S4 Episode #12 | Lessons Learned

Welcome back to Trail Correspondents!

You'll certainly find a noticeable theme throughout these clips - especially with those who are completing their first long trail, that it's difficult to sum up in words what's been learned. 

The duration of time a thru hike requires is definitely enough to cause a thorough change within a person - it's so all-encompassing and transforming that it's hard to nail down exactly who and what you were before embarking on your journey. It requires re-acclimation to the life you left in order to reorient who you've become. 

On that note, let's get into what our correspondents have to say on the matter. Their closeness to the essence of this kind of experiential change is sure to be captivating…

In today's episode we hear from:

Abbey Turnbull
Harking from the South Coast of the UK, Abbey, aged 26, is swapping the rolling hills of the South Downs for the mountains of the Pacific Crest. A thru-hike of the JMT last year confirmed what she thought to be true – hiking from Mexico to Canada was her destiny for 2023. Loves good food and wine, Taylor Swift, American hospitality, and mountain vistas. Hates steep downhill slopes, her own unfortunate susceptibility to altitude sickness, and oatmeal.

Abbigale (Abby) Evans
Abby Evans (she/they) has a hankering to shave their head and hike the AT and now they will get to do both! They will be fulfilling their vagabond-dirtbag-poet dreams and aspire to one day become a creative writing professor. They'll be listening to seventies folk music and reflecting on their life as they wander through all the states they grew up in: they were born in Maryland, grew up in New Jersey and went to college at Virginia Tech. Abby is excited for this Bildungsroman and hopes to celebrate their 23rd birthday (August 24) near Maine.

Aly Pagano
Aly is local to the southern Appalachians in western North Carolina. She has spent her life hiking, trail running, fishing, foraging, and farming; she aspires to increase her own knowledge and awareness of traditional Appalachian folk medicine, music, and skills as in an effort to live harmoniously with the mountains around her. With a degree in Ecology, Aly focuses on seasonal changes, flora, and fauna while hiking the Appalachian Trail.

David Firari
David "Good Soup" is excited to be sharing their northbound Appalachian Trail with you! This is their first ever backpacking trip and they hope all the reading and shakedown hikes they did pay off. In addition to being a novice backpacker, Good Soup is also managing a schedule of recurring medical treatments back home in Wisconsin in order to make this trip happen.

Derek Witteman
Derek is a 37 years young Northern California native, presently thriving in San Antonio, Texas. In no particular order he is a physician, veteran, hiker, nerd, and jokester. In his free time he enjoys taking selfies with wildlife, and thinking of spirit animals the represent his current mood.

Eddie Arriola
Eddie is a travel PTA, physical therapist assistant, who's been dreaming of the PCT for four years. In his spare time he enjoys photography, karaoke, and has other eclectic hobbies. He's originally from southern Arizona, Tucson, and is excited to get back to his primary partner and dogs after the trail.

Elke Pabst
Elke comes from Germany and wants to thruhike the AT with her dog Tilli. It is her first stay in the USA und doesn t hiking before. She has 3 nearly grown up sons and a husband who take care of everything while she is hiking with her 9 year old dog Tilli.

Jake Landgraf
Jake is currently on the AT attempting his first thru-hike. A proud Wisconsin resident, he enjoys beer, the outdoors, and the Green Bay Packers. On trail, Jake is known as "Radioface" and is obsessed with cosmic brownies. Follow Jake on his own, daily podcast at whereisjakeat.com.   Mary Garcia
Mary is a boring woman who likes to make various things, especially her hiking gear. She also has problems completing a thru hike. She did half the PCT in 2017 and a month on the CDT in 2022.   Summer Midyett Summer has had an adventurous spirit since she was young, having spent her most of her childhood traveling around the world with her family. She's been dreaming of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail since 2020, when she moved to Oregon and fell in love with the mountains of the PNW. While it's certainly shaping up to be an interesting year for the PCT, she's excited to see whatever the trail has in store.

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