Mile Marker 420 on the Appalachian Trail
Well hello world and greetings from the Appalachian Trail mile marker 420!!!
Wow wow wow! I cannot believe that I've already hiked 420 miles on the Appalachian Trail! I started on March 6th and now today is my 38th day being on the trail and living outside in the woods! This journey has been one of the most rewarding and challenging things I have ever done for myself!
When I first started the trail I had no idea what I was getting into and although I knew that it was going to be a huge physical challenge and also involve emotional, spiritual, and mental challenges along the way as well, I had no idea it would be the way it has turned out to be presently.
Today as I write this blog I literally feel a deeper gratification in my life for all things. I can't believe that I am this strong! I really had no idea! I really wasn't even sure I would make it past mile 100 and here I am about to approach Damascus, Virginia and reach the 500 mile marker! That's incredible to me and feels like such a huge accomplishment! The first goal was 100 miles, then making it through the entire Smokey Mountains and then onto 500 miles!
So a little bit about what's going on and what it looks like to be a thru- hiker and a solo female hiker on the Appalachian Trail...... ......
IT'S FUCKING AWESOME!!!! I have realized that we are the only ones that limit ourselves and that each day with a fresh intention we can always do our best and reach our goals. I find that laughing alot and working with my own ego is a huge part of the mental aspect which also turns out to be intertwined with my personal spirituality and play a role in my emotional and physical well being. Heck ya! I mean everyday is challenging in it's own way but dang it's great to wake up in nature and my sole task for the day is being present with myself moving through the forest with my own healthy mind and body. ❣️
I started out the trail with a co-worker and at mile 31 she decided it was not the right decision for her to hike. I honored that so much and found a deep respect for her that she knew what she wanted! That's not an easy task in this world....... And for me at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted and that was to continue to hike this trail and honor myself and my intentions for this journey all the way to Maine, traveling 2,192 miles by foot with my 30lb backpack. Whoah!
So what does that look like to hike all this way everyday?!?!? Well..... at the beginning of the trip I've got to say it was crazy....it was super super cold! Georgia was wild and fresh and I was the coldest wetest I've ever been on Blood Mountain in Georgia! I thought I was going to die I was so cold and I couldn't feel my fingers... I was wet and I thought to myself " how in the world am I going to survive this trek each day?" Well, day by day I proved to myself that I'm just really a badass and I've got this and to stay present in each moment! All things temporary! The states have moved along, I've moved from Georgia to North Carolina into Tennessee and now almost Virginia. I have experienced the beauty of the south and have basked in the love and southern hospitality that I have so missed! I do LOVE the south!!! I even got to catch up with some old friends in North Carolina and have received some super sweet care packages from dear friends along the way! ( Thanks Tucker for the Tequila as it made a great mountain top celebration after 8 hrs of hiking!)
Everyday is seriously a new experience! I hike for 8 hours a day hiking up and down beautiful mountains with varying terrain and it is no easy feat day after day! Lots of people I have met along the way have already called it quits! It's not just walking in the woods, it's literally hiking up and down steep mountains every single day pushing myself to a new destination and believing in myself and wanting to make this happen! I find myself laughing and also crying. It's the full range of whatever, whenever! I have already had some of the most rewarding experiences in nature and have by far met some of the kindest people I've ever met in my life that I get to call my trail friends. Goooooood People! People that will be in my life forever.
I have hiked through cold wet storms soaking wet, shoes completely muddy, sweated so much that I wanted to rip off all my clothes, encountered a snowstorm in the Smokey Mountains, seen some of the most beautiful views of this Earth, solitude in nature, bathed in a waterfall and river, cowboy camped with friends at the top of a bald when it was 15 degrees and ice on my sleeping bag, fell asleep inside my backpack in my tent while it was leaking from the rain, forgot my fuel for the first three days of the trip and ate cold food when it was 20 degrees outside, saw shooting stars with friends on mountain tops, watched the sunset and sunrise with trail friends, exchanged sweet smiles and conversations, eaten so much crazy junk food and food in general with my insane hiker hunger, loved on myself in the midst of uncomfortability and honestly I'm in complete awe of how precious this life is and that everyday is a blessing to be ALIVE and living and breathing.
Just WOW!
It's hard to even describe this journey and the JOY of the adventure! I am grateful for this opportunity and continue to push forward and challenge myself each day while wrapping myself in so much self love and appreciation for where I am and for who I am. The sweetness of nature and feeling alive is a true gift! I am so blessed to have this appreciation for the earth and for myself. I am taken care of and the trail provides. I have met so many people and have witnessed the true beauty of this world. I am curious for what lies ahead and hopeful that I will continue to hike my own hike and be present in this epic journey!
Thanks to everyone for the support and love! I feel it and honor it! I am so grateful!
Here is to another 500 miles of shenanigans! A big ol' YOLO!
Xoxo
Sailor Mooney
