Today’s episode is all about one epic adventure over 2200 miles and five months on the trail with Rachel, aka Nav, and her sheltie Arrow @hikingwitharrow. The through hike was one Nav had been planning to do with Arrow ever since their first backpacking trip together, three and a half years ago!
Living in Atlanta, Georgia, Nav, her husband and Arrow, are relatively close to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain. The trail leading up to Springer Mountain is through Amicalola Falls State Park. From there, the AT runs nobo, or northbound to Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine. The trail is approximately 2200 miles (3540k) in length, through 14 states, and is the longest hiking only trail in the United States.
Nav and Arrow began their hike on St. Patricks Day, 2019 and summited 164 days later on August 28th. Along the way, they made many new friends, saw quite a bit of wildlife, and passed through some amazing locations. Several of the national parks and forests along the route include Chattahoochee National Forest, The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Cherokee National Forest and the Roan Highlands, George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, Shenandoah National Park, Green Mountain National Forest, and White Mountain National Forest.
Aside from simply investing in quality gear for a long backpacking trip such as this, Rachel loves her Groundbird Gear backpack, custom made for Arrow. For tick prevention, she used Sawyer with Permethrin on the advice of her vet.
Her shout outs go to Groundbird Gear @groundbird_gear, her husband Parker, her trail friend Tatum aka Puppet @tatetakesahike, and her whole family who were extremely supportive and encouraging throughout her journey. Nav also has a youtube channel at www.youtube.com/c/HikingWithArrow
Thanks for listening!
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