Hi, hello there, whoever you are, dear reader! It is I, Sarahmarie, writing from a town near the Appalachian Trail. I have been out here for about three months now, and I don’t have adequate words for what this hike has been like. I have made friends with some of the coolest and most determined people I’ve ever met. I’ve sweat a lot. I’ve eaten a lot of food. I’ve climbed a lot of hills. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I’ve walked in the rain, in the mud, in the heat, in the cold, and in the hail. A trip this long is hard to conceptualize in one little summary, so there will be more words, I promise.

As I have walked, I’ve been writing for the organization The Trek as a blogger. I’ve posted a few updates, roughly every 500 miles or so. The Trek is a wonderful community that has brought aspiring hikers, current thru-hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts closer and encouraged more folks to get outdoors. I am grateful for the opportunity to write for them. However, recently I have been feeling a little bit limited in regards to the level of personal writing that I can do there. It feels appropriate to post trail updates, general information, and experiences, but I find myself wanting to go a bit deeper, and to share some of the thoughts I have written down in my own personal writing folders.

So, I have decided to do a bit of sharing here in addition to my trail updates on The Trek. I have been writing every day, both journaling and typing some thoughts on my phone, so at first I’ll be selecting some of the little reflections I already have. These are all over the place in terms of days on the trail, so bear with me at first. I hope to put them in some logical order and eventually to write more frequently.

If you’re still reading, thank you! I look forward to sharing more ideas with anyone who is interested.

Happy trails, and stay tuned…

-Sarahmarie