I decided I wanted to take my mom to Italy back in 2019. Originally, the plan was to surprise her after I finished my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2020: we all know what ruined that plan: the trail, Italy, the world got canceled. Then, I decided we’d go after I completed the trail in 2021.. which got pushed back to now simply because I kept extending the length of the trip.
So, to be sitting on an airplane, slightly uncomfortable with tingly feet while Mom snoozes next to me, feels absolutely incredible. I’m supposed to be sleeping, but can’t seem to manage the staying asleep part. My mind just won’t shut down.
The last few months have been a whirlwind, to say the least. I worked a contract at my home hospital for the first three months of the new year, my first contract after hiking the AT (and after being off work for 9 months-let me tell ya, it was a blast 😬). I also started dating someone I’ve had feelings for for several years now. Funny how those things tend to happen.
Anyway, Mom and I managed to pack for this 6 week EuroTrip with only a carry on suitcase and a small tote bag. I’m honestly impressed as hell. We both decided if we end up buying new things (which of course we will), we’ll just mail some of our other clothes home to lighten the load.
Our itinerary is pretty jam packed: London and then Paris, followed by a couple nights in Lyon, France with my friend Morgana and her husband and their fluffy animals (I’m a little disheartened that their most gorgeous floofy pupper does not allow cuddles-BUT they have a new baby floof that absolutely does allow all the loves, and I’m entirely too excited over getting to love on him haha).
We take a train from Morgana’s place to Milan, Italy and have day trips planned to Lake Como and Switzerland. From there, we head south to Florence, where we’ll also see some Tuscan countryside, Cinque Terre, and the leaning tower of Pisa, and obviously, Florence itself, too.
We only spend a couple nights in Venice before embarking on a 10 day cruise to the Greek and Turkish Islands.. Mom and I usually aren’t really cruise people (I get seasick, I refuse to blame the alcohol), but I got a Black Friday deal I just couldn’t pass up. Almost every day of the cruise has a stop with an excursion planned, whether it’s an ancient Athens tour or a beach and snorkeling adventure. Thanks to Covid, the cruise company isn’t (or wasn’t) allowed to let us off the boat without a planned excursion, so, whatever.. take my money.
When we doc back in Venice, we take a high speed train to Rome. We have all the must dos planned out, although I’m super sad to say the Colosseum at Night tour was just canceled and we got rebooked for a regular old day tour.. lol.. like seeing the Colosseum at any time of day wouldn’t be incredible.
From Rome we head to Sorrento, with day trips planned to Capri and the Almafi Coast/Positano. With such busy days filled with sight seeing and all the touristy must see things, we end up flying to Malta to relax on a beach for the last leg of the trip.. nothing is planned or required, just soaking up some sun before starting our “journey” back home.
I was concerned about Mom being on long flights, (one return flight would have been 11 hours), so, I chopped it up for our homecoming. We fly from Malta back to Paris for a night, then from Paris to Newark, New Jersey. Because of the times the flights arrive and the covid testing requirements, we can’t make the connections without spending a night in each place. Even still, I’m holding out hope that they won’t actually require the covid testing to get back into the country by the time we return *fingers crossed.*
Then, at last, we fly home. Sheesh, I’m exhausted just typing all of that out! I know we’ll hit some snags along the way, because it’s impossible for a trip to always go perfectly smooth, but I just pray they’re small (and cheap) snags and nothing monumental.
It’s 1am our time, and in 2 hours it’ll be 8am in London and time to start the day. Hopefully the excitement and newness will overpower the sleep deprivation! I’ll let y’all know how it goes 😉
Hey y’all! Long time, no write- sorry about that. I had big plans to get some statistics pretty quickly once I was finished hiking, but then real life set in and-well, I still haven’t really done it.. haha, whoops! If you didn’t know, I’m usually quite the procrastinator, so the fact that I actually did write a daily blog entry for my entire hike is a slight miracle in its own right.
Anyway, the point of this post is to say a huge THANK YOU to anyone currently reading this-if you subscribed and get these emails and take the time to read them, I am so beyond grateful for you, and it was you motivating me along the way.. how could I even think of quitting when I knew there were folks reading about it? That would mean I’d have to write the blog post saying, “hey, I quit today” and that just wasn’t going to happen. So, again, Thank you!
Life has been strange since coming home. It’s been a little over a month and I still feel restless every day-like there’s something more important to be doing. I’ve been struggling with the crowds of people everywhere and the traffic (Dear LORD the traffic), but for the most part I think I’m getting back into the swing of things. I’m very overwhelmed with my closet.. instead of the normal thru hiker that comes home and purges-I keep wearing different clothes every day-because I can! I do think it’s getting time to do a big clean out though.. hmm.. adds that to list of things to do..
I still think about the trail every single day. I miss it. I miss the people I met out there, even when I’m texting with them I still feel like we’re supposed to be setting up camp and boiling water for ramen noodles. I miss the struggle, if that even makes sense? I miss that, “holy crap that was hard-but I did it” feeling-I’m definitely not getting that from laying on my couch watching my Denzel Washington movie marathon (although some of his earlier movies are tough to get through! Haha).
So. This week I signed a local contract to work at my home hospital (Kennestone for those that know), and I start in January. The company I’m working with has already sent me the list of things they need from me and already I’m back to feeling anxious and have a crick in my neck that won’t ease up. It’s literally nothing that I haven’t already done before, but having all of these deadlines and “rules” has my type A tendencies keeping me awake at 4 in the morning (and my procrastination tendencies have me writing this blog post instead of working through the list of documents they need..).
Also, I accidentally reverted back to night shift hours almost immediately. I’m easily awake all night and sleeping until 1 in the afternoon.. then I’m shocked when it’s dark in what feels like only minutes of being awake.. haha.. such is life I guess. But I am happy to be home and seeing my people all the time, visiting family and friends and eating good meals together.. its a lot to be thankful for, certainly.
Anywho.. I realize I’m rambling. I’m sorry about that. Once I get through the required stuff for work I’ll start working on the stats for the trail, like my budget (and how bad I blew it), and the gear stuff, too. I’m also in the middle of planning a trip to Europe with my mom, so I can update y’all on that and try to blog while I’m over there, too! We’ll be gone for 6 weeks starting at the end of April.
Ok, I think that’s all I have, so it looks like I actually have to do some real work now. Lovely. Happy Friday, y’all!
Start: Springer Mountain Shelter (AT mi 0.2). Stop: Amicalola State Park/Approach Trail. Today’s miles: 9 miles (0.2 AT miles). Total AT mileage: 2193.1 miles + 8.8 Approach Trail miles.
It’s taken me a few days to write this post, to comprehend all that’s happened.. but as always, I’ve written out my last day just like every day before, detailing the events of the day as they transpired. I’m still shocked it’s over, really. But as to how my very last day hiking the Appalachian Trail.. this is it:
Once I was warm in my sleeping bag, I slept until 3am without moving. Those hand warmers were still toasty warm when my bladder woke me up. I tried my best to ignore it, but I eventually could hold out no longer. As quick as I could, hand warmers literally in hand, I sprang from my cocoon and handled my business in the freezing cold. The wind was howling! It had to be a record, because I was quickly tucked back inside my safe warm haven, praying I’d been quick enough to not start the uncontrollable shivering again. I must have been, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up again, to my alarm on my watch was vibrating, telling me it was 7am.
Springer Mountain, the AT’s Southern Terminus
I snoozed until 7:25, and finally got a move on.. granted, slowly. I got my food bag from the bear box and cooked my last breakfast while zipped into my sleeping bag, only my arms and head free. I ate my oatmeal and drank my coffee, all the while wondering how I was going to get a picture at the top of Springer Mountain here soon, because I highly doubted I’d be passing anyone up so early on this cold morning. The sun was barely making her appearance and it was almost 8!
Packed and ready to figure out a way for propping my camera, I headed down the path to meet back with the AT for my last quarter mile. That’s when I heard, “PBSSSSSS!!” What?! No way! PineStick was hiking up the trail with 2 guys I didn’t know! What are the odds!? We hugged and he introduced me to the two guys he was hiking with- who happened to both be triple crown hikers that knew PineStick and talked him into hiking the AT.
The four of us hiked the quarter mile together, chatting and giggling and tearing up the whole way. Before I knew it, I saw the sign for Springer Mountain and started to cry. We all hugged and hooted and hollered, then started to take pictures and videos to capture the moment. My eyes were still wet as I looked around and saw the sunshine peaking through the trees. What an incredibly serendipitous morning. I thought I’d be up here alone, and here I was with someone I knew and had hiked with and enjoyed immensely. I would be posting pictures of the two of us together on that mountaintop, but PineStick hasn’t sent them to me yet! Ha
After what felt like seconds and also an eternity, we hugged one last time before I headed down the Approach Trail and PineStick and his friends returned back down the AT to the parking lot. Absolutely over the moon, I was accepting that I had OFFICIALLY completed the Appalachian Trail in its entirety. Now, all I needed to do was hike this 8.8 miles of the Approach Trail and walk through the arch behind Amicalola’s Welcome Center.
Giddy as all get out, I called my mom to give her an updated arrival time. I was so excited talking with her that I stubbed my left foot on a root and then absolutely ate it. I fell to both knees and instantly knew I scraped them enough to draw blood. So much for not falling in Georgia! Still amped up on adrenaline from the fall AND the excitement of reaching the summit, I quickly popped up and kept hiking-quickly getting off the phone and paying attention again. I was too pumped to give the pain a chance to take over, but as always, humbled by this trail.
There weren’t many views on that first bit of the 8.8 miles. Actually, until I hit the parking lot with the massive crowds of people at the top of Amicalola Falls, I hardly had any views other than deep woods. I loved it though. I saw a deer and we chatted a minute, letting me get video before it sprang off. I passed several hikers, some who knew where I was headed, offering me congratulations.. I stopped and talked with at least 5 or 6 different groups of hikers. I was so excited I couldn’t contain it. I was beaming ear to ear just waiting for someone to say, “are you thru hiking!?” And then I’d tear up on every “yes!” I gave. One man, Professor, took his pack off and gave me a beer!
I didn’t have my headphones in at all today. I just smiled, laughed, talked to strangers and loved every bit of the last day of my hike. When I got to the parking lot area and made my way to the falls, I snapped some pictures and then lost the crowd when I walked down the stairs. At one of the more picturesque views of the waterfall, I asked a lady to take my picture for me, and then choked up like a lunatic when she asked if I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Her excitement for me, a stranger, really touched me. And then to know I’d be seeing my family soon.. I was already so overwhelmed with gratitude!
I followed the trail down into another parking lot and saw a man that looked like my PawPaw Bob and a lady.. I wasn’t quite sure it was him but once the lady waved and I heard her voice I knew that was my Aunt Terry and I took off running to them, tears streaming down my face. The three of us embraced and then Pawpaw and I walked arm in arm the last stretch of the trail, with Terry close behind, all the way to the arch, where I knew my Mom, Uncle Keith, Aunt Kathy, and Traci would be waiting.
Pawpaw practically sang his happiness that whole walk, telling any person that passed, “she did it! Hallelujah! She hiked the whole Appalachian Trail!” His pride was beaming off of him and my heart was so full I couldn’t control the tears if I tried. We rounded the corner, I saw the arch and my Uncle Keith, and then.. y’all.. there was an entire welcoming committee yelling and cheering! My eyes had so many tears I couldn’t make out the faces immediately. I was so absolutely overwhelmed with the outpouring of love for me and the support of this crazy dream I had accomplished that it was hard to breathe.
When I caught my breath and wiped my eyes, the faces started to register. Sarah, my best friend since 6th grade was there with her daughter, Kylie (who I’ve talked about and to on several posts), and her husband, Kyle (who I didn’t even see at first! Sorry about that, friend!), my Mom, my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Keith, my Aunt Shannon (one of my biggest blog supporters and always giving an encouraging word.. she kept me going some days and I don’t think she even realizes how important of a role she played for my success) and Uncle Robert, my Mom’s best friend Jackie and her husband, Jeff (they drove down from Kentucky to be here for my homecoming!), my Granny Sara, and my friend Traci that’s also followed along with the blog and has given me more inspiration to keep going than I could ever thank her for.
My heart could have literally just burst with all of the love I have for these people, my people, my family. I just couldn’t believe all of them would come all this way to be here for me. I still can’t, really.. after the initial shock was over and we all got our hugs in and some pictures taken (thank you for taking charge, Traci!), Mom informed everyone (they probably knew, actually, she was informing me.. haha) that there was a pavilion set up with a BBQ lunch for everyone! Uncle Keith cooked and we were all going to celebrate this incredible day a little longer! Y’all know I love food, so this was even better than the TacoBell bean burrito I thought mom was bringing me!
Everyone made their way to the pavilion, Mom got me the warm, clean clothes she brought and I changed in the bathroom before meeting everyone for lunch. The food was beyond good, as is anything my Uncle Keith makes. He had pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, Mac and cheese, baked beans, chips.. drinks.. Aunt Kathy baked cupcakes—CARROT CAKE cupcakes, my favorite dessert she makes! She’s the baker of the family and dear Lord her carrot cake is to die for.
Mom had also had some decorations made for me, a gorgeous hand drawn sign of the AT map through all 14 states that said “CONGRATULATIONS” at the top.. it was made by my Mom’s coworker, Kelsie, who I haven’t even gotten to meet yet but already adore! There was another sign, on metal, that was a gift from Jackie’s sister Krystal, also beautifully made and will be cherished forever! There were little AT cupcake toppers and buttons to pin to your shirt with my face on them saying “The Unpolished Princess 2021 Thru Hiker.”
We all sat around, talking and eating, me still being completely blown away and shocked that this was even happening. My Aunt Faye and Uncle Todd came then, they had just barely missed my entrance because of the parking and crowds at the park.. they drove up from Florida and I was so happy to see them and hug their necks! Then, my dear friend Jen, her husband Adam, and their twin baby girls, Luciana and Vera showed up! It really felt like the party that just kept coming!
We all stayed awhile, enjoying the company and the beautiful (albeit cold) day. The sun was shining and I couldn’t stop the tears from sneaky out every now and then.. still overflowing with gratitude. When we all finally cleaned up and said our goodbyes, I was emotionally and physically exhausted! In Moms car, we started the hour plus trip home, reliving the day’s events. Friends called and texted and FaceTimed to tell me their congratulations. Stacey, Katie, Ken and Tracey, so so many people I love and cherish.
We pulled into the driveway of my house, that I’ve missed for 6 months, and my other best friend since 6th grade, Lauren, pulls up at the same time with flowers and balloons! She couldn’t get out of work this morning and had to miss the celebration, but made sure to stop by to show her love anyway. I immediately cued the tears all over again. She came inside and I started to notice things around the house.. like the flowers on the coffee table and groceries in my refrigerator and on the counter.. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Keith did that for me so I’d have food in the house when I got home.
Y’all. I just can’t even begin to describe how much all of this has meant to me.. or how I’m feeling knowing that the trail is over and done, and now already something of the past. My friend Kelly and I were talking about it, and like I told her, I don’t really know how I feel because it all just feels too big to process at the moment.. at least the trail part anyway. This day of celebration and all of the pouring of love from family and friends near and far-that I know for sure that I feel intense and immeasurable gratitude, thanks, and love.
It feels unworthy to only be able to say, “Thank You,” but that’s all I know to say for now. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. For following along with me on my journey. For encouraging me. For keeping me motivated, even when you didn’t know it. For loving me. Thank you.
**I do plan to have a few more posts about the AT in the future, maybe a rundown on my gear choices now that I know what it takes to complete the AT.. and my pack weight at the end. Maybe I’ll even have a statistical breakdown of sorts, including my budget, once I collect all my data and organize my life a bit. I know I’m not done hiking long trails, at least not yet, but the next one, The Pacific Crest Trail out west won’t be happening this coming year by any means.. we’ll all get to see what happens next, I guess.
