{"id":59,"date":"2023-12-12T22:44:34","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T22:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nickelsontrail.com\/?page_id=59"},"modified":"2024-02-29T03:55:03","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T03:55:03","slug":"follow-along","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nickelsontrail.com\/index.php\/follow-along\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow Along"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Track my progress with STRAVA<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Background<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2021, I set out on a thru-hike attempt of the Appalachian Trail. The following 57 days were some of my favorite memories – waking up with the sun, spending countless hours outside, climbing peaks & amazing views – it was the journey of a lifetime! Unfortunately, that journey ended far sooner than I hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are known for their rugged terrain, and they got the best of me. The descent off Mt. Madison is over 4,000 feet of steep terrain and boulder hopping, and my knees did not hold up well. With elevation gain\/loss of 4,650\/1,850 later that day, and 2,400\/6,450 the next, the strain on my body would be too much to enjoyably finish the Trail to Katahdin, much less the southern half of the Trail. I took a ZERO day and set off towards Maine, but shaky knees and a fall on a seemingly ordinary stretch of trail was the punctuation mark on a chapter that had already been written. I made the decision to get off trail.<\/p>\n\n\n

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