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Stacia
01-07-2013, 01:22
Goodness, I'm so ready to be on the trail. I'm 20 years old from good ole' Kentucky, female and going alone, but never been more excited than anything in my life. I would like to know if anyone else has been mauled with people advising you not to do the hike? I don't think I have one person in my life who fully supports me, but I think that's what help fuels my passion. Proving everyone wrong :) I would just like to say that I know I will be meeting many of you who may come across this, and I smile just thinking about it. We all have our purpose for this adventure, we all come from different walks of life, but man, we all share this deep-rooted passion to make it five million steps, and I love you all already! Good luck to everyone preparing, or already beginning the 2013 AT hike. I am not leaving until mid-April because of a Guatemala mission trip, but my name is Stacy/Stacia and I am ecstatic to meet ya'll!

atmilkman
01-07-2013, 01:34
Welcome to WhiteBlaze :welcome you're just crazy enough to be in the right place.

Mountain Mike
01-07-2013, 02:02
We may argue & bicker here on WB but once on the trail we are all hikers on a common quest willing to help each other out anyway we can.

Papa D
01-07-2013, 09:12
You can do more than you think you can and certainly a lot more than others think you can. A thru-hike is no joke but the hardest part of the trail is the 6" between your ears. Stick around. :welcome

bigcranky
01-07-2013, 09:19
You're crazy, but it's a good kind of crazy :)

Mid-April is a great time to start. There will be other thru-hikers out, but fewer crowds and better weather. Enjoy your hike!

Hitchin' Post
01-07-2013, 09:36
Welcome! I'm constantly mauled by family members telling me the woods aren't safe, but I imagine it's worse for a 20-year-old female. Don't worry about hiking solo on the AT, though. You'll find a trail family quickly enough, and you'll look out for each other and keep each other safe. If you don't have much backpacking experience, I'd recommend going out for a couple of weekend hiking trips and (if possible) a full week between now and April. It'll do more to prepare you than anything else. Good luck!

Lyle
01-07-2013, 10:56
Welcome! I'm constantly mauled by family members telling me the woods aren't safe, but I imagine it's worse for a 20-year-old female. Don't worry about hiking solo on the AT, though. You'll find a trail family quickly enough, and you'll look out for each other and keep each other safe. If you don't have much backpacking experience, I'd recommend going out for a couple of weekend hiking trips and (if possible) a full week between now and April. It'll do more to prepare you than anything else. Good luck!


+1

In backpacking, a little experience is a wonderful thing and will answer most of your questions. As long as you remember you don't know it all. It will also prompt new questions. We all, if we are honest, learn something new each trip.

StylinLP38
01-07-2013, 14:12
Agree'd. Must do some practice weekends. Even cold rainy ones lol. If that doesnt take the fight out of you then you are ready. Last weekend I did a 10 mile hike over 5 1800ft mountains and I was limping back to the car. How embarassing lol
My plan starts today after work. going to see a personal trainer 3x a week til april. Hope that works!

HikerMom58
01-07-2013, 14:30
Welcome Stacia... you sound like my kinda gal. :)

Dogwood
01-07-2013, 16:26
Goodness, I'm so ready to be on the trail. I'm 20 years old from good ole' Kentucky, female and going alone, but never been more excited than anything in my life. I would like to know if anyone else has been mauled with people advising you not to do the hike? I don't think I have one person in my life who fully supports me, but I think that's what help fuels my passion. Proving everyone wrong :) I would just like to say that I know I will be meeting many of you who may come across this, and I smile just thinking about it. We all have our purpose for this adventure, we all come from different walks of life, but man, we all share this deep-rooted passion to make it five million steps, and I love you all already! Good luck to everyone preparing, or already beginning the 2013 AT hike. I am not leaving until mid-April because of a Guatemala mission trip, but my name is Stacy/Stacia and I am ecstatic to meet ya'll!

Welcome. GREAT, to hear your enthusiasm. Take a few deep breathes though. April will be here soon enough. Go with the flow. Believe me, I know how you feel. I felt charged with energy when I went under the stone arch at Amicalola Falls on the AT Approach Trail when I did my AT thru-hike. It's many steps many a nights until Mt Katahdin. Embrace each moment while staying in the moment and you'll do better. Moments add up to a lifetime. Embrace a sense of wonder and appreciation. They will take you far.

I don't know you or your particuliar situation or why folks are telling you not to hike but know that many thru-hikers get these comments. Those comments OFTEN come from well meanung individuals like family members who have never done a long distance hike. Lots of folks are afraid(fearful) of the unknown. Doing an AT thru-hike presents alot of unknowns to many folks. I will tell you, DO NOT be bound up with ignorant fears but be transformed through knowledge and wisdom. Have a GREAT JOURNEY.

Dogwood
01-07-2013, 16:44
Oh, gotta tell you this. Sometimes, being told you are crazy is a good thing. It can mean you aren't thinking, behaving, living, and obtaining the same results as the masses. It can mean you are going against the standard the norm. Doing an AT thru-hike is not exactly the standard or the norm. It very much entails thinking and living outside the box. Start doing that and expect ridicule and opposition. Going against the grain can be a way of life that accomplishes the seemingly imposssible. By doing so, it can take you and possibly all of humanity to new heights! BUT, all of that can be dangerous if you do it without wisdom!

DaveSail
01-07-2013, 16:56
Listen to this girl answer a goofy guy :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEOFDwWv4fk

TOW
01-07-2013, 17:02
Goodness, I'm so ready to be on the trail. I'm 20 years old from good ole' Kentucky, female and going alone, but never been more excited than anything in my life. I would like to know if anyone else has been mauled with people advising you not to do the hike? I don't think I have one person in my life who fully supports me, but I think that's what help fuels my passion. Proving everyone wrong :) I would just like to say that I know I will be meeting many of you who may come across this, and I smile just thinking about it. We all have our purpose for this adventure, we all come from different walks of life, but man, we all share this deep-rooted passion to make it five million steps, and I love you all already! Good luck to everyone preparing, or already beginning the 2013 AT hike. I am not leaving until mid-April because of a Guatemala mission trip, but my name is Stacy/Stacia and I am ecstatic to meet ya'll!
you go do this and some if not most of your non supporters will become some of your biggest fans....

Mulungu
01-08-2013, 14:41
Goodness, I'm so ready to be on the trail. I'm 20 years old from good ole' Kentucky, female and going alone, but never been more excited than anything in my life. I would like to know if anyone else has been mauled with people advising you not to do the hike? I don't think I have one person in my life who fully supports me, but I think that's what help fuels my passion. Proving everyone wrong :) I would just like to say that I know I will be meeting many of you who may come across this, and I smile just thinking about it. We all have our purpose for this adventure, we all come from different walks of life, but man, we all share this deep-rooted passion to make it five million steps, and I love you all already! Good luck to everyone preparing, or already beginning the 2013 AT hike. I am not leaving until mid-April because of a Guatemala mission trip, but my name is Stacy/Stacia and I am ecstatic to meet ya'll!

Looking forward to walking with you and sharing some good stories on missionaries and missionary trips we are leaving 21 April
go show them what you are made of

Rayana
01-11-2013, 11:34
Don't worry... they are the crazy ones. :sun



Anyway, they might be making fun of you now... but by the time you are in Virginia, they will be rooting you on and bragging about you.

"Yea, my friend is hiking the AT. She is so badass!!"

Hope to meet you out there!!
-Rayana (Acorn)

turtle fast
01-11-2013, 12:44
You tend to get that from people whom do not understand the outdoors in the Appalachians......they think bears, snakes, and weirdos playing banjos are hiding behind every tree awaiting to get you. If you have been to Guatemala....you already understand the idea of personal security and being aware of your surroundings and identifying potential hazards. Also hiking solo affords you much more mobility and room for personal reflection yet you naturally get to make friends whom are doing the same thing as you on the trail.

58starter
01-11-2013, 17:17
You go girl, I will be out there the last of March hiking from Elk Park, NC going north for a week or so.
This will be my 4th year section hiking the trail and you will find lots of nice people out there to hike with.
My wife and I finished a misson trip to Guatemala last Nov. and we plan on going back again this year.
Our paths will probably not meet this year but God Bless and Have 2 great adventures.

Liminal
01-11-2013, 22:23
Oh, crazy kids these days!... probably won't meet up because I'm leaving mid March but best of luck from this crazy OLD lady!! :welcome

linder
01-11-2013, 23:54
Hi Stacia, everyone tells me it's nuts, my mother said you really need to think twice about this, I said the thinking part is done, I'm in the planning stage now. Remember: the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Do it, finish it with all you have, crawl if you have to, don't let yourself down and give others the pleasure of saying they were right. My thoughts are with you, please journey, I'd like to see how you are doing along the way.

Sass
01-12-2013, 00:24
Ha we'd get along great. I am really looking forward to starting my hike, and it's super exciting to see other peoples posts who are looking forward to it as much as I am! My family thinks I'm crazy, and so do my coworkers! I am getting pretty tired of the "are you going to carry a gun?" question lol. Hope to see you out there and wish you all the best on your journey!

Big Dawg
01-12-2013, 04:25
Welcome to WB! Yeah,, we're a rare crazy breed, and I'm glad to be apart of it. It sounds like you are too! Wish I had discovered the AT before life settled me down. Now I make do w/ sections, dreaming of the day I can thru. That'll be many years from now. My daughter is only 7, and there's no chance of me thru'g til she's off to college and such. Btw,, my wife and I adopted our daughter from Guatemala. We're so fortunate! Good luck on your mission trip, and your AT hike!!!

Old Hiker
01-12-2013, 08:46
Goodness, I'm so ready to be on the trail. I'm 20 years old from good ole' Kentucky, female and going alone, but never been more excited than anything in my life. I would like to know if anyone else has been mauled with people advising you not to do the hike? I don't think I have one person in my life who fully supports me, but I think that's what help fuels my passion. Proving everyone wrong :) I would just like to say that I know I will be meeting many of you who may come across this, and I smile just thinking about it. We all have our purpose for this adventure, we all come from different walks of life, but man, we all share this deep-rooted passion to make it five million steps, and I love you all already! Good luck to everyone preparing, or already beginning the 2013 AT hike. I am not leaving until mid-April because of a Guatemala mission trip, but my name is Stacy/Stacia and I am ecstatic to meet ya'll!

Weeelllll, you came to the right place. You're right - you don't have one person - you have us ALL now. Even us older hikers who twist and break our ankles at mile 497 and continue to plan another attempt.

Sift through the dross, glean out the nuggets, enjoy the drama, keep planning and don't listen to the nay-sayers.

As Walter may say (paraphrased) "Welcome to WhiteBlaze. Get yer info and get out." Hiking that is.

"Atlas"
01-13-2013, 17:10
Stacia...........Welcome to the Nut House. When I first told my family I wanted to hike the A.T. they all thought I was in need of medication and a padded room. My kids are all in there late teens and have since become my biggest supporters. I didnt complete my thru hike last year and when I came off the Trail, my kids were very proud of me for having tried and asked when I was leaving for the Trail again.

Josh Calhoun
01-14-2013, 21:23
Have fun! nothing to be scared of but hippies!

Grits
01-14-2013, 21:39
:rolleyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nu0qChRIms

FooFighter'12
01-17-2013, 02:22
Hi Stacia, the truth is you are probably crazy. But that's a good thing and if the trail is calling you then there is nothing you can do but throw your pack on and go. I got the same treatment last year before my hike but by the time I got through Virginia those people turned from being negative to supporting me and were there for me during some really tough times late in the trip. You are about to make alot of people proud. Good luck!

Different Socks
01-17-2013, 02:33
every long hike I've ever done and will do, people say the same thing every time----"WHY?"

Then there are those that I really hate. Ya know, the people that are ignorant of the knowledge of how to do and that the person is perfectly capable of doing it, so they react by bullying you and saying you are crazy.

Nice thing about that is this: I always get the last laugh!