November 26, 2018

ECU Honors Alumna Hikes Appalachian Trail, Raises Over $2300 for Charity

ECU Honors alumna Kelly Kerschner (’14) graduated with a BS in Public Health Studies and a minor in Biology. She then completed a post-baccalaureate program in medical laboratory science in Charlotte in 2015. Kelly is currently employed as a traveling medical laboratory scientist at a clinic on an Indian reservation in Oregon.

I’ve spent some time trying hard to figure out how to condense a 120 day life altering trip into 2-5 paragraphs. How do I get someone to take a walk in my shoes when I took over 5 million steps in them? There is no “right” way to sum up my experience hiking the Appalachian Trail, but this is my attempt:

In a world where we are frequently bombarded with social media, negative news, and life on a bigger scale than anyone can comprehend, I found myself lost. I had a good job, and I was complacent living in the city; but I found my anxiety always lurking around a corner and felt a sense of incompleteness. One October day, after having a rough time at work, a seed was planted in my mind: What if I quit it all and do something bigger than me, get off the grid for six months, break the daily grind and challenge myself? What if I took what I had been learning on my weekend backpacking trips and applied it to a through hike of the Appalachian Trail? So I slowly began to shape things that would assist me in starting the 2190.9 mile hike on March 19, 2018.

I quit my job in February, having saved up enough to travel to Europe for a few weeks before returning home to head to Georgia. When that morning of the 19th came, my parents stopped at Amicalola Falls to let me weigh my pack (38 lbs!) and check in before driving up to the Springer Mountain trailhead. I had no idea what I was going to face on the trail, you can’t prepare yourself mentally or physically enough, and my parents felt conflicted as they watched their daughter wander off into the woods on a footpath with just a pack on her back. They questioned my sanity on multiple occasions, but they never really gave up hope.

My first month and a half I endured typical weather in the south – scorching abnormal March heat, then snow and ice the next day. I walked through rain, whiteout conditions, winds reaching almost 100 mph, and the dreaded humidity. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it day-in and day-out, but I was motivated and determined; plus I had given up a lot to be out there and didn’t want to go back to starting over. Before I knew it, I was two months in and halfway there. A stroll through the mountains had become a physical challenge and a need to push my body to see what it was truly capable of. The day before I hit Harpers Ferry, I had hiked my largest day: 35 miles. It poured rain the whole day (as it had for the past 4 days straight) and involved a section called the roller coaster, known for its steep ascents and descents. I felt so satisfied at the end of that day and rode that high for the next week. The trail taught me to love my body. I learned to appreciate the people around me (the AT was a very social experience), and I learned to embrace the small things that gave me joy.

After Virginia the states flew by – some I hiked through in 3 or 4 days. The terrain got harder, and the mountains got higher, but I still never slowed my pace. Once I got my hiking legs about 5 weeks in, I would average 22-25 miles a day—much faster than most people.

In early July, I crossed the last state line. I had walked from Georgia to Maine, but I still had 280 miles to the finish. Some of the most beautiful hiking wasthrough New Hampshire and Maine, and

I hope to return and take my time someday. On July 16, around 3 p.m.on a sunny warm day, I summited Mount Katahdin – 3 months and 27 days after I had started.I went up alongside a guyI had hiked 110 days with, and we touched the sign side by side sharing that moment.

I cried as emotions washed over me – there is no way to put into words the feelings I had standing right there. Some were of relief, some were of pain, some were fear, but all together beautiful. When I stepped foot on the trail I was just Kelly, but when I trekked up the final mountain, I had changed—I was 16 pounds lighter, and everyone knew me by my trail name Throwdown. I was a thru-hiker.

Hiking the trail changed me, and sometimes, I wonder if it was for the best; but overall, it was an experience I am glad to have set my mind to and completed. I learned patience and the ability to leave myself open to change. I raised over $2300 for the organization ‘Hike for Mental Health’ and improved my own mental health along the way. It was a scary move to leave behind a comfy life at a steady job, but that part I never regret. I spent some time traveling after the trail and I have now moved out to Central Oregon, where I found a job and I can plan my next adventure.Whether it is the Pacific Crest Trail or just another weekend day hike, the sky is the limit, and the Appalachian Trail has instilled an unwavering confidence in me. I know I can do whatever I set my mind to – and you can, too!

You can follow Kelly’s adventures on Instagram, her Facebook blog, or e-mail Kelly directly at kerschner.kelly@gmail.com with questions about her experience.