I'm Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Ever since I was in college and heard about a trail that ran from Georgia to Maine, I've been intrigued. I guess really, ever since I was a little girl, trails have fascinated me. Growing up in south Georgia we would find trails in the woods to follow. My family went to the NC mountains nearly every summer and I've always had such a fondness for the mountains. I feel like my spirit comes alive when I'm there. Many years ago, I don't remember exactly when, I learned that people actually hike the entire trail. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the Appalachian Trail (AT). I always joke that I have my own personal AT library since I own so many books about it. Then I found out there were websites where people kept journals for their hikes so I of course, read them obsessively. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain was a spark of an idea that maybe I could hike it one day. What a grand adventure that would be!!!

In 2005, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Coincidentally or not, my first symptoms appeared when my partner and I were hiking a section of the AT in GA near Neel's Gap. It was over Easter weekend and we had been told of a beautiful place to camp where we would have a gorgeous Easter sunrise. So we camped at Wolf Laurel Top and agreed the view was spectacular! Sometime in the middle of the night, the storm from hell hit. We were awakened in our tiny little tent to howling wind, hail, sleet and rain. We were terrified!!! We literally held the sides of our tent up and prayed that we wouldn't die. We just waited for a little bit of light so we could pack up and get out of there and down the mountain as fast as we could. Amanda went out in the maelstrom and got our bear bag down from the tree while I packed up inside the tent. As soon as it was light enough to see to walk we took off. It was a long downhill in that mess but we knew we were headed to a road and could possibly get a ride into town. As we were hiking down the mountain I started having a crazy pain in my leg. It kept getting worse and I knew I needed to get off of it.

We called a shuttle and got a ride into Helen, GA where we could dry off and warm up. My leg didn't get any better, in fact, it got worse so we decided to cut our trip short and head home. I was in horrible pain all the way home. When I got home, I also discovered I was having some gynecological problems and called my GYN doctor. After being examined by him, he told me I had a "mass" in my uterus and required surgery. I had also been having some numbness and tingling and told him about that. He advised that I call my Primary doc immediately, which I did. She ordered a stat MRI, which showed that I had lesions on my brain. UGH! I was sure I was covered in cancer now. I had hysterectomy within the month and several months of testing to see what was causing the brain lesions. I finally got diagnosed in October with MS.

My symptoms continued to progress over the next few years to the point that I couldn't work anymore. Oh wow, did I go through so much depression over that! I had always worked 2 and 3 jobs to survive and now not to be able to work at all?

My symptoms have leveled off right now so that I am probably in a remission. This can change in the blink of an eye. It could all come back tomorrow. So, I've learned that I have to live today and make the best of whatever each day brings - although I don't always do that.

My decision to hike the AT is based on that. I need to do it now and stop waiting. I won't get any better. My illness can eventually kill me, but it might not. It might stay the same. No one really understands MS. So I only have now. I'm going to give it everything I've got and see what happens. I don't want to get to the end of my life and regret that I never tried.

My family thinks I'm crazy. I've always been crazy though, so that's ok. I think that they don't really believe I'm going to do it.

If you believe in me and want to support me, I'd love to hear from you.


"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway." Earl Nightingale