Joys Abounding

the MACK family (Matthew, Amelia, Charlotte, & Kara) take on the adventure of a NOBO thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2022

Define “Hike”

 I did not grow up in a very outdoorsy family. We enjoyed summer vacations and Spring Breaks in Florida. We played outside in the summer, and we even went camping…like four times!

But it wasn’t until I met Matthew that I was truly introduced to the outdoorsy life. We went camping within a month of meeting. We camped on the dunes at Assateague National Lakeshore – in a tent with a broken zipper. We froze. And then checked into a hotel. We tried to buy beans in a jar from a deli – only to find out that the beans were in the jar to demonstrate the amount of food in each serving. Matthew bought a turkey neck to go crabbing – only to find out that the blue crabs were gone for the winter.

Okay, it was a hot mess. But I loved it! I loved the idea of being outside, hiking to see wild horses, making smores over a campfire, and falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore (it might be more accurate to say that I laid awake, shivering to the sound of waves crashing on the shore).

Matthew took me on my first official hike. I was ready. Hiking. So exciting. I was going hiking out in the wild.

So we set out. I was going hiking!!

And after about 10 minutes I looked at Matthew and said, “So…hiking is just taking a long walk? I’ve done this before!”

I’m not sure what I was imagining – hand-over-fist rock climbing, rock slides, boulder-hopping? Nope. We went for a walk. In the woods. Surrounded by trees and gently falling leaves.

Hiking.

From near-magical imaginings to stunning reality. Hiking – it’s just taking a long walk in the woods.

From Assateague to Florida. From Spain and Portugal to Michigan. From Iceland to Maine. We’ve hiked and hiked. Together and with our children. Straight from our cars and out of over-stuffed packs.

Hiking.

It’s just taking a long walk in the woods. And I cannot wait to do it over 5 million steps. From Georgia to Maine.