It’s crazy to think that 2022 is almost over! With school wrapping up and students everywhere turning in their semester long research papers or taking final exams on topics they probably won’t even remember after winter break, the year is finally folding to a close. For many, December feels like the last 0.2 miles of a race. The finish line is within sight, but it just feels so far away as your legs become heavy and dead. The thought of sprinting and ending the misery seems like the most reasonable response, yet at the same time, that feels utterly impossible. This metaphor doesn’t just translate to college, the education system, or those with various end of the year concerts and recitals, but to anyone as we all marathon holiday shop and try to please everyone we possibly can.
However, I’ve always thought this was a funny concept because this time of year sparks the winter solstice. With the leaves having fallen from all the trees and several animals in a state of hibernation, this season should encourage slowing down and moments of reflection as we mimic our natural surroundings. The shorter days, long nights, and frigid temperatures all seem to be signs telling us to put on our fuzzy socks and chill out. For myself, school is ending and the chaos of working a retail job is starting to ramp up. But with stress high and motivation reaching a critical condition, I finally have some exciting news to share.
This winter, I will be thru-hiking the Foothills Trail! (which is the exact opposite of fuzzy socks and chilling out). This trail sits in southern Appalachia and goes through South and North Carolina. It is around 77 miles long and should take me about five days to complete. This will be the longest solo backpacking trip I’ve ever been on and to say that I’m a little nervous is an understatement. But at the same time, I’m super excited to get out there! After months of staring at my computer screen for hours, I am beyond ready to rough it in the backcountry for a few days and be away from “real life.”
For the past several weeks, I’ve been going on some training hikes to get ready for it. As of right now, my trail legs are not exactly where I would like them to be to cover long distances for several days in a row. However, there’s only so much I can do in a flat state like Missouri. The terrain should be challenging, but I feel confident that I can do it. Some people around me think it’s wild that I will be doing this in winter and, to be honest, I agree with them to a certain extent. It will be cold, and most likely wet for a lot of the trip. I’m not thrilled about it, but at the same time, I want to take advantage of my time off and do something that will fill my cup back up.
At the beginning of this year, I was in a bad spot mentally. When things started to get better again, I promised myself that I would start doing all the fun, exciting things that I have always planned on doing going forward. As a perfectionist and chronic people pleaser, I tend to prioritize work, school, obligations, and other aspects of hustle culture above everything else. I understand that these are important factors of life, but there needs to be a balance of our “have to’s” and “want to’s.” I need to get my degree and continue working at my local gear shop in order to meet the goals that I have set. However, I also need to make time for the trail and fun adventures along the way to make my heart happy. So that is my “why” for this Foothills Trail thru-hike.
Stay tuned for more posts about how I get ready for this upcoming hike and subscribe to follow along with my journey!
Also, if you are interested, here is a ridiculously nerdy video of one of my training hikes. VIDEO
Enjoy :)