On the Road Again

Being sick isn’t fun but so glad I could watch my beautiful little sisters graduate

I’m sitting back in the passenger seat on the drive back to Waynesboro, VA. The hike to this city has been over two months but we’ll be arriving in just over 8 hours. Driving these miles isn’t nearly as exciting as hiking them but I am V excited to be getting back to the trail.

I can’t identify any of the flowers/fungi but if you know, please feel free to comment

It was over a week ago that Kae staged the intervention. We were sitting in the AYCE Chinese buffet in Waynesboro when she made me finally be honest about my condition not improving. We had less than a week of hiking before we were planning to head home for our sisters’ graduation and I couldn’t hike big miles. With the help of my best friends and family back home, Kae convinced me that I needed to go home and see some specialists after the 3 doctors I had already seen didn’t end well.

We had an adventure in D.C. and headed home a few days early. I had appointments and tests and more appointments. That, combined with a week of rest, and Kae and I couldn’t be more ready to get back to hiking.
Our trail friends are long gone now. And our schedule is a mess. But there’s such freedom on the trail that we don’t care. We are grateful to call the trail our home. It’s a beautiful thing when you can truly call home wherever you lay your head that night knowing that the One that created it all is watching over you.

I’m so grateful for Kae. The dream is that she never reads this post but I honestly can’t imagine doing this trail without her. When we started, we were barely “work friends” and people laughed as we hardly claimed each other as partners even though we shared a tent. I never would’ve guessed in the beginning that our trip would be so intertwined with each other. She was selfless to get off the trail for my health but understands me well enough to know how hard it was for me.

And honestly, I’m proud of myself. I am amazed everyday that I’ve hiked nearly 900 miles. It shocks me. Even though I planned this trip, the reality that we’re defying odds is crazy. I have seen people get off for less so I am proud to push through to accomplish the goal. But at the same time, the trail is way more worth it than I could have ever imagined and we have never once considered ending our journey early. In fact, we are planning our next treks already!

All that is left to do is drive to Waynesboro, watch GS Warriors win game 4 tonight and hit the trail bright and early tomorrow!

For more trail updates, be sure to check out my personal blog! https://cathrynkimsey.blogspot.com