Thru-Hiking Journal

How Going Alone (and Being Afraid) Set the Foundation for Future Adventures My sixth backpacking trip was this solo adventure. The seventh would ultimately be the Appalachian Trail. Deep into the COVID lockdown, I was feeling itchy for an adventure. I was living in Columbus, Ohio, and I was working a series of odd jobs. People kept asking me what my plan was -- I didn't feel comfortable returning to teaching until the pandemic was over, as my online teaching experience in the