The Long and Winding Road to the Appalachian Trail

This post was first published on TheTrek.co on February 28, 2018.  Why? That is, of course, the first word that tends to pop out of a person’s mouth the moment you tell them you’re planning a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (otherwise known simply as “the AT”) from Georgia to Maine. Usually, it is accompanied

The Seven Year Itch: Why I Quit My Job to Hike the Appalachian Trail

In the words of Bilbo Baggins, “I’m going on an adventure!” A GREAT adventure, in fact. I’m going to hike the AT!! In case you’re unfamiliar, this means I’m embarking on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile hiking trail along the Appalachian mountain range in the eastern U.S. The dreamer and adventure seeker

The Land Before Time

So, I have this problem. Every winter, and I mean every winter, I get cabin fever. Real bad. To cope with said cabin fever, I book up my entire summer with mini-trips for a combination of nature, fitness and summer partying (the best kind of partying). It’s only the end of May, and I’m already

My Return to Insanity (the Good Kind)

I, Audrey Payne, got up early to exercise today! As in, I left my nice, warm, cozy bed (that I love SO MUCH), to sweat through my clothes and get yelled at by the fitness industry’s biggest angel, Shaun T. Five years after my last go-around (which I started at this same time of the