Epic Journeys: Sarah's Appalachian Trail Adventure

Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy . I'm your host , dan , and each week we'll embark on a new adventure , discovering memories and life lessons of our incredible guests , from everyday travelers to thrill seekers and everyone in between . This podcast is your front row seat to inspiring stories of passion , resilience and the pursuit of happiness .

All right , there's not much to me , but I am , as you know , a thru-hiker . I am going back to school right now for a dietetics degree , which I took quite a long break in between my schooling and I decided well , I want a college degree , so I went back . I grew up in the greater Cincinnati area in a little town called Middletown .

Yeah , our vice president's from there .

I have connections to there because I grew up in south-central Kentucky and a lot of people moved there and went to work back when the steel mills were there . Yeah , it's not that booming town anymore , but they are revitalizing it .

Yeah , I see they're trying to bring it back . Well , it's a pleasure to have you here and we'll jump straight to it , but I always like to ask people what was your first car ?

My first car that I actually bought was a 2000 Chevy Impala .

Yeah , wow , Now was that used or new ? It was used it was used and what color was it ?

It's like a goldish tannish color yeah .

Yeah , okay , that's cool . Now you were telling me earlier . I asked you if you got , because in Ohio you can get your permit at 15 and a half . You told me that was not the case for you . You got it later .

I did . I got it at 18 . I got my license at 19 . It was more of if I wanted to drive , I had to get a job , pay for everything myself , pay my way through driving school . So I decided , well , if I'm 18 , I don't have to go to driving school and I'll just wait .

Yeah , there you go . So now Growing up , did your family , were they hikers , Before we jump into the story here ? But did you grow up being a hiker ?

I grew up being sort of a hiker , it was more . We did a lot of car camping , with short little hiking trips while we were camping . Nothing major .

Okay , so is there any ? That took me to when you mentioned car camping . Is there any epic road trips in your past ?

there we did have quite a few road trips tell me about one oh , let's see . I don't remember specifics of certain ones , but there is one thing that always stuck with me every time we went on a road trip , we always had car trouble , broke down somewhere on the road , um . So I learned a lot of how to be flexible with that .

Oh great . So breakdowns kind of go with Sarah , right ? Yeah , yeah , maybe you just stick to hiking and forget the driving . Yeah , it's probably better for me .

Yeah , yeah , maybe you just stick to hiking and forget the driving . Yeah , it's probably better for me , that's good .

You chose to take on the Appalachian Trail . For my listeners who don't know about that trail , tell us a little bit about it . How long is it ? Where does it start ? Stop ?

Okay , the Appalachian Trail is an East Coast trail . It starts in Georgia , ends in Maine . If you are a southbounder , you want to say it starts in Maine , ends in Georgia .

Sure .

It's about 14 states long . When I hiked it in 2022 , it was 2,194 miles .

Wow .

The mileage changes every year due to rerouting , so sometimes it grows , sometimes it shrinks . Okay , I think it's at like three miles longer this year . Okay , Even when I was on the trail it expanded by like 0.3 .

Oh , wow , okay . So you're thinking , oh , I'm almost finished , and then they go . No , it's a little bit longer .

Yeah , I didn't know if I wanted to go back and hike that little section or not .

Who maintains the trail ?

So it is mainly volunteers . So there's clubs along the Appalachian trail that it's usually older retired folks that go out every day or weekend and they each have a section and they maintain it throughout the year .

That's cool . And then any idea why the trail came to be . We might have to , we might have to google search that , but do you have ? Any idea ?

I don't . I remember that there is a trail called the long trail in vermont . It was the original white blaze um trail . So if you're not familiar with what a white blaze is , it's a little blaze , little marking on a tree or a rock that shows where the trail is . And the appalachian trail is a white blaze trail um .

And had you done long hikes before this ?

No , I did not .

Yeah , what was the longest hike you'd ever done ?

So before I decided to actually go on the Appalachian trail , it was always back in like I had that plan but it wasn't like , oh , I'm going to do it this year . I think the longest I ever did was like five miles .

Okay , all right .

And then I was like , oh , I'm going to go hike , so I should probably prepare . So I did like a day hike that was nine miles , okay . And then the year before I did my hike I did two overnight . It wasn't overnight backpacking , it was like two or three days backpacking through Ohio . That was the only preparation I had .

When you were doing those other hikes , were you typically a solo hiker .

No , I usually hiked with my sister .

So you decided to take on the AT . We'll call it that because I looked it up , I Googled it because I've never hiked it . I did see a sign once down in the Smokies that this was the Appalachian Trail . I do know where it's at , yeah it goes right through Cleveland's Dome . But what made you want to take it on ?

It's been a dream of mine since I was a little girl .

Oh , wow , okay .

My mom went to college to be a park ranger or a park naturalist . She never did go into that , but she had this little map of the Appalachian Trail and at that time it was only like a thousand miles and I would always pull it out and I'm like , oh , this is so cool . So I was like I'm going to hike that when I get older .

So it's been in your mind for a long time . So you said you hiked that in 2022 .

Yes .

So you decided to take a break from work , and had you planned out how long it might take .

I was planning on about six months . It took me seven months .

Took you seven months . Okay , and where did you start ? Did you go southbound or northbound ?

So I started in Georgia . Okay , amakula Falls , that's really hard to say .

Okay .

It's in the north east portion of the state .

Okay , somebody drove you there , or yeah ?

So my parents took me and my sister down there to start . Okay .

All right . And did you start by yourself or did your sister ? Was she hiking with ?

you ? Yeah , she started with me .

Yeah , did she go the whole way ?

No , she lasted about two weeks . I think it was about two weeks before she got an injury , got off and then came back later .

So she did about a month's worth Wow okay , how many miles a day was a typical ? What was a typical day ?

So when they , when I started out , it was about seven to eight miles .

Okay .

Um . The time I hit Maine it was about a 20 miles average .

Okay , you mentioned your sister got injury . Did you have any injuries along the way ? Oh , yeah , oh .

I had a major foot injury which I don't think I let heal properly , which flared out again later up the trail .

Wow , okay , is there medical attention on the trail , or you just got to try to find your way to the nearest little clinic ?

Yeah , you got to find your way .

Okay .

You go through towns , some areas , or you go across roads and got to find your way . Okay , Um , you go through towns , um some areas , or you go across roads and you can hitch away , hitch your way in to town .

My last guest that hiked the Pacific crest trail . She talked about all the people she would meet up with , so I'm assuming during this time period you met up with a lot of other hikers .

I did . The Appalachian trail is known for how many people are on there , and usually thousands of people start in the beginning . By the time you reach the end it's dwindled down to about a fourth . So I met a lot of interesting people along the way . I hiked with a few of them and I made some really good friends .

Yeah , I assume you had to carry your own food , or are there places along the way where you can stop ?

Because the Appalachian Trail is up the East Coast , there's a lot of population up the East Coast and so you go through a lot of areas that you can have access to towns .

Okay .

So you just plan for like three to five days' worth of food then go into town again and resupply .

Okay , that injury . Did you take days off then to try to let it heal a little bit ?

I took two days off two days .

Okay , you just pushed on , yeah . And where did that injury happen ?

was that like months into the hike or the time I hit virginia , so it was about a month or two in . I went home for about a week for my uncle's funeral .

Okay .

And I came back and I pushed it too hard after taking a week off , and that's where I got the injury Okay .

So it was like , hey , you had this momentum going and you're like I can continue on . Do you ever get scared out there ?

Oh yeah .

Yeah , people , animals .

I would say , mostly people .

Okay .

A few times animals .

Yeah .

I did have like a bear following me or I always stepped on a rattlesnake . You know stuff like that , yeah .

Okay , yeah , that wouldn't be . Yeah , I've always wondered about bears because we hike my wife and I hike but I'm always like you know they tell you to make noises and stuff You'll scare them off , and I'm always kind of like I don't know if I buy into that it's only the little ones that scare away the big ones yeah they don't nothing .

So along the trail there are 250 shelters . They're like three-sided sort of . You can call them like lean-tos . You just kind of go in , make a spot and you lay down next to a bunch of people .

Okay , awkward .

Yeah , it was awkward the first time . The more you get to know people , it's just you know scoot over , I went in .

Wow Okay .

Because it was nice when it was like a thunderstorm or something , you didn't have to set up a wet tent , yeah .

So you did carry a tent .

I did carry a tent . So I did tent about half the time . I stayed in shelters . About the other half .

Okay , and I assume that these shelters they have bathhouses .

They do have Most of them have privies .

Okay .

There's some of them that don't , so you just got to go .

Yeah .

Take a cat hole somewhere and do your business .

Yeah , what about showers ?

No , that was a luxury .

Luxury .

Wow , that was something you have to plan when you go into town .

Okay , so you would if you went into town ?

Yeah , so about once a week I'd go into town , do my resupplies , take a shower , do my laundry , wash my dishes that I was carrying .

Oh , wow , okay , interesting . So , along the way , any big challenges that you face and you thought oh , this I'm done , yes , I'm going home .

Yes , there were a few of those . One of the main challenges I faced was when I got my trail name . So a trail name is something that either you give yourself or someone gives to you , so nobody knows your real name .

It's just like a nickname , so mine was Pathfinder . Okay , did you pick that ?

I did not . It was given to me Okay . So there's an older lady about in her 70s . I went through the Smokies right after a major snowstorm . Okay , it was very , very cold . It's like low , maybe like seven degrees .

That's pretty cold for Tennessee .

And she was hiking extremely slow , she was dehydrated but she would not get off the trail and so I hiked with her and it took about two days to go six miles and it was really trying for me because it was really cold and you know I was just like why do I have to do this ? And you know it was a lot of mental growth for me , character growth .

Yeah , and you know , just helping somebody else . That seems to me what these trail hikes are about . You know I haven't talked to Miranda earlier about hers and , listening to you , Everybody's out there to try to pull this off On the Appalachian Trail . Is that a lot of elevation change ?

Yes , the three trails the Pacific Crest Trail , the Continental Bight Trail and the Appalachian Trail . The Appalachian Trail is the hardest by elevation-wise even though it's shorter . Wow . So the equivalent elevation change over the entire trail is equivalent to hiking Mount Everest 16 times up and down .

Wow , who would have even thought that ? Right , you would think

How was the weather during your I hit everything from extreme cold and snow and ice to extremely wet weather and really hot dry temperatures through Virginia , yeah .

Did you have enough gear ? Or is this a point where you go oh my gosh , I didn't bring that . I got to go into town and get another jacket .

No , I brought enough gear . I think I probably brought a little too much gear .

Yeah , kind of weight where you carry it . Do you know ?

Uh , I think with food and water I probably reached about 30 , 35 pounds , Cause the more gear you shed , the more you eat as well . Um , and so your food gets really heavy .

Um sure , yeah , you started in Georgia , you ended up in Maine , and how long did it take ?

Uh , it took me seven months , seven months .

So that was what I didn't ask you when you started .

I started February 18th .

Okay , so February ? So yeah , still a little bit cooler in the south .

Yeah .

But at least you could get through those more northeastern states when it's not cold , yes . And when you got to Maine , who's there to greet you ? Family show up there after dropping you off in Georgia .

I hiked with a guy that I met down in Tennessee . I started hiking with him Tennessee to Virginia , and I hiked with him pretty much the entire way , except for about two states in between pretty much the entire way except for about two states in between .

Oh nice .

And I took some buses and some trains home .

Yeah , have you stayed in contact with people that you hiked with ? I have , so it's like a little family thing now , right yeah , so you finished up . What was the recuperation like ?

Uh , I wasn't able to walk properly . I looked like an old person for probably about six months , and my feet were swollen for about that time as well .

Okay , how many pair of shoes Did you go through ? More than one pair of shoes ?

I went through three pairs .

Three pair of shoes . What brand ?

So I started off with boots . I don't remember the brand of them , because I had them for years before .

Okay .

Well , they're already broken in , so I'll start with those .

Probably a smart move , right .

Then I switched to ultra trail runners . Okay , they were more of the tennis shoe kind of style , and my feet did not like those . So when I got to , New York , I switched to the ultra lone peaks and I absolutely love those .

Oh nice , another trail runners . Yeah , you did a YouTube . I watched some , I didn't watch them all . How did that go ?

It was a lot of learning curves .

Yeah , I had a lot of issues trying to upload them and everything from the trail . Yeah , Now did you cover the entire trip I ? Did yeah and a lot of issues trying to upload them and everything from the trail . Yeah , now did you cover the entire trip ? I did , yeah , so we'll talk about that at the end if people want to go watch those .

It's not that serious Everyday life . Don't be so stressed out . Be more flexible . Flexibility was the biggest thing , because I was like a super planner , like everything had to go exactly how . You know this , this , this . But yeah , just to be more flexible .

Yeah , I guess you learn pretty quick that that schedule's kind of out .

Yeah . I'm just going to go with the flow and take the take the hard times with a smile .

Yeah , reminds me of when we used to go to Haiti and I'd show up with this list , this to-do list , and my daughter who lived there she'd look at it and she'd go Dad , we're going to get about two of those things done . Okay , stop doing these lists . And yeah , I'm sure it was kind of the same .

After that I completed another bucket list item to go to India , so I got that marked off .

Oh , okay .

So I think the last thing that I really wanted to do was hike the Camino in Spain .

Okay .

I'm not sure if that's going to happen , but it is on that list .

I'm sure it will happen . We're going to keep it on Fun . Yeah , would that be the right ?

word yeah .

Yeah , lots of nice places to stay along the way . It looks like to me . Yeah , I don't know if I'd want to do either the Pacific Coast or the AT , so I'm not sure . Here's a question for you If you could take a road trip with anyone , living or deceased , who would it be ?

I think it would just be my sister .

Wow , that's cool . So you're pretty close to your sister , yeah , and obviously you've talked about a lot of stuff . What are you going to drive Something ?

that's not going to break down , right ? Yeah , something , probably with four wheel drive .

Yeah , yeah , you're going to go rent a car .

Maybe , like , maybe one of those new Broncos .

Yeah , oh , there you go , there we go . And uh , where do you think you would go if you could just go anywhere in the us ?

we'll say the us I think it would just be cool to do a full road trip around the us , like a big circle wow a lap .

Yeah , I like that I can share one with you , your sister older or younger ?

she's younger , yeah and uh .

So you guys are obviously close . And is there anything you think there's anything you'd want to do on that road trip ? Is there , you know , one of those things ? You know people , biggest ball of twine or anything along the way ? Is there something out there you would like to see ?

I would really like to see Zion National Park .

Okay . Well , I think you all should do that and I'll encourage you to do that . You gave us a little advice , some things you learned . Is there any other advice you would give , maybe particularly to young people ? You're a young person . What would you tell young people about life ? I mean , you gave us a little bit there earlier . Is there anything else ?

I would say there's an AT AT motto that says never quit on a bad day and that kind of got me through the trail . It kind of gets me through life you know , just wait until you're having a good day so you can think clearly like do I really want to quit ?

Well , it's kind of like uh , you know sports stars when they're at the height of their pinnacle . Most of them know I should get out on a good day . Now I'm going to have a bad year , not the time to go out , right ? So that's great advice . So tell my listeners how to find your YouTube .

All right .

Because , you know , I think people would find it very interesting .

I am on YouTube and Instagram . I need to change the name because it's very hard to find , so it's here's to the journey but it's spelled weird , so it's spell it for us . It's H E R E S underscore , the number two , underscore T , h E underscore journey spelled out and then underscore .

Yeah , okay , we'll get that in the notes and we'll try and make sure people can find it somehow and , if they want , to find you on Instagram .

Same .

Yeah , same thing . Okay , well , sarah , it's been a pleasure to take this little road trip with you .

Yeah , thank you for having me .

Thank you for tuning in to Dan the road trip guy . I hope you enjoyed our journey today and the stories that were shared . If you have any thoughts or questions or stories of your own , I'd love to hear from you . Feel free to reach out to me anytime .