Cris Howard wanted everything the Appalachian Trail had to offer: the long trek, the unforgiving terrain and the adventure.
The Reston, Virginia, resident completed the 2,190-mile grueling hike a few weeks ago. The unexpected lessons learned along the way are priceless, she said.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could do it and I did,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淭he big lesson that anybody can take away from this is that you can do anything you set your mind to. You just have to keep going.鈥�
Back in April, she took a break from her biopharmaceutical executive position and self-funded the months-long excursion.
鈥淚 was caught up in the vortex of life,鈥� she told 草莓传媒. 鈥淚 was at a crossroads in my career. I knew I needed a change, but I didn鈥檛 know what.鈥�
The former Iron Man athlete was also battling a back injury and a melanoma diagnosis. She needed something to lift her spirits. That’s when she spotted a map of the Appalachian Trail at a friend鈥檚 house.
She was instantly interested.
鈥淚t was like a bolt of lightning that hit me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榯hat鈥檚 it. That’s the solution. Let鈥檚 do it.鈥欌��
A few weeks later, she took a midnight train to Springer Mountain, Georgia, the start of the Appalachian Trail, and was on her way.
Beginning the long journey
She had no experience braving the elements in this way. Howard didn鈥檛 know how to pitch her tent, cook outdoors or battle the weather. Thankfully, she said, some friendly fellow hikers showed her the ropes.
鈥淚鈥檓 a self-described princess,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned on the job, if you will. While I was hiking by myself, I was never alone.鈥�
Howard said she always felt safe on the trail, even when she had a 鈥渃lose encounter” with an adolescent bear.
鈥淗e just wasn鈥檛 afraid of anything,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e yelled at him and as soon as we stopped, he鈥檇 turn around and come right back to us. But the whole time, I was never afraid. I knew that he wasn鈥檛 a threat to me. He was just hungry.鈥�
She saw about 20 bears on the trail. And many strangers.
Howard said traveling with others is the culture of the trail and people tend to help as a way to 鈥減ay it forward.鈥�
By the time she reached the middle-leg of her trek, around Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, the hike became harder.
鈥淭he romance of the trail started to wear off,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淚t got really grueling, and it was just a daily chore.鈥�
Smoke from Canadian wildfires billowed in the air, exacerbating the sweltering summer heat. Mosquitos, bees and other stinging insects were relentless.
Howard searched for motivation every day to help her stay on the trail.
鈥淲hat I learned was, I just needed to dig deep inside,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had to find the joy in the process. The small little victories.鈥�
Many start, fewer finish
According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a member of the trail鈥檚 cooperative-management system, more than 3,000 people attempt to hike through the entire trail every year.
Last year, a little more than 1,400 people achieved the goal. Successful trail hikers, like Howard, are recognized as 2,000-milers. Her application for the prestigious certification has been approved.
鈥淒uring the summer, at least 61% of the days were rain,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was the mud and the discomfort, and everything is wet. I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if the success rate this year is much less.鈥�
The Appalachian Trail ends at Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine. Howard said by the last leg of her hike, reaching it was her main goal.
But the trail offered no mercy.
鈥淭he terrain was constantly muddy. We had several river crossings that were waist deep,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were a lot of rocks that required technical climbing. And you鈥檙e just depleted.鈥�
Howard kept going until Mount Katahdin came into view. She scaled the 5,200-feet climb to summit Baxter鈥檚 Peak, reaching a famous sign that marks the trail鈥檚 end.
And she asked a fellow hiker to take a photo. In it, her body is battered but her smile is brilliant.
鈥淛ust seeing the sign made you realize that 鈥榃ow, I actually did it,鈥� she said.
Howard said she doesn鈥檛 know what big adventures are next. She kept a blog on the trail to keep track of the lessons learned and to inspire others who want to accomplish big goals.
She plans to go back to work in pharmaceutical development after taking a few weeks to recuperate from the hike. Her time on the Appalachian Trail continues to yield guidance, she said.
鈥淚t stripped me of all the crutches I had used to make myself feel important in this world,鈥� said Howard. 鈥淣o make-up, no fashionable clothing, none of the luxuries of life. I was raw and vulnerable. The trail forced me to face myself; and, through it all, I found the strength I had inside me all along.鈥�
