WHO: Hello! I’m Steph, you may know me by my muggle name Stephanie or my trail name Milkshake! I’m 26 and my quarter life crisis is happening right on cue! I mean….
WHAT/ WHEN: My plan is to finish thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, which I began 4 months ago on March 14th!!!! This has been my plan -my dream- for over a year now, and as Katahdin in Maine draws closer it’s getting more and more real that I may walk almost the entire East Coast of the U.S. This journey consists of 2,200 miles, 14 states, and many months of hiking! I have done more than half of this, but I still have much to go!
SO FAR: Your generous donations have helped me with the following:
- Hiking 1300 miles through 7 Eastern states (GA, NC, TN, VA, WV, MD, PA)
- Taking shelter through three (3) tornado warnings, tens of flood warnings, even more extreme thunder storms, extreme winds, weeks of extreme heat, etc.
- 120 days worth of resupplies at ~5000 calories a day! (The hiker hunger is real, it’s insane how much you eat when you’re walking all day every day…)
- Emergency expenses (I’ve had norovirus and am currently battling three simultaneous ear infections…)
- Gear replacement and repair (4 pairs of shoes ripped apart by my growing trail feet and the rigorous terrain… trekking poles obliterated by the PA rocks… rain gear to keep me dry(ish))
WHY: The past year of my life has been one of healing, self reflection and soul searching, through more types of coping and therapy than I can count. Being outdoors, working towards this mountainous goal, has helped me overcome adversity. It’s given me something tangible to work towards, something just for me. Now that I’ve made it this far, I can’t imagine a world where I let finances get in the way of finishing this, but more and more it’s becoming a possibility. The trail is much more expensive than I originally anticipated, and I feel so privileged to be out here every day.
HOW: For so many reasons, it is incredibly difficult for me to ask for help, especially financial help. But the reality of the situation is that I need it, so here I am!
After cross-checking multiple sources and asking friends who have gone, along with my own personal experience with expenses on trail so far, I expect to spend about $3-4k more on this trip. That doesn’t include student debt payments or other monthly bills, and is daunting considering I won’t be able to work if I’m on trail (I’ll have to leave trail to work if funds get low).
I have to say it’s an enormous privilege for me to even have the option of being here. I know there are hundreds of fundraisers out there for nonprofits, healthcare etc. and I’d never want to take away from that. I know that there’s a lot of crap happening in the world right now and it feels selfish to ask for help. This is meant to be me asking for help from family, friends, family friends, anyone really that may have the means to spare a little financial support for this journey.
So, you’re able and willing to support my highly-anticipated life-changing journey, this is the way to do it! These funds will continue to help me resupply food along the way (thousands of calories each day to refuel), replace/repair any essential gear that breaks (tent, sleeping gear, torn coats, rain gear, mouse problems, etc), put a roof over my head when storms hit (hostels and such), and so much more.
If you’d like to follow along with my wonderful chaotic journey hiking the Appalachian Trail, I’ve broken my year-long social media hiatus, posting on Instagram/Facebook routinely. Instagram @stephs.hike :)
