Any woman ever completed a thru hike while leaving kids at home?

[Shae]

there is a 2015 NoBo hiker named "Griswold" over on Trail Journals that left 2 young kids at home with dad while she's doing a thru hike. Last I saw she had made it to the Smokies....

Yes, Griswold is northbound this year with a couple of young children at home. "Murphy" was NOBO last year and completed her thru with 3 kids at home perhaps all under 11 or 12 years old. She had consistently good postings on Trail Journal throughout her hike.

[coppertex]

I just noticed this post of mine from 2011 got bumped up! The kids are now almost 12 and 16 and I have not yet through hiked. The desire is still burning deep but the desire to raise my kids always wins out. Every year I think to myself, "will next year be the year?" and it always comes back to those darn kids . Sometimes I think back to 2011 and how I was sure 2014 would be the year that I would finally feel ready to leave for a through hike and now I think "wow, 2014 has come and gone". The years really do go by fast. I'm not sure if I will wait until the youngest leaves the nest - the older the kids get the more I think that they could handle it, especially the 16 year old. My almost 12 year old is getting to the point where I think he would certainly miss me, but also gather inspiration from me leaving to hike - so who knows, maybe 2016 can be my year? You guys are making me think LOL.

Thank you for sharing the info about Griswold's and Murphy's TJ, Praha & Shae, I'm off to check those out! It seems to be a little more common now than it was just a few years ago.

[Jake2c]

My wife did not like leaving our daughter for more than about a week or two until it was basically forced on her when she went to college. My wife still cried and was upset for a few weeks. One person mentioned that women in the service deploy but I can tell you it is not the same thing. I am just retiring from the Navy and have many deployments that took me away from home. But, I am also hiking the AT next spring and while military deployments she took in stride, a personal choice to leave for 6 months took a lot of discussion.

[coppertex]

It is definitely a decision not to be taken lightly.

[Scrum]

there is a 2015 NoBo hiker named "Griswold" over on Trail Journals that left 2 young kids at home with dad while she's doing a thru hike. Last I saw she had made it to the Smokies....

Griswold's trail journal is worth a read to see how she and her husband are working out care for their kindergartener. She has a few weeks where she has to get off the trail and head home to be with the daughter because her husband needs to travel for work. Also worth a read as she is writing a nice journal. Link here:http://www.trailjournals.com/about.cfm?trailname=15777