How Did We Make The Decision To Hike The Entire Appalachian Trail

There's a lot that goes into making such a decision. It's kinda a big deal. At least for us it is. Let me give you a little back story.

Jeff and I got married. We each had one boy from a previous marriage. I was less than interested in this whole outdoor lifestyle. But when you have a boy, you get married and he has a boy, your perspective changes. Needless to say, I had to get acquainted with the outside if I was going to be an active participant in their lives. So that's what I did.

We took them camping, hiking, fishing, and everything in between. But hiking was probably what we did the most. Fast forward several years and Gavin is 10, Garrett is 15 and its summer break. We decided to go on the Appalachian Trail and hike for 50 miles. The boys were in Boy Scouts and there was actually a badge they could earn for hiking 50 miles within 5 days, so we made that the goal.

I earned myself a stress fracture in my foot because I was wearing the wrong shoes but other than that it was a really great experience. We ended our vacation with two nights in Hot Springs, NC. If you've never been there, you really need to go. 

We had such a great time we decided the next summer to do the same thing except hike into Hot Springs coming from the other direction. This time I just broke a rib so we're good. (and people ask why I'm not doing the thru hike!!)

It was during this time that the thought of doing the entire Appalachian Trail came up in conversation. Jeff really wanted to do it but just didn't see how it would be possible. He's the primary income earner in our household. And at this particular time, we were in the midst of remodeling the old house we bought that January so the thought of having enough money for this adventure seemed impossible. 

We slowly saved money and slowly kept working on the house. Then in 2020 we bought a cabin in the mountains for a great deal to make it a short-term rental property! This was a game changer. Yes, we had to work on the cabin, and it was now my part time job taking care of it, but it did generate some income above and beyond the expenses. At this time, we had the Appalachian Trail on the back burner. It wasn't a constant thought.

Fast forward a little while and finally all the projects at the house were complete. We had completely renovated the entire house. We also created a small farm with animals and a garden. There was always work to be done and money that needed to be spent. The Appalachian Trail was coming back into Jeff's mind a little more often. 

When we initially thought about the Appalachian Trail thru hike, we thought that maybe both of the boys would want to go with Jeff. Garrett would be graduating college and since Gavin was homeschooled, he could be finished with high school. But Garrett decided to work hard, and he finished college a year early. Jeff really wanted him to come too but he just didn't feel the same about this adventure. Gavin wanted to go but he also really likes being home. That will be a hard adjustment for him but 5 months out of your entire life really isn't that long. 

Stay tuned for more from me as they are leaving on February 11th, 2024.