Has it really been that long?

I still can’t believe my adventure on the Appalachian Trail came to completion on that beautiful gray afternoon all those years ago. It still remains the most fulfilling and rewarding moment of my life since, excluding the birth of my children (though let’s be honest, Dana did all that heavy lifting). So, what’s your Katahdin?

Today is not just an anniversary for me, it’s a reminder of how great adventures only happen when you make them happen. And that smart planning, strong determination, and the right level of Neiman-stubbornness can bring the most incredible experiences to life.

I remember Day 144 like it was last week. Rain was rolling in the next morning, so we made a call at Abol Bridge to push straight through and summit the same day. I speed-hiked the Hunt Trail (a beast of a climb, and the only official AT path up) with the last of my energy and none of my dignity. I dropped my pack at the base of the summit ridge and walked the final mile alone. Every step felt like a drum beat. Every memory from those five months rushed through me at once. I was surrounded by other hikers, wrapped in a bubble of personal solitude. When I finally touched the sign, all I could do was smile. It was the kind of smile you can only earn.

Nothing beat the feeling of that moment. What could? What else took so much of me to earn? Even my MBA felt like a joke in comparison (and let’s be honest, showing up to class got you a B+). If I could bottle the feeling that day and hand it out, I would. I truly hope you all have that same feeling in your life. But since I can’t, let me at least share three things that got me there, and can guide your path while chasing your own dreams.

1. Cherish the journey as much as the summit. Before I left, a friend shared the poem Ithaka by Cavafy with me. If you don’t know it, look it up. The short version: the winding path is the whole point, and the destination is the excuse to walk it. I only fully understood that in the months and years after standing at the top. But it’s the hiking in freezing rain of Georgia, rejoining lost friends in Virginia, and sharing an apple with strangers in Vermont that I miss most. The summit is just the postcard, it’s the journey that shapes it.

2. Pause when it matters. Smell the ramen noodles. The best moments on the trail happened when I stopped moving. A quiet minute at a vista. A shelter conversation that turned into a late-night bonfire. A group of strangers echoing “YOOO!” off a mountainside and howling back. A hot coffee at 7am with fog rolling off a bald. If you’re always chasing the next mile marker, you’ll miss the part that actually feeds you.

3. Document the adventure. Take the photos. Post the Instagram story. Write the spelling-error-ridden blog journal in your hammock by headlamp (and let’s be honest, your OCD will make you recheck it in the morning to correct the errors). Or, maybe, just maybe, string those journals into a story worth telling for other people to find. Who would do such a thing? I don’t know, but you should totally give that person a 5-star review on Amazon. Your future self and everyone who loves you will thank you.

If any of that hits home, I hope it leads you to a treasure as great as the Appalachian Trail for me. The AT is always going to be a part of me… and my story never needs to be apart from you!

(See what I did there? Cue the self promotion…)

Read Hello My Name is Sharkbait. It’s the honest and funny account of my hike, with more than a few embarrassing moments thrown in for good measure. There’s no better armchair-to-Katahdin experience I can offer.

Or, if you’d rather hear the stories live, schedule me for an event. My last and biggest local event of the summer is Ridgefield Summerfest this Saturday, July 25. If you’re anywhere in Fairfield County, stop by, say hi, get a book signed, and talk trail. And if you know a bookstore, library, hiking club, or festival that would like to host me… please introduce us. I’d love to take this show on the road, quite literally. Nothing brings me more joy than telling this story to people who want to hear it.

Also, don’t forget, if you’re planning your own hiking adventure, my gear list is what I’d actually pack if I did it again tomorrow. Tested over 2,190 miles, and honest about what to skip. Good for a weekend or a thru.

Thanks for reading, following along, and sharing your love. This adventure isn’t over, and there are more chapters (literally…?) yet to come.

Regardless, that smile on July 23rd, 2018 … I’ll wear it the rest of my life.

Get out there and find yours.

Hello Neiman!