The AT — A challenge conquered

TACKLING A DREAM to hike the Appalachian Trail became a reality for local resident Nicole Fox.

By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Like many growing up in the Lake Region, Nicole Fox of Naples developed a genuine love of the outdoors.

She hiked as a child and teenager, but it wasn’t an activity that she often pursued.

That changed in college — believe it or not — when she left the land of pines after graduating from Lake Region High School in 2015 to study psychology at the University of Florida.

“Strangely enough, it wasn’t until I had moved to Florida for college that I became more interested in the outdoors — especially overnight backpacking. It lured me in because it’s simple. You set a goal and you complete it, and everything you need to survive is carried on your back,” she said. “On top of that, going outdoors is relaxing. It was something I used to cope with stress.”

In March of 2017, Nicole led a spring break trip through UF’s outdoor club. The group tackled the first 40 miles of the Appalachian Trail and it happened to be peak season for thru-hikers beginning their journey.

“In just four days, I met so many aspiring thru-hikers and became extremely interested in the culture. I couldn’t shake it from my mind, and to be honest, I wanted to keep going north once our trip had ended,” Nicole said. “I went home and decided that one day I would attempt a thru-hike. As I planned for the next two years, I was motivated by the thought of challenging myself mentally and physically, as well as the thought of gaining some much-needed confidence.”

Nicole conquered the most trying journey of her life — she hiked the Appalachian Trail, starting May 7 from the Amicalola Falls Visitor’s Center in northern Georgia to reaching the top of Mt. Katahdin earlier this month.

“There were times in which I really struggled and days that I was in pain or so uncomfortable that I would dream of going home. Despite that, I never seriously contemplated quitting. I knew from the beginning that I was going to push through every challenge I faced unless it was necessary for me to get off trail,” she said. “When I imagined going home, I pictured having to tell everyone how I quit something I had been talking about for two years. I knew I would be extremely disappointed in myself. That thought propelled me forward always.”

When thru-hikers get to the ATC headquarters in Harper’s Ferry, W.V., they get their picture taken and receive an updated number. I went from #2519 to #1434. It was 95 degrees this day and extremely humid, the real feel was probably 105. My shirt was completely soaked through with sweat.

The News recently reached Nicole — the daughter of Linda and Lenny Fox — via e-mail for the following one-on-one interview regarding her Appalachian Trail (AT) experience:

Q. How did you prepare for the hike?

Nicole: I prepared physically by keeping my regular gym routine but with an extra focus on lower body. A few times, I would throw on my full backpack and walk up and down all 90 rows of our football stadium. I also completed several weekend trips to make sure my gear was in order. Preparing mentally was entirely different. I read as many hikers’ journals as I could, blogs full of advice, a very helpful book called Appalachian Trials, as well as talking to former thru-hikers.

Q. Any advice you received from others that proved valuable?

Nicole: The best advice I received before I got on the trail was from a former thru-hiker, who I had gone on weekend backpacking trips with. He told me not to overthink it, “It’s just a lifestyle change.” I repeated this in my head so many times. He was right. It’s just like moving to a new city or starting a new job or at a new school. You get used to it and it grows on you.

Q. Did you hike with someone? 

Nicole: I began my hike with one of my best friends from college, Kayla (trail name Google). She was working a job that she was extremely unhappy at and I convinced her to drop everything and come hike with me, knowing our parents would be happier that we were together. Unfortunately, due to physical exhaustion, she went home after almost 1,000 miles. After that, I mostly hiked alone. There were moments that I wished I wasn’t alone—especially the first couple of times I had to hitchhike into town by myself. But eventually, I found that hiking alone enabled me to meet so many wonderful people, many of whom I hiked with for weeks at a time.

Kayla and I ran into a professional photographer at Thunder Ridge, Va., who offered to take photos of us.

Q. What was your parents’ reaction to you hiking solo?

Nicole: My parents were concerned, just as most parents would be. I tried to contact them more often to put their minds at ease. My dad would text me every night to ask where I was, and often asked for pictures. I was definitely more cautious when I started hiking alone, especially because I’m a woman. I made sure to camp at places where many people would be. I carried pepper spray and I had a sleeve full of excuses if a strange person offered me a ride and I needed to decline. Fortunately, there was never a time that I was scared or in danger. Many women hike the trail alone and it really is a safe place.

Q. What were you biggest concerns heading into this hike?

Nicole: A couple of months before I left, I began attending physical therapy for hamstring tendonitis and IT band syndrome (Iliotibial band syndrome is an overuse injury of the connective tissues that are located on the lateral or outer part of thigh and knee. It causes pain and tenderness in those areas, especially just above the knee joint. IT band syndrome is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners and bicyclists). Both of these caused me a fair amount of knee pain and I was extremely concerned that it would cause me to quit my hike. Fortunately, physical therapy proved helpful and I never experienced symptoms of either. I had several other concerns —Would I make friends? Would my body hold up? Did I have enough money? Was my mind strong enough to handle this?

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommends that thru-hikers have approximately $1,000 per month they plan to be on the trail. This would mean I needed $5,000. I knew that I could do it for cheaper, and I unexpectedly had to buy a new car before I left, so I planned to do it with $3 to $4,000. I didn’t budget so much, but I was conscious of my spending. I split hotel rooms with people, ate at cheaper places, and stayed at free or donation-based hostels when I could.

Cowboy camping on Max Patch, N.C.

Q. When did you start and where? What timeline did you lay out for yourself?

Nicole: I started on May 7 from the Amicalola Falls Visitor’s Center in northern Georgia. The official beginning of the trail is at Springer Mountain, an eight-mile hike from the visitor’s center. Most people begin at the visitor’s center because this is where you register and receive your thru-hiker tag for your backpack. It tells you what number hiker you were leaving from Georgia; I was number 2,519.

Most people begin their northbound hike in March or April, so I knew that I would need to move quickly by starting in May. The northern terminus is in Baxter State Park, which, on average, closes Oct, 15 due to poor weather. This left me a little over five months to complete my hike—average time is 5½ to 6 months. I started out slow with eight to 15-mile days and slowly worked my way up to 15 to 20, sometimes even 25-mile days once my body was stronger.

I kept in touch with my family and friends during my hike as much as possible. On average, I was in town every three to four days, which meant I would have service to call or text. We often had service on mountain tops, too. Thank you, Verizon! I always kept my phone charged with a battery pack, and then when I got into town, I would charge the battery pack to last me another three to four days.

A very small example of the mud in Vermont. Thru-hikers call Vermont “Vermud” because you are constantly walking through parts like this.

Q. What were some of the bigger challenges you had to overcome?

Nicole: Early on, it was difficult for me to be comfortable being dirty for days at a time. Weather is always a challenge, too. There were days when I couldn’t sleep because it was so cold, days where I, along with all of my belongings, was soaked to the bone, days that I sweat so much my shirt changed its color. When I hiked with Kayla, it was sometimes difficult to spend so much time with her—not because I was mad at her or annoyed with her, but simply because we spent every second together and I often need time alone. After she left, it was challenging to be alone all of the time. Sure, there were others on the trail, but nothing compares to having one of your best friends along with you.

Q. What did you learn about yourself?

Nicole: I learned that I’m strong, stubborn and I’m really good at walking for long distances. I can put up with a lot. I need to speak up more. I could really do anything if I wanted to. I learned that I don’t need a lot to be happy — even less than I thought before. Lastly, I learned that going outside is a necessity for me.

Getting licked by wild ponies in Grayson Highlands State Park, Va.

Q. Experiences you will always remember?

Nicole: The whole trail is so vivid in my mind. I know it’ll fade, but for now I can remember every shelter, town, most faces that I met, viewpoints, etc.

I’ll never forget being dropped off at the Amicalola Falls Visitor’s Center at 3:30 p.m. on a Tuesday and taking my first steps. I’ll never forget the first night we camped with two good friends of ours who eventually became our original “trail family,” waking up the next morning and packing up in a raging thunderstorm. I’ll never forget cowboy camping (without a tent) on top of Max Patch, North Carolina, and waking up every hour to be amazed by the stars and the red moon. I’ll never forget when I had my first experience of “hiker hunger” and ate five snacks in about 10 minutes and still wasn’t full. I was one of the few that did not carry a backpacking stove. Instead, I used a method called “cold soaking,” which basically means you rehydrate your food without heat.

For breakfast, I started out eating oatmeal with peanut butter. I ate tons of protein bars, tuna wraps for lunch, and rice for dinner. As you can imagine, I got sick of all of those things very quickly. I began eating bagels or pop tarts for breakfast, mostly snacking for lunch, and Ramen and instant mashed potatoes or couscous for dinner. It’s extremely difficult to get all of the calories you need — you are burning upwards of 6,000 per day and you can only carry so much food on your back. Because of this, I always ate as much as I could in town. My diet on the AT was one of the hardest things for me to adapt to because I eat much differently at home. I always craved fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as eggs for breakfast. When it was really hot I would crave milkshakes more than anything.

An example of the trail in Pennsylvania. This was my least favorite state and my feet hurt beyond belief.

I’ll never forget the horrendous, but hilarious graffiti in some of the shelters and privies. I’ll never forget the night Kayla and I did not sleep and still hiked 26 miles just to get to town. I’ll never forget the disgusting motels I was so excited to sleep in just because they had a flush toilet, hot shower and a mattress. I’ll never forget my first day alone on trail and the wonderful woman who hiked with me for three hours and put my mind at ease. I’ll never forget hitting the official halfway point and realizing just how many more miles lie ahead. I’ll never forget the never-ending, ankle-twisting, knee-busting rocks of northern Pennsylvania and how excited I was to cross into New Jersey, of all places. I’ll never forget the time I got food poisoning and took a train into NYC, such a contrast to the Appalachian Trail, to visit a friend and rest — and then I ended up fainting in a deli.

I’ll never forget the morning I walked into Connecticut and realized I was finally in New England. I’ll never forget the “zero” day I took (zero miles hiked) with a friend’s parents who cooked us more food than we could eat in a cabin in Vermont. I’ll never forget doing work-for-stay at one of the AMC huts before Mt. Washington and all of the delicious brownies I consumed that night. I’ll never forget crossing the border and finally knowing I was home, feeling as though a weight was lifted off me. Most importantly, I’ll never forget the kindness of the people I met on trail, whether they offered me a ride, gave me food or beer, let me stay at their house, or simply offered words of encouragement.

Q. Experiences you would rather forget?

Nicole: Honestly, none. You cannot have the good of the Appalachian Trail without the bad. The bad is what makes the good even better.

Q. Best scenic views?

Max Patch, N.C. I have great memories here with close friends, and the 360° views are pretty great.

The northern portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was stunning.

The Roan Highlands of Tennessee were amazing because it was miles of rolling, grassy hills with wonderful views and rhododendrons blooming everywhere.

Grayson Highlands State Park, Va., is wonderful because along with mountainous views, you are greeted by wild ponies that lick salt off you.

The many fire towers in Vermont were unbelievable; I have never seen so much green.

Of course, the White Mountains in New Hampshire offer some of the best views in the East. The AT goes right through the Presidentials, which is arguably the best part of the Whites.

Everything in Maine was amazing, but the 100-mile wilderness (100 miles of no paved roads or towns) was by far my favorite. Rather than climbing 4,000-foot mountains, there are a few smaller ones offering beautiful viewpoints. There were also dozens of ponds and lakes through that area. It’s so remote that you cannot see towns from the viewpoints and that was such a cool feeling.

Q. What went through your mind as you tackled the final leg of the hike?

Nicole: When I first crossed into Maine, I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. I wanted to breeze through the state so I could return home and heal. Fortunately, I ran into some friends just before the 100-mile wilderness, who convinced me to slow down considerably. It made me so much happier to do fewer miles each day and spend time with some really great people along the way. It also made the end of the trail more difficult because I was sad to say goodbye, not just to the people but to the simplistic lifestyle that I have grown into. All in all, the final leg of the hike did not feel real. I stared at the sign atop Katahdin in disbelief. I didn’t cry like I thought — of course I was happy, too. But, it still hasn’t hit me that I did it. It feels like some crazy dream that I just woke up from.

Q. Some takeaways from this experience?

Nicole: It’s funny that you ask what my takeaways were from this hike because I made sure to record them as my hike was coming to a close. Straight from my journal:

• Simpler is usually better and my mind is clearer when that’s true.

• Maine is great and I should appreciate it more.

• Food is fuel, and my body is amazing.

• Life is way too short to not do what you want.

• I don’t ever want to forget how happy a bed, a warm meal and a hot shower made me feel. Or even a Gatorade. Or a hitch. Or a cookie on the trail. Or even a simple conversation with a stranger in the middle of the woods.

• Be present and be observant.

• I am powerful and I need to remind myself more.

• It’s okay to show emotion.

• This might have been the greatest decision of my life.

• The world is beautiful and people are kinder than we often believe.

Q. Future plans, both hiking and career?

Nicole: For now, I am resting my body and enjoying the simple comforts of life. I’ll be in Maine for a year or two and plan to apply for a job with Summit Achievement, a residential program for teens including education, backcountry expeditions and therapeutic services in Stow. After that, I will likely be attending graduate school to advance my psychology degree (study wilderness therapy).

As for hiking, I’m happy with day hikes and shorter trips for a bit. I would love to winter hike this year and am hoping to complete a smaller trail such as the Long Trail in Vermont (270-ish miles) next summer.