Author Archives: shaylaparadeis

Things are going so well, I just wanna dance around like a crazy person…..and sometimes do. I spent the last week hiking with Tide Walker. Not only was it lovely to spend time with another female, but it was just nice to say, “Look at that beautiful waterfall!” and have a response. We made greatContinue reading “Yipeeeeeee!”

I did a 20 nile slackpack yesterday. And it was delightful. Uncle Johnny’s drove us up the road 20 miles to hike back to his place, and today, he’s taking us back that 20 miles to go on from there. I got to carry a tiny little day back and I felt like I couldContinue reading “Proud to be a Slacker!”

I forgot to mention the great experience I had in Hot Springs last Wednesday. I stayed at a well-known, A.T. hostel called Sunnyback. It’s in a giant white house with tons of rooms and a beautiful overgrown yard with bird baths and benches in it. The house was built in 1840. It’s owned by a kindContinue reading “My Dinner with Elmer”

Well, I made it to Ewin, TN. My second maildrop location. Alas, it’s Sunday, Easter Sunday no less, so I will be holed up here for a bit, waiting on the P.O. It’s good for me to sit still though.  Sitting still has been a big issue with me actually. I want to be movingContinue reading “Settled in at Uncle Johnny’s”

So those of you who know me, know that I have a bit of an animal thing. That is to say, I love them! My cat is my best friend and I used to spend hours watching the squirrels in central park and thinking about what great pets they would make. I think it wasContinue reading “I just Cuddled with a Squirrel!!!”

Well it’s 7:30 in the morning, I’m just grabbing some coffee and doughnuts and hitting the trail. Gatlinburg has been a very interesting place to stay. It’s like a mini Vegas. 3D movie theaters and a Ripley’s Believe it or not Museum. Plus 1000 little shops. It’s kind of crazy. A bunch of the hikersContinue reading “Time To Go Again”

I apologize for my lack of frequent blogging. It hasn’t been as easy as I thought to come across computers. Things are going great. I’ve been hiking really good mileage for just beginning, my biggest day being 23. I made it 204 miles in 14 days. Which isn’t great, but good for a start. IContinue reading “So Far So Good”

So this is it. I’m at the Hiker’s Hostel in Dahlonega, GA. Already, I feel glad for the kindness of strangers and intrigued to see what kind of things I haven’t put enough thought into. I wanted to document my expectations at the last chance before I start so I can look back later and seeContinue reading “I think, perhaps, I’ll go hiking today”

A recent and exciting development is that my good friend Katherine is going to be joining me for the first 3 weeks of the trek! I’m very excited to have her along. She’s the kind of friend you don’t worry about spending too much time with!  It’ll be hours of great conversation and hopefully theContinue reading “Katherine Nolan :)”

After many hours of meticulous planning and preparing I have finally finished all the mail drops for the journey. Here is a list of all the places I will be stopping into post offices to pick up mail. 1. Fontana Dam, NC. 50 Fontana Dam Rd. Fontana Dam, NC 28733-6105. Arrival on or after Monday,Continue reading “Mail Drops”