Posted on No Comments on Post 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru Hike

Post 2018 Appalachian Trail Thru Hike

Hi everyone! How has it already been 5 months since we summited Katahdin? I’m sorry it has taken me this long to do a post trail update. Time feels like it has been going at warp speed!

We spent our first month back with family taking it easy and letting our bodies recuperate. After that, it was time to head back to upstate SC! Jake jumped right back in to real estate, and I started back with Southern Savers. We then spent the holidays with family and enjoyed the food a little too much – it’s hard to shake the thru hiker appetite! After a few months living in Jake’s grandparent’s guest house, we found the perfect house to buy! We closed on our home in January and have really enjoyed being back in Greenville, SC.

Life has been good for us post trail, minus a few bumps here and there, but that’s life in this world. To be honest, neither of us have dealt with post trail depression. I think that has a lot to do with where we put our identity, in Christ and not the trail. Don’t get me wrong, the trail is a big part of our story now and we often miss waking up in the woods, but we understand it’s not the end all be all. And, having shared the experience with one another, we can talk about all the good and bad of trail life together whenever we want. We can relate to each other and that makes talking about our experience easier.

We are thankful for our time on trail, but we are also happy for new adventures, like buying our first home and building community in the wonderful city of Greenville! If you’re wondering if we’ll ever do another long trail, the hopeful answer is YES! We absolutely love backpacking and spending time together in new places. We would love to do the PCT and the el Camino, just to name two. Timing and finances will tell when those trips can be taken. We trust in the Lord’s perfect plan, so whether we do or don’t ever get to walk a long trail again, we know where our identity and hope lies. We are beyond thankful for the time He gave us to hike the Appalachian Trail and it will be forever an amazing memory that we both can hold dear in hearts.

Thank you to everyone who came along with us, whether it was through watching our videos, talking with us on the phone, meeting us in person or keeping us in prayer. Thank you for sharing the journey with us!

Until next time!

-Ninja Snail & Sandals

Posted on 6 Comments on Appalachian Trail Thru Hike 2018: 3 Big Changes

Appalachian Trail Thru Hike 2018: 3 Big Changes

paris mountain state park

This year we have 3 big changes for our Appalachian Trail 2018 Thru Hike.

We are changing up our nutrition! No more Honey Buns and Snickers… ok, ok, we’ll probably have a few of those, but they won’t make up our entire diet. This year we are focused on eating as many whole, nutritious and mainly plant based meals that we can. Plus, for the first month on trail we are sending ourselves mail drops so we don’t have worry about grocery shopping.

Next, we are going ultra-lightweight with our gear. In 2016, we both started with base weights around 20 lbs. For 2018, we have our base weights dialed in at sub 12 lbs! No, your gear doesn’t get you to Katahdin, but less weight means faster hiking and easier recovery.

Lastly, we are changing up our mentalities. In 2016, we mostly saw the trail as a big 6 month vacation. Towards the end, we were “vacationing” more and more in our mindset. We ultimately had to get off trail for other reasons, but we want this year to be more focused on getting to Katahdin by treating it as a) a job we applied for and got, so we gotta give it our best and b) by listening more to our bodies each day to make sure we are focused on what we need to do to be successful at reaching Katahdin. Crummy days are going to happen, but we’re keeping our eyes on the prize.