Before I started my thru hike of the AT in 2019, I lived in South Korea. Although the hiking culture there is HUGE, it’s mostly local to Korea or other parts of East Asia. Essentially, I was alone in trying to prepare, research, and train for my upcoming thru hike of the AT. During this time I started to consume any digital material related to thru hiking the AT. The virtual friendships I made through Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and blogs helped me in so many ways. In this post I’m going to talk about how my virtual trail family were one of the reasons why I successfully thru hiked the AT. I’ll also touch on how this community has helped me through my time before and after the trail.
Class of 2018 — Helped Me Choose My Gear
Once I realized I had enough money saved to thru hike the AT, around Sept or Oct of 2018, I started researching gear. I wanted to take advantage (for the first time) of the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to buy my gear. Problem is…I never backpacked before and only had a little experience car camping over the years. Backpacking gear, especially for long distance hiking, is quite different from car camping gear. It’s also quite expensive. Then add the extra challenge of needing to buy and ship all my gear within the US, without ever physically seeing it or trying it on/out in person.
So how did I finally decide on what gear to take with me on the AT? I watched gear videos of successful AT thru hikers from the Class of 2018. Nearly every vid I could find during my downtime at work. I watched and took notes, especially from female hikers, on what gear worked for them and which didn’t. As an avid cyclist that commuted for over a decade to work and back, I favored any type of waterproof backpack. Since there were only 3 or so brands that provided this type of backpack, I quickly narrowed it down to a black Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest. I continued this process with the rest of the gear. The gear videos that previous AT thru hikers posted were amazing and made my decisions easier. Special thanks to Liz “Handstand” Kidder, Chica and Sunsets, Evan “eWolf” Backpacking, Amanda “PeeWee”, and countless other channels/videos.
Liz “Handstand” Kidder 
Chica and Sunsets 
Evan “eWolf” 
Amanda “PeeWee” Bess
Class of 2019 – Helped Squash My Fears and Insecurities
Because of my contract ending in Korea around the end of February, and the need to spend at least a month back home in the US transitioning from my life abroad to one back in the US, my start date for my thru hike was later than most AT thru hikers. The great thing about starting so late… I got to see the rest of Class of 2019 begin their thru hikes. Through social media, I got to witness everyone’s triumphs, mistakes, and day-to-day life while on trail. I often interacted with my fellow hikers through YouTube and Instagram, and they kindly answered any questions I had. I returned the favor by encouraging them on their hikes and listening to them during their up and down days. Although I never met most of them in person, I was still able to develop a sense of community and comradery, even while living an ocean away. I met soooo many amazing fellow 2019 AT hikers, both on trail and on the web. Special shoutouts to: Nav, from Nav and Arrow, IceBear, Hot Buns and No Worries from Traveling Outside the Baatz, Checklist, The Wander Women, Quicksand, Blaze, Sara Hikes NH, Catch Up and Lightening, and many others. Thank you for sharing your thru hikes with the world and your valuable advice with me along the way!
Nav and Arrow 
IceBear 
Hot Buns and No Worries 
Quicksand 
The Wander Women 
Blaze 
Sara Hikes NH 
Checklist 
Catch Up and Lightening
Virtual Trail Family Friends – Helped Uplift My Spirits
And then there’s all of YOU!!! Yes, you, reading this blog right now. During my time on trail, I’d have some low days and rough spots, but then I would look at my phone and my day would brighten. All the encouragement, support, comments, questions, concerns, and general silliness often made my days even more fantastic. Oh, man! And to EVERYONE who took the time to help me identify various plants and insects I saw in the wild. THANK YOU! I love learning new things and this was fun. Most importantly, thank you to everyone that’s helped me this past year, and being patient with me as I figured stuff out. 2020 was a doozy for lots of folks. This year I may not be going on a major thru hike, but I’m excited to take you all on my mini adventures! I want to specially thank: Ramdino, Allen S, Jeremiah Stringer Hikes, Thrifty Endurance, Tom B, KrizAkoni, Jerry D, Jldrdotcom, Vegas on the AT, Trail TL, Hiking with Yowie, Amanda F, Finding Micey, Allen M, and soooo many more!!! Excited to expand our virtual trail family as time goes on.
Ramdino 
Jeremiah Stringer Hikes 
KrizAkoni 
Jldrdotcom 
Hiking with Yowie 
Finding Micey
Family and Friends – Helped Keep Me On Trail And Heading North
My family and friends are the reason why I finished my AT thru hike. When I nearly quit the trail in NH, for various reasons, they pushed me to try one more day. I’m so glad I did. That one more day was Franconia Ridge in perfect weather. Where I felt like I was in a Lord of the Rings movie, but most of all, that I would be ok. I would FINISH this trail! The night in the Smokies, when my phone blew up from when they heard about the tragedy on the trail, frantic to know if I was ok, made me feel so loved and cared for. All the late night/early morning phone calls and the countless Garmin and phone text messages telling you my daily itinerary. All the times we laughed about my adventures and mis-adventures. But more important, your patience and all the times you listened as I rambled on and on and on about the AT, even long after I finished my hike. Love you! Special thanks to my trail support crew: Mom and Dad, Captain and Crunch, Uschii and H, and my friends A, P, and L.
Thank you for helping me successfully thru hike the Appalachian Trail
You are all wonderful, amazing people. I’m forever grateful for all the well wishes, comments, laughs, pick me ups, and support you’ve shared with me over the past 2 years. In case this happens, I’m sincerely sorry if anyone feels underappreciated or left out. That wasn’t my intention if that occurred. It’s truly lovely to look back on all the memories and smile. Especially when post trail depression, and depression in general, was kicking my butt in 2020. I look forward to growing our little virtual trail family and sharing our adventures with each other. I wish you all the best! Let’s get out there and hike!
Do you have a digital tramily? How have they helped you with your adventures?