After Jeremy left for the AT, I couldn’t wait to get back east. I spent my last two weeks in California working, running, spending time with new friends and Jer’s family, finishing the Parks and Rec series (I blame this addiction on Jer), and making/eating lots of delicious nutbutters. It was hard to distract myself from the feeling that I’d rather be somewhere else…I was enjoying each day but I also had the nagging feeling there was a place I wanted to be more. I realized there was no place I’d rather be than on the Appalachian Trail with Jer. When Jer was originally thinking about hiking the AT this spring, he asked me if I’d like to do it again. I answered with a confident “no!” Been there, done that, got the tattoo. The AT is incredibly special to me because it was the trail that created Chicory and started my passion for backpacking and thruhiking. However, the lessons I learned out there did not come easily. The AT was a very hard trail for me- many times I considered quitting and it took everything I had to “finish dat bitch!” My southbound solo status and the encroaching winter weather took a toll on my emotional and psychological stability towards the end of the hike. Many days were a struggle to complete, tears were shed, and I honestly can’t describe the latter part of the hike as “fun.” It took several months after finishing the trail for me to enjoy trail running again and even consider doing another thruhike. This contrast became even more clear on the PCT- an experience quite the opposite, where I almost felt like I was having too much fun! Don’t get me wrong, the PCT isn’t an easy trail. But hiking with friends was a totally different ballgame. The energy and spirit of Team GnarGnar could quickly lift me out of any low I was experiencing and have me laughing again.
Within a week after Jer left, I asked HoHo if I could join him on his walk to Maine. He happily agreed, most likely because he was so cold and wanted someone to share a tent with đ
I’d originally planned to do sections, but 1) I missed him, 2) I wanted to experience the trail with him, and try it in a new season, new direction, with a new group of hikers, and 3) I couldn’t think of any reason why not?! Thruhiking allows you to get into the rhythm of the trip, build fitness and then take advantage of those gains. This is preferable to me over a section hike, where you spend at least 2 weeks getting in shape, and just when you start to feel good, it’s time to go home. I would miss most of the cold weather by the time I joined him, which was appealing as I quickly became soft after living in San Diego (below 50 degrees can feel uncomfortable!). After my winter out west, I actually really missed the southeast and what better way to get reacquainted with my first love, the Appalachian mountains?! I’m convinced there is no place I’d rather be.
I planned to jump on the trail as soon as I could, around Damascus, VA. Before that, many things had to take place- a cross country roadtrip, my cousin’s wedding in south LA, visit with family in North LA, coordinating logistics of helping Pops and my Dad hiking a section of trail with HoHo, visit with family in NC, and I hoped to do some trail magic at some point.
I finished up my travel nursing gig in San Diego on March 10, and immediately hit the road for my cross country drive. I had 3 days to make it to Covington, LA for my cousin Laresche’s wedding festivities starting the 13th.
The first stop on my roadtrip back east was Las Cruces, NM, which is conveniently located on I10, the quickest route back to south Louisiana. I couldn’t wait to get there and drove the 10 hours straight after my last shift at work. The draw of Las Cruces may not be apparent to all, but for me, the attraction was clear- it is the home of the Awesome Possum! Over the next 36 hours, I fell in love with Las Cruces. It could have been that Possum was house-sitting an amazing mansion (which means I got to stay there too!), or that Susan was packing for her bike trip and I heard all about her epic 3 month ride she was about to set off on, or that we hung out with Wrong Way, the most legit trail angel we met on the PCT. I witnessed Possum buying his first house, and lent a hand with the remodel. Possum and I went for a sunrise run on trails that led to the Organ mountains, which were right outside our back door. Also, I participated in a trail work day that Possum hosted for the Southern NM trail society he started.
It was all too much fun, and by the time I left, I realized I needed to drive straight to LA if to make it for the bridal shower. I drove a 17 hour haul across Texas, overnight, with a flat tire at one point, to make it just in time for the event. I changed my shirt in the car, put in some earrings, and walked into my aunts house grinning- partly from the joy to be home and not driving across Texas anymore, and partly from delirium setting in from lack of sleep.
The shower was lovely, as well as the wedding on Wednesday. There was extreme flooding in the area earlier that week, with water levels rising so high that people were kayaking through their yards to get into their houses. This included my grandma’s house on the river, where the wedding was to take place. Even with all the chaos of changing venues and last minute preparations, Laresche and Richard remained calm and carefree. Their strong love for each other was exhibited as they handled each crisis and made the best of every situation with laughter and positivity. They promised to love each other through high flood waters, ups and downs, and I believe it. They seem like an unstoppable couple to me âşď¸ The whole family was together for the first time in a while, and I appreciated sharing in the celebration and making wonderful memories with everyone.
I then headed north, to see my family in North LA. Monroe was also affected by record rainfall and flooding, and unfortunately my aunt’s house was one of the unlucky ones that was affected. Walking around her street, I felt like I was looking at pictures from serious hurricane damage. Homes were being gutted down to their frames to prevent mold from setting in, and possessions neighbors cherished were strewn about the streets like trash after a parade. Some people came from other areas of town to look through the rejected items that lined the street; church groups brought lunch to workers and volunteers helping clean up. At least some good was surfacing through the destruction- communities were coming together, helping each other and sharing whatever they had to offer.
Leaving Monroe, I headed to Roan mountain, TN, to pick up my dad after his 120 mile section hike with HoHo and his Pops. The guys had a great week together, and I was incredibly proud of my dad for toughing it out in some gnarly conditions! Dad earned his trail name, Van Geaux, for keeping a steady pace down the trail without taking many breaks. Dad confided that he enjoyed the hike, but the comforts of the hostels they stopped at along the way were crucial in helping him keep going. The awesome thing about the AT is that you can choose to have a more primitive or comfortable experience on the trail, since there is much more access to services along the way compared to other trails. Whatever experience you choose, good for you! Do what makes you happy and allows you to enjoy the outdoors most. There’s usually very little judgement in the hiker community, as the mantra of thruhiking is “Hike Your Own Hike.” It’s always inspiring to see people pushing their limits and learning more about themselves in the process.
I spent a few days in NC with my mom and Jean, and we all played trail angels at Stecoah gap. We fed 5 hikers a homemade pasta dinner with garlic bread and salad. The crazy strong winds that day unfortunately wouldn’t allow us to do much more than that.
Then Alpaca came down from Roanoke to help me set up an epic spread of magic in Shady Valley, TN. We chose this location to see HoHo and Pops, and because HoHo informed me there was a good group around them. On the menu were chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, cheesy eggs, cinnamon rolls, fruit, French press coffee, chocolate milk, juice, soda, beer, cookies and candy. We even had an area set up with tiny games and nail polish, and we taught some more people fricket! It was a blast, and 15 hikers later, every crumb of food was gone.
Now I’m in Damascus, with HoHo and Pops. Pops is heading back to San Diego tomorrow, and I’m heading north on the trail with HoHo. Damascus has always been one of my favorite trail towns on the AT, for its picturesque setting and friendliness towards hikers. They also host the annual trail celebration/reunion, Trail Days, here. Hanging out with all the hikers in town has been a blast. I’m excited to spend more time with some of this season’s characters up the trail. The hiker community is a huge part of what makes thruhiking so special and fun.
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Who knew they still sold Surge?!?! 
Miles of Misadventures 