Jun 7, 2023
Welcome back to Trail Correspondents! This is episode 5: expectations vs. reality.
Picture in your mind’s eye, an ideal version of time spent in nature. It’s likely not raining and warm but not hot. Perhaps the perfect cooling breeze supportively buffets your face while you climb a challenging but not impossible ascent.
You may find yourself surrounded by lush, green foliage, peeking out from which you spot rare and beautiful wildlife, that is so unafraid of your presence as to be practically posing for you as you snap a magnificent photo…
If only everyday could be like this…
Though trail life is a certain kind of escape it is definitely not a wholesale entrance into a fantasy reality free from the doldrums and discomforts of everyday life. And while it’s easy to romanticize thoughts of living in the woods for an extended period of time, as the days become weeks become months, one is quickly disabused of these flights of fancy.
In this episode our correspondents place their preconceived notions about life on trail up against their lived experiences. The sharp contrast here provides a certain type of clarity painting a clear picture of what a very long walk in the woods actually involves...
In today's episode we hear from:
Abbey
Turnbull
Harking from the South Coast of the UK, Abbey, aged 26, is swapping
the rolling hills of the South Downs for the mountains of the
Pacific Crest. A thru-hike of the JMT last year confirmed what she
thought to be true – hiking from Mexico to Canada was her destiny
for 2023. Loves good food and wine, Taylor Swift, American
hospitality, and mountain vistas. Hates steep downhill slopes, her
own unfortunate susceptibility to altitude sickness, and
oatmeal.
Abbigale (Abby)
Evans
Abby Evans (she/they) has a hankering to shave their head and hike
the AT and now they will get to do both! They will be fulfilling
their vagabond-dirtbag-poet dreams and aspire to one day become a
creative writing professor. They’ll be listening to seventies folk
music and reflecting on their life as they wander through all the
states they grew up in: they were born in Maryland, grew up in New
Jersey and went to college at Virginia Tech. Abby is excited for
this Bildungsroman and hopes to celebrate their 23rd birthday
(August 24) near Maine.
Aly
Pagano
Aly is local to the southern Appalachians in western North
Carolina. She has spent her life hiking, trail running, fishing,
foraging, and farming; she aspires to increase her own knowledge
and awareness of traditional Appalachian folk medicine, music, and
skills as in an effort to live harmoniously with the mountains
around her. With a degree in Ecology, Aly focuses on seasonal
changes, flora, and fauna while hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Iris
Hartshorn
A queer Alaskan, Iris, aka Panther, strives to build adventure into
their life. The last years have been filled with world travel,
skiing, packrafting, hiking, backpacking, vanlife, and epic trips
across Alaska. This year’s highlight is to walk from Mexico to
Canada. Or, at least, just to keep walking somewhere.
David
Firari
David “Good Soup” is excited to be sharing their northbound
Appalachian Trail with you! This is their first ever backpacking
trip and they hope all the reading and shakedown hikes they did pay
off. In addition to being a novice backpacker, Good Soup is also
managing a schedule of recurring medical treatments back home in
Wisconsin in order to make this trip happen.
Derek
Witteman
Derek is a 37 years young Northern California native, presently
thriving in San Antonio, Texas. In no particular order he is a
physician, veteran, hiker, nerd, and jokester. In his free time he
enjoys taking selfies with wildlife, and thinking of spirit animals
the represent his current mood.
Eddie
Arriola
Eddie is a travel PTA, physical therapist assistant, who’s been
dreaming of the PCT for four years. In his spare time he enjoys
photography, karaoke, and has other eclectic hobbies. He’s
originally from southern Arizona, Tucson, and is excited to get
back to his primary partner and dogs after the trail.
Elke
Pabst
Elke comes from Germany and wants to thruhike the AT with her dog
Tilli. It is her first stay in the USA und doesn t hiking before.
She has 3 nearly grown up sons and a husband who take care of
everything while she is hiking with her 9 year old dog Tilli.
Emily Russo
Miller
Dreaming of being on trail is Emily’s favorite pastime. A
37-year-old journalist from Juneau, Alaska, she risked it all a few
years ago (left her job, sold all her belongings and moved to the
Lower 48) in pursuit of something new and beautiful. She found it
in thru-hiking and hasn’t looked back since. You may know her as
“Bear Spray Girl” from her LASH on the AT in 2021, or “Legs” from
her PCT thru in 2022.
Jake
Landgraf
Jake is currently on the AT attempting his first thru-hike. A proud
Wisconsin resident, he enjoys beer, the outdoors, and the Green Bay
Packers. On trail, Jake is known as “Radioface” and is obsessed
with cosmic brownies. Follow Jake on his own, daily podcast at
whereisjakeat.com.
Mary
Garcia
Mary is a boring woman who likes to make various things, especially
her hiking gear. She also has problems completing a thru hike. She
did half the PCT in 2017 and a month on the CDT in 2022.
Summer
Midyett
Summer has had an adventurous spirit since she was young, having
spent her most of her childhood traveling around the world with her
family. She’s been dreaming of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail since
2020, when she moved to Oregon and fell in love with the mountains
of the PNW. While it’s certainly shaping up to be an interesting
year for the PCT, she’s excited to see whatever the trail has in
store.
Check out Appalachian Trials and Pacific Crest Trials.
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