By Maria Pickerill, E&H Semester-A-Trail Student | Spring 2021 Semester

We have been doing a lot to prepare for the trail: day-hikes, blister-care + first aid, mental preparation, food/nutrition, and soon we will begin to embark on overnight backpacking trips.

Recently, we went on a day hike, and we brought our stoves and food for the first time. The goal of this hike was to try out cooking on the trail. Before we left, Jim brought us a plethora of food options. He brought everything from tuna to Werther's caramels (and everything in between). Many of the foods that are easy to bring on the trail are not nutrient or even protein-dense. Because of this, you need to supplement in some "superfoods" like chia seeds, nutritional yeast, and seaweed powder. You can mix those in with your Ramen meals, and voila your body will actually be getting what it needs rather than just empty carbs. And man, getting the right nutrients, calories, and proteins really does matter on the trail. Your body cannot keep up with walking 10+ miles every day without getting what it needs. Plus food is super important for your mental health!

Anyway, we tried out our cook systems on the trail, and all I have to say is technology is insane! I mean just look how tiny our stoves are (please reference picture). We all tried cooking different things. I cooked ramen noodles with lemon tuna…sounds yummy right?? It actually wasn't bad– anything tastes delicious after some vigorous exercise in the freezing cold weather. Also, the plus side was that it took only two minutes to cook. I'm glad we were able to try out our cook systems (and we will continue to use them) so that when we hit the trail for real, we will already be confident in our "cooking skills.

Also here's a pro-tip: Make sure to boil your water by itself, and then add your dehydrated food in after taking it off of the stove. If you try to cook with your food on the stove, you will burn it! I've learned this from experience.

Overall, I'm super thankful to have been able to learn about food and food systems before embarking on the trail. I'm happy to have these skills now instead of learning them after already starting on the trail. So, I would say this food system experience was a success!

By Maria Pickerill, E&H Semester-A-Trail Student | Spring 2021 Semester

On Friday, Feb 5, we packed up our gear for the first time and met at the outdoor building for our first overnight. When we arrived we weighed our packs for the first time (this was because we finally had all of our gear). After that, we sat down and listened to Tilghman Moyer, a Semester-A-Trail alum, give a small talk about his experience. Tilghman had come to Emory to spend the weekend with us, and impart us with some wisdom from his 2019 thru-hike. He talked about a lot of different things: chafing, water sources, food choices, and so on. The most memorable thing he talked about though was how we should focus on the present. Instead of focusing on making it to Maine, focus instead on making it to the end of Georgia, because the further ahead you look, the disheartened you get. He also emphasized the phrase popular in the backpacking community: "hike your own hike." This essentially means hike the trail in a way you enjoy, rather than hiking it the way someone else tells you to. This sounds easy, but how often do we get derailed in our day-to-day life by those around us? I can definitely say this happens to me a lot, so I plan on really focusing on hiking my own hike. After Tilghman talked with us, we loaded Jim's truck up with our stuff and headed out to the trail.

The hike itself was exhilarating, and there were tons of beautiful views as we hiked along the Appalachian Trail. Once we arrived at the campsite, we set up our tents. This was only my second time setting up my tent, and let me just say that it's a learning process! I set mine up on a slight slant, and I spent all night sliding into my tent wall. Lesson learned! Throughout the night, I could hear the snow coming down. It was a quiet and calming sound. As the night went on, my tent got warmer and warmer (which was because of the insulation of the 2+ inches of snow that had fallen overnight). Anyway, when I awoke in the morning, it was a winter wonderland. It was seriously SO BEAUTIFUL. It looked like something from a movie. After we packed up our snowy gear, we gathered together and ate a quick breakfast before departing for the trail again. Instead of hiking all the way back on the Appalachian Trail, we took a shortcut on the Creeper Trail, which was flat and wide (easier not to slip in the snow that way). The hike down to the trailhead was breathtaking. The trees, the leaves, and the trail were all dusted with a thick layer of snow, and a clear blue creek cut through the snowy landscape. This was a moment that I will remember for a long while, and I am so glad that we, the 2021 cohort, were all able to experience it together.

By Maria Pickerill, E&H Semester-A-Trail Student | Spring 2021 Semester

On Tuesday, Jan 19, the Semester-A-Trail cohort headed for Damascus to meet Professor Jim Harrison. Jim is the head of Semester-A-Trail, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about the hiking experience. Not only has he helped put several hikers through the trail, but he has also hiked the trail himself. How cool is that? We are definitely lucky to be in his hands.

Lexi leading the women's hike.Before the hike, Jim wanted to give us a small pep talk. We met just off of the Appalachian Trail. It was then that we discussed some of the difficulties of the trail. Jim talked about the usefulness of trekking poles and the comfort that comes from bringing the correct gear on the trail. He gave us tips like "always begin your hike cold." I had never considered this before, but it makes total sense. You don't really want to take off multiple layers of clothing as you warm up. Jim also talked about the mental and emotional aspects of the trail. He talked about how past students had handled them, and how we need to be prepared to handle them ourselves.

Jim also talked about the principles of Leave No Trace, which are:

1. Plan ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly 
4. Leave What You Find
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of other hikers.

These principles are important to know before embarking on the trail. Members of the Semester-a-trail Cohort are actually required to have them memorized before departure. If you are interested in learning more about Leave No Trace, you can do so here.

Jett and Tucker stand on trail listening to Jim give instruction.After meeting at his house, we loaded up Jim's truck with our gear and headed out to the trail. We hiked the Iron Mountain trail, as well as part of the AT. The girls and guys started on opposite sides of the trail, with the goal of meeting in the middle. Thus, our hike began. I personally have been surprised by how hilly Virginia is (I am coming here from the very flat Ohio). Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that this hike was STEEP. On top of this, the trail was a little slippery due to the snow, and the wet leaves. As a self-proclaimed clutz, I was definitely thankful that my new trail runners had such good traction, and I was also thankful for my trekking poles because I definitely would have fallen without them. On a more positive note though, the trail was STUNNING the day we hiked. It was a beautiful sunny day, with just enough snow to feel like a winter wonderland. I definitely felt lucky to be out there. The view was especially beautiful from the top of the ridgeline. Virginia may be hilly, but the hills come with a major payoff.

Matanya standing on the side of the trail before our day hike.After the hike, we packed up our separate vehicles and headed back to campus. Our first hike was so fun, and we learned a lot. I'm definitely looking forward to our future day hikes. From now on, we will be hiking a few times a week, and soon we will begin doing overnight backpacking trips! There is a lot of awesome aspects of this program to look forward to.