In the aftermath, I embarked alone on a LASH (Long Ass Section Hike) of the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, I learned the true meaning of resilience and bravery – of choosing myself, even when it makes no sense on paper.
This is the raw, honest telling of my journey. Not just on Trail, but away from a life I told myself was “good enough,” towards my long-suppressed knowing, and finally, to a place truly Home.
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This is not another epic tale of a full 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail thru-hike. There are already plenty of those.
I did not trek from Georgia to Maine. I did not face bears or blizzards or even that many thunderstorms…(well, there were a few).
Instead, I hiked 900 miles from West Virginia to just over Maine’s southern border. And on my meandering journey through marsh and mountain, I discovered what it meant to live.
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If you’re questioning societal norms, full of bewilderment that the life you were promised no longer feels like enough, this story is for you. If you’re a disenchanted 20-something, a death worker, or simply another discouraged human awash in a sea of “stuck-ness,” this story is for you.
With my unique perspective as a death doula and aspiring hospice chaplain, I integrate studies of death, dying, and the great outdoors as a way to lean hard into the present moment.
The result? A book that is a living, breathing invitation to a truer life, one where you can chase your ambitions while simultaneously holding profound presence and gratitude for where you are.
Join me as I write about the many mishaps and lessons the Trail taught me, including perhaps the greatest takeaway: how to be where you are while you’re becoming what’s next.
Part adventure memoir, part travelogue, this book is the answer to the question that haunted me for years: Is this all there is? No, it isn’t.
This story is a love letter to death work, to life work, to backpacking through the mountains. It is a tribute to the Trail that profoundly and permanently altered the trajectory of my life – in more ways than one.
Most of all, this book is my deepest wrestling with the questions we ask about being human which really boil down into just one: “how do we make the most of our numbered days?”