“Your Ticket is booked” some of the most exciting words uttered out of my mouth! My best friend is heading to Georgia for a trip of a lifetime. Our planning started before the ticket was purchased but the serious planning started immediately after.

The Appalachian trail a 2,190 mile trail spanning 14 states from Georgia to Maine. It is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world! What hiking enthusiast wouldn’t want to set their feet on this? In the months leading up to the adventure we prepared physically and mentally with workouts consisting of both cardio and weight training, we practiced with our backpacks loaded and on during hikes, we read blogs from other hikers who have been on this trail as well as talked to hikers who have finished it in its entirety. Although our intention was to do a small section at this time we even read articles about being mentally prepared for through hikes. Given the differences of Montana to Georgia my hiking experiences here gave me the ability to share information with her to get her prepared. I would go for hikes and text her almost all of the way as I thought of different things that we needed to take note of. Given the fact that Sierra is much more technical than I am making sure she had this information would help the both of us to get ready! I say this in jest and also in all seriousness about my own short comings as far as preparations go.

Just days before the flight we were so very excited. It was hard to focus on anything aside from the six and a half days we were getting ready to spend on the trail. 109 miles was our goal in just under a week. We had shuttle rides planned we were getting her off the plane and heading right to where we would begin the trail. I had bought a book and sent it to her. Its a fantastic book and I recommend it to anyone who looks to get onto this trail. We did not want to rely on electronics so having something to have in our packs was a must. Our packs had been packed, unpacked and repacked multiple times. We were ready.  We were confident in our ability to do it too. All of our planning did not prepare us for what was going to happen….

The morning before Sierra was to get on the plane she called me up. Through her sobs she had to tell me that she was pretty sure that she had broken her foot while climbing the night before. She was going to go into the doctor to find out for sure but she assured me she was getting on the plane.  After the doctor confirmed a break we were both so disappointed.

All of our planning and excitement we can’t say that it did not hurt a bit. We made a new plan. We were going to go on the trail crutches and all to where we would find a nice little camp spot and just enjoy some peace and quiet for a few days. So I got her off of the plane we got our bags secured and ready for the trip and we got to a different part of the trail where we found in the book had some water close off the entrance. And set out. Sierra is a brave soul and I can’t see my life without her as my partner in crime! She made it .3 miles in and out she came to a rock that we were going to have to climb over and it defeated her…. It was there I said we should just go to the beach. She agreed. So we hiked out loaded our bags back into the pickup and set out for Florida. No stops aside from getting gas and we did find a state park where we could throw our hammocks up to sleep.

Had we been able to hike that trail like we had planned we would have never found the gem of a place called Providence Canyon state park in Georgia. It was beautiful and to think it had been formed by poor farming habits in the early 1900s. The night before we hiked around that area was a night we will never forget. Setting up our hammocks by light of the headlights of my pickup was successful but given all of the noises of the south and not having been able to see the surroundings of our chosen campsite neither Sierra or I were able to sleep. At 5 in the morning we started to get a sprinkle of rain, so with no sleep we got up and called it a night had some coffee and set out to see the canyon and then on to the beach.

Who knew what this adventure would bring us. Who knew that one slight slip of the hand would actually put us on a path to a great lesson in relaxation. We were forced to relax. There was nothing we could do about that. There is something to be said about the spontaneity of it all too. The time we got to spend giggling about our misfortune that turned into a marvelous adventure was medicine for our souls. We forget in the hustle and bustle of life to breath sometimes. That spontaneity is an adventure in itself. That no matter what we did we got to be together and that was all that matters! From now on we will have a wonderful life experience that she and I can look back on for the rest of our lives! And who knows we have a plan to return to the Appalachian trail spring of 2018 we will see what that adventure brings when the time comes.