Jane Lee and Stephen Coburn, both of Monticello, are on the 2,200-mile journey of the Appalachian Trail. Coburn provides this first person account from their first week on the trail:
On April 1, Jane and I loaded in the car with four of our grandchildren and daughter to be dropped off at theAppalachian Trail access point. After goodbyes, the trek began.
Hiking the trail is an opportunity to experience the joy of nature, enter into a time of reflection and test your physical capabilities. Early in the hike, you experience a level of fatigue that tests you mentally and physically. For the first two days, we didn’t encounter many hikers.
While on the trails, hikers have “trail names” they use throughout the hike. On the second day we met Pebbles, TwoStep, and Terrapin. Hikers from all over the United States make the pilgrimage to the Appalachian Trail. Our trail names are Pops and Nana.
Our day consists mostly with walking the trail, setting up for the night and then waking up to do it all over again. Jane and I are keto eaters, meaning no carbs. One of the perks to hiking is eating all the carbs you want. Pizza, burgers, ice cream and cookies are mana from heaven! “We hike to eat!”, Jane says.
We average about 8-10 miles a day hiking. It is alldependent on weather and terrain. The terrain can be exhausting. On Sunday we made our way through what is called “The Roller Coaster”. This is a ten mile stretch of trail traversing up and down five mountain peaks.
We began the Roller Coaster at 8:30 a.m. and completed it at 4:15 p.m. A challenging day to say the least. Hiking the trail gives you time to disconnect, focus on the task at hand, and strengthen your body. Sore legs, feet and back are part of the daily routine. Everyday it is simply one foot in front of the other. Bill Bryson had it right, hiking the Appalachian Trail is a “walk in the woods.”
