When I set out to hike the Appalachian Trail two years ago, I thought the experience may help me find some clarity and direction. After all, what else do you have to thinking about while walking for 10-12 hours a day besides life? Well, after the first failed thru-hike attempt I thought I’d found some clarity. I thought I wanted to teach. Fast forward 10 months and I was nearing the end of my first semester teaching… and HATING it. I was bored, restless, unhappy, and not making nearly enough money for the stress I was under. I made the decision not to renew my contract at the school and walked away unsure about the future.
I made a second thru-hike attempt in 2016 hoping, once again, that I’d find some clarity and direction while walking through the woods for days on end. I definitely found clarity and insight into many aspects of life (choosing to pursue minimalism, coming to terms with some difficult emotions, diving headfirst into new friendships and relationships). I did not however have a grand epiphany about what direction I wanted my life to take.
When I left the trail last September, I was battling pretty severe post-trail depression (this is a real thing). I was dropped back into civilization among friends whose lives had continued on without me while I was gone, amid one of the most tumultuous and vicious presidential elections in history, and in the midst of wildfires devastating the forests around my home for months on end. It was a dark time, and one of the only things that helped me keep my head above the dark waters of real depression was waiting for spring.
The Promise it Brings
Soon after leaving the trail in September I got a call from my good friend Steve. He and I go way back to my days as a professional dog trainer, and he called to ask me if I’d like to work a few events with him for the North American Diving Dogs organization. Since I probably know more about dogs than anything else in the world, and I really enjoyed working in that industry in the past, I jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, there was only one event in the fall. It would be April before the real season started. So I had to find a job to try and make it through the next six months.
I was able to pick up a serving job in Franklin pretty quickly, but winter is bleak in the mountains and there wasn’t much money to be made. At one point over the winter I was making less than $100 a week, which isn’t enough to sustain my lifestyle at all. I decided to put my teaching degree to use and signed up to substitute teach starting in January. Between subbing and serving, hopefully I could make ends meet until the end of March.
Spring also brings about the return of hikers to Franklin, and the first day of spring marks the beginning of our month-long Appalachian Trail celebration. With most of the forest service roads in the area closed for the winter until March 15, and wildfires closing a huge portion of the trail around Franklin for the fall southbound thru-hiker season, it had been months since I’d been able to connect with other members of my extended trail family. Some days the only thing that got me through January and February was thinking about the fact that March and April would bring hikers to town. Hikers have a certain zest for life that is infectious. I love meeting them and hearing their stories. I look forward to it every year.
The Reality of Waiting
There were moments during the first three months of 2017 where I had less money than I’ve ever had in my entire adult life (actually, I think I had equally as little during the first three months of 2016 so at least I have some assurance that I can indeed dig myself out of this hole). Some days I wasn’t sure how I was going to buy food for my dogs or put gas in my car to get to work. But I just kept treading, repeating my mantra in my head that if I could make it to the end of March, everything would be OK. I threw everything I had in me into working as much as possible. I pulled almost two straight weeks (11 days straight) of 14 hour double shifts, subbing in the mornings and serving at night. It’s hard to put that kind of energy into working as a sub because you don’t get the money until the end of the month. This became one more thing waiting at the end of March, taunting me: a significant paycheck from the school system. However, word to the wise: SUBBING IS GREAT MONEY AND EASY WORK. Seriously, I get multiple calls per day to sub. I could sub every day if I wanted to, and with my degrees and teaching license I make about $90/day to work 7 hours. Definitely worth it if you’re looking to make some extra cash.
March is also the time of year when I like to do trail magic for thru-hikers passing through the area. After all, most of the reason I moved to Franklin is because it’s a trail town. While I’ve been able to offer some magic in the form of giving rides and helping hikers find lodging, I haven’t had the money to do many hiker feeds. I’ve also been working so much that I haven’t had a ton of time to hang out with hikers, but I manage to squeeze in some time here and there. As a hiker myself I know that a random soda, a free ride to Walmart, or even a kind word can seem magical in the right moment. It would take several lifetimes to pay back all the kindness I received during my two thru-hike attempts, but I’m going to try as often and as long as I can.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
March 31st. That became the light, the vision, the day that gave me the hope and encouragement I needed to get through the month. On this day, my monthly paycheck from the school system for all those days I spent teaching would hit the bank, enabling me to make my loan payment, credit card payment, and get rid of a couple of bills that have been looming over my head. The beginning of April offered the promise of travel, a new job, and slightly more financial freedom. The end of the month also marks the beginning of the annual snowbird migration. In April and May the population of Franklin increases significantly as people who left last fall start moving back to town. This means more revenue, more local events, festivals and concerts, and more money to be made in the service industry.
I actually got to take a short weekend hiking trip to Virginia mid-month, and have been able to do some trail magic and spend a good bit of time hanging out with some aspiring thru-hiker friends. It’s been really good for my emotional well being to spend some time in the woods and converse with like-minded people again.
Looking into the Future
This coming weekend I’ll be making the trip “home” to southern Georgia to pick up my camper and embark on our maiden voyage together. I’ll be gone for two weeks working dock diving events, then be back in Franklin for a week. During this week I’ll be working on getting permanently moved into the Casita and out of the house I’m staying in. I’m planning to get together with some friends to do some serious trail magic. With any luck I may even get to go on a hike or two. April is going to be crazy busy and I seriously cannot wait.
I’ve also decided to go to nursing school. Making this decision has been quite the learning experience and I haven’t even put in an application yet. I’m currently weighing options on schools and programs. Hopefully by the end of April I’ll have a program nailed down and be enrolled in summer classes at a local community college to meet my pre-reqs. My end goal is travel nursing – living in the Casita and traveling the country for work. It’s going to take close to 3 years to get to that point, which is daunting to think about. I just keep telling myself that the time will pass anyway.
Now, this post really isn’t meant to be totally bleak and dreary. I wanted to be honest about how difficult the last 6 months have been on me, physically (dealing unsuccessfully with my foot injuries and working insane hours), financially, and emotionally. But these 6 months haven’t been all bad. I’ve reconnected with some old friends in new ways and made many new friends, I’ve been working on my 52 hike challenge when and where I can, I’ve had some really cool experiences, and I bought and began restoring my new home on wheels. I made a career change decision and began researching and moving in the direction needed to meet my goals. I learned positive coping mechanisms for getting through the tough moments. Things don’t have to be peachy and perfect in order for positive change to happen.
Adventure Like A Girl 
Leave a comment