient time is a good way to never get to achieve them. While this works for some people, it was a gamble I wasn't willing to make. So I planned on a 2022 AT thru hike.

​

I still needed money for this hike, though, and only had about three months to earn it. I got a temporary full-time job at an outdoor covid testing site. I signed up to be a dog walker for the pet service app, Wag. And I lived rent free between my mother's house, my converted camper car, and pet or house-sitting gigs. I lived frugally and the gigs were able to cover food and gas costs. This allowed me to save just about all of my paychecks for my hike. 

​

While my original hesitations about the AT were confirmed by my own experiences while I was out there, I had definitely overhyped the fear in my head. I had a great time on trail and absolutely loved hiking it. You can read all about my thru hike in my AT Journal.

​

*My friend is much better now. His body was able to rid itself of the herniated disk material without surgery and it is no longer causing him pain. He is back (pun intended) to his normal self, thank goodness.