Life After The Appalachian Trail

Life After The AT

Well, this post is way over due, but I finally have the courage to write again. It has been almost two months since we left the Appalachian Trail and it has been nothing short of exciting, confusing, busy and fun.

I can still remember the day we left the AT like it was yesterday. I didn’t cry as we drove off, I just sat in the back of shuttle driver Gary Serra’s SUV and tried to stay calm.

For the people who know me personally, that is not my normal reaction to something so emotionally taxing. I can only say it was the Lord’s peace with me. He let me know I was doing the right thing.

Lately, I have been questioning whether I did the right thing , but thanks to Matt, a kind viewer, he reminded me that my hope and identity is in Jesus, not in finishing the Appalachian Trail. He encouraged me to continue with Hike and Tell posts, so here I am.

After we were dropped off in Blacksburg, Virginia, we spent a few hours with Jake’s family reminiscing and planning for our next adventure. Yes. I said another adventure.

I still had some time before I needed to be back at work, so we decided to close out our year of adventure with a US road trip! We only spent three days at home getting ready and we were off like a heard of wild turtles (Jake’s dad’s favorite saying).

We met up with all of our trail friends … Purple Mist, Optimist, Sunflower, Daniel Son, Burrito and Cupcake as we headed north to begin our trip. It had been weeks since we had seen them and it was such a treat to spend time with them again.

After visiting family in Maine, we headed west! No, we did not climb Katahdin or hike any sections of the trail, but we were able to see Katahdin in the distance on top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

We spent four weeks on the road and visited amazing US cities and landmarks. We explored Philadelphia, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston, Acadia National Park, Niagara Falls, Chicago, Mall of America, Mount Rushmore, Glacier National Park, Seattle, the Pacific Ocean, Redwood National Forest, San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon!

It was an experience that we will remember forever, just like our experience on the Appalachian Trail. We learned a lot on both of our adventures, and one thing is for sure, the Lord puts the right people and places in life at the right time.

After our month on the road, we decided it was time to find a new home and to grow our roots in a new city. We still live in South Carolina (we decided it was the best state of them all), but we live a lot closer to the mountains in Greenville!

I can’t wait to start hiking again and to continue sharing with you life’s best adventures.

11 thoughts on “Life After The Appalachian Trail

  1. Hooray! Great to hear about what God’s been doing in your life post- AT. What a year!

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  2. Snail….this is by far your BEST POST EVER! Filled with emotion and so natural to read. It was like you were sitting beside me, telling about your adventures. Your viewers are correct. Keep posting to HIKEANDTELL. You and Sandals have a gift and you need to continue to share it. We love you both!

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  3. So glad you are still writing! You adventure are always fun to follow and as for the AT you went 700 miles walking I can’t even imagine. Hope you are enjoying your new home. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Remember you are always to stay with us lots of good hiking in our area. God is Good

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    1. Hi Mrs. Beimer! Thank you so much for reading! We love Greenville and hope to do something hiking soon! He is great all the time!

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  4. Being born in Northern Minnesota and living 28 years in California I have been to all these places from Chicago to the Grand Canyon. Some of them several times. The west coast is such a beautiful place. I am glad you continued your journey, albeit in a different manner. You have seen places many people have never even heard of. I still plan on hiking mile 788 in your and Sandals honor. Had a minor set back. A few weeks ago they discovered a 90% blockage in my left main artery. It has been taken care of and I am feeling much better. I will soon begin a training regimen to ready me for the AT. Glad you are letting us know how you have been doing. Good luck with all you do Snail.

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    1. Glad to hear you are feeling better! We are so thankful we got to experience the things we did this year. Keep in touch when you start your journey!

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  5. Love the update! Yall proved your abilities and have some amazing adventures! So proud of you! Can wait to connect with yall over dinner soon!

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  6. Outstanding update! Please do continue to make updates. There are tons of “adventures” to experience. My wife and I truly miss your reports from the trail but we are happy you had the strength to make the tough decision. You both have a great set of skills to communicate on any subject. I encourage you to use those skills as you believe the Lord may intend. God bless you both. We are looking forward to more video and text blogging from you!

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  7. Snail and Sandals, My name is Al and I have been diagnosed with Alzheimers. I used to be very active and hiked many trails along the Blue ridge and Great Smokies but never the AT. I watched all of your UTube videos and thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone of them. I would tell my wife I was going hiking today with Snail and Sandals. 700 miles is quite an accomplishment and you both should be very proud of yourselves. I know I am proud of you. I want you to know it meant a lot to me to travel along with you. I looked forward everyday to watching another days hike. You two are an awesome couple and I wish you both a long loving relationship. God Bless

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    1. Al,

      Your comments means so much to us! Thank you for watching our videos and hiking with us. It truly means a lot to hear from our viewers!

      God Bless,
      Snail

      Reply

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