Saucy Hikes

Now that we’ve had a few days to decompress, nap, and eat SO much food, it’s time to reflect on our successful 2026 AT thru hike!🐞🪲

When we started at Springer Mountain, Georgia on March 11th, we had no idea what we were in for… even after consuming many YouTube videos and blogs, the only way to truly understand the AT is to just hike the whole damn thing. Only about 20-25% of people who start the AT finish it, and we are proud to be in that percentage— there were a number of things that helped us get there ->

Our big takeaways

#1: GRIT

Every single day, for 191 days, we tested our grit. The first 100 miles of the trail are mostly physical, but the last 2,100 are VERY mental. There were many days where it felt like everything that could go wrong was, and we experienced an absurd amount of challenges on this hike (heat rash, flooding, droughts, injuries, illness, etc etc etc)! Aside from the extreme challenges, the every day challenge of gathering the motivation to push your body to hike 13-20 miles became very fatiguing. Chores like filtering water and packing everything, then unpacking constantly, and moving around every single night just add to our exhaustion. Excuse us if we still need some extra sleep!

#2: Teamwork+ Accepting Help

We hiked the entire second half of the trail (1,100 miles) in a core group of 5. You may remember us talking obsessively about the Brewbs as we love them all for life!! This group was a big part of why we had so much fun, and also why we were successful on our thru hike. We found that our group had a bit of a curse because someone was always going through it, and other people we were hiking around learned to ask us “who is it this time?” Navigating so many challenges with this group meant that we all developed a deep understanding of what bothered each other, and how to lift spirits. There was always one of us dealing with an injury or illness, and we are all very stubborn, so we would often have to force the injured to accept our help or initiate lower miles. Knowing what each other needed meant that we could keep each other on trail and adjust our pace and mileage as needed.

Being in a group certainly has other perks too. Lots of our gear became communal and eventually we fully relied on each other to survive. For example, Tissie stopped carrying toilet paper because the rest of us had extra. This did have its consequences when we accidentally got separated though :0. We also bickered daily, but always with a smile behind the annoyance. Saucy does NOT do well in the morning before our coffee, so Bug would often establish a “no talking rule” until we had our buzz and were ready to zoom up some mountains (even though she would constantly complain about Chameleons coffee creations). The Brewbs and our ability to poke fun and constantly help each other out was SUCH a core part of our hike and I know we’ll all be lifelong friends. In general, we noticed that the groups on trail had higher success rates than solo hikers, which is a testament to the sense of camaraderie and helping each other out. Shoutout Brewbs if you are reading this!!!!!

In addition to the support of other hikers, we very quickly realized the safe and successful completion of this hike would not be possible with out the help of others. From day four when Cham sprained her ankle, we were flooded with support from the local community, people wanted to help us in any way they could. That support remained true throughout the hike, even if it took different forms. From massive hiker feeds down in GA, to water cashes in the Mid Atlantic, up to people letting us camp in their yard in Maine, we have been supported and cheered on by people up and down the east coast. The generosity and kindness we were shown during the past six months is unlike anything we’ve ever felt, and we are so excited to give back to the trail community in the future.

#3: The Power of Giggles

Anything can be solved with a few giggles, well, most things. As we reflect on this journey, we realize that so much of our time was spent laughing. Unfortunately, in real life it’s easy to get crushed with the constant weight of simply existing, it can feel like our world is on fire and sometimes it’s difficult to not only make room for joy and laughter but let yourself feel it. Being surrounded by the simplicities and beauty of nature gave us the room to feel the love and let the joy in, which resulted in a lot of giggling. Truly any situation can be made better by laughter. About to pass out on the side of a mountain? Do an interpretive dance! On a 17-mile water carry in 100 degree heat? Sing a song about it! Tired of walking in a stinky line of thru hikers? Pretend to be cars and pass each other on the side of the trail while making honking noises! Finding and spreading joy was one of the reasons we were successful on this hike. Even on the darkest day, be the light!

#4: Flexibility + The Art of Dilly Dallying

If you know us, you know we are extremely busy humans who have been on the move since we could walk. So, a big part of this hike for us was giving our minds the chance to breathe and reset as we approach the next stage of life, which proved to be a challenging adjustment. We’re also both deeply competitive people, which was an interesting thing to grapple with on the trail. We quickly learned if we viewed this experience as a race or a competition (as many do), we would not only lose, but we would lose out on the journey and the magic along the way. Our mentality shifted from wanting to hike more miles than anyone around us in Georgia, to consistently getting passed by other groups in Maine, and being fine with it. Although we draw the line at ‘day walkers’ beating us to camp. Once we accepted that literally nothing was going to plan, we gave up on planning all together and simply lived hour to hour as we listened to our bodies and our friends to make decisions. We had no schedule, no time limit, and no real stressors other than daily survival. Learning to stop at a view and take it in rather than push to the next summit has got to be a metaphor for something…

For all the outdoorsy people reading this, you may enjoy hearing the gear and tasks that changed throughout the hike:

• We STOPPED bear hanging our food and slept with it in our tents instead (oops)
• Our sleep system changed several times — we sent a tent home on day 3 (so we had 1 tent), Cham picked up a hammock when it got too hot to share a tent, and then we ended with only one tent again
• Both Cham and Bug switched packs to smaller and more practical ones (shown in pics at the end)
• We picked up some luxury items such as a speaker, Pjs, pool floaty, and disposable camera
• We each replaced our shoes 5 times on the hike to keep our feet from falling off
• Bug had to buy 3 pairs of trekking poles because they kept breaking on her

What’s Next+ Final Notes

As we adjust to the comforts of AC and real food, we unfortunately have to tackle the next stages of life. Bug will return as an HR intern at the Spy Museum in D.C. before hopefully making a move to Boston in the spring (yes, Cham is devastated by this but also very proud of her). Cham is headed back down to NC/Tennessee to hike the section she missed while she was off trail at the beginning for her ankle. We most certainty are not purists, but it’s always been important to her to hike the Smokies. After that it’s back to D.C. to start the job search in hopes of using her IR degree… we’re both excited for what the future holds!

As you can imagine, it’s an extreme culture shock to be back in the real world, and we feel like we’ve been plopped onto a foreign planet. Our bodies are still in a lot of pain and our poor feet will probably never recover. Living outside for six months does in fact rewire your brain and sense of priorities, so reentering society is a lot to deal with. That being said, we are extremely grateful to have such great support systems. Getting to write this blog for you all has been a real joy, and sharing our experiences with family and friends was a great way for us to reflect as we went. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of this journey, it was the experience of a lifetime. Up next, the moon?!

🐞🪲🐞🪲🐞🪲🐞🪲🐞🪲🐞🪲🐞🪲