Finding my Motivations in Childhood Trips to the Appalachian Mountains

 Although I've never been an outdoors person, and I was only recently introduced to the world of hiking, it's undeniable that experiences in my childhood have influenced my desire for travel, exploration, and the mountains. The mountains were special to me as a kid because my dad would take us on winter road trips to North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. These times in my life were vastly different from the time I spent with my mother, they were times of excitement, happiness, and of escape from daily life. I got to see snow for the first time, I went skiing, and I experienced the mountains from the roadside. I can barely remember those experiences, but the ones I do remember left their impression on me and sparked a fire inside of me when I learned about the Appalachian Trail. 

We took several trips over the years, mostly in the winter, but some in the summer. I was really scared of mountain roads, and one time the car broke down. Another time there was a fallen tree blocking the road at Dolly Sods, WV, and my dad decided to drive over it. I was terrified. Sometimes we stayed at hotels, other times we stayed at cabins deep in the mountains. I was scared of sleeping in cabins, I thought there were ghosts in the mountains, and I'd look at pictures and see those circles of light and think they were ghosts! I find it silly now, but it was a truly interesting experience. 

One time, there was a road closure at the Blue Ridge Parkway. It turns out that the entire side of the mountain was covered in ice, and that pieces of the ice were falling to the road. There was a big lack of judgement from my dad, who encouraged us to stand right next to the wall, and I'm very lucky to be alive and to not have been impaled by a giant piece of ice! I'd never do that again. But it was beautiful! I'd never seen something so magnificent in my life. Looking over the valley, I could see a frozen waterfall. It was breathtaking. 

One of my stops along the AT will be Grandfather Mountain. It's one of the places we visited on our trips, and I hope to experience it again and actually remember it this time. When we went to West Virginia, we skied for the first time at Blackwater Falls! I was terrified yet it was exhilarating! I fell in love with skiing, and on our next trip we went to Canaan Valley resort. I must have gone on the Bunny slope like 30 times. I was in love with it. 

One time me and my sister, who was 4 years younger than me, got lost at Timberline mountain. We ended up on a black diamond slope, it was very steep and I was really scared. Park rescue came for us and taught us how to form the skis into a pizza shape, and we slowly made our way off the slope. After that, I became more comfortable with the skis, and I went full out on the Bunny slope at Canaan valley. I think I was 13 at the time. I'm going to try to find pictures!

During one of our trips, we were told that there was a lookout peak, I think this was in West Virginia. Well.. this is what I consider my first hike (technically). The road wasn't passable by car, I think because of the weather, so my dad decided to make us walk about a mile up the road to the lookout. I was really tired and hungry and my dad told us that there was a place that sold french fries at the top. I actually believed him!! When we got to the top there wasn't any food! Just an incredible view of the mountains. I need to find the picture. I was so tired that I actually sat down on the ground. I was a picky kid, because of my autism, so this was a big deal for me, sitting on the ground.

During another trip, we hiked to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern U.S. I can barely remember it, just when we got to the top. It was harder to breathe and my dad was really struggling because he had health issues. I remember going up there was a workout.

We traveled through blizzards a lot, one time we had to stop the car because my dad couldn't see forward. I remember the first time I experienced temperatures below freezing, it was a true sufferfest. And the first time I experienced snow, I can't remember too much, but I remember being very excited. I think I probably ate some off the side of the road. Looking back, it was probably a bad idea! 

I remember going through the Smoky Mountains, visiting caverns in West Virginia, sifting through dirt for gems, eating sloppy joes at this little tiny restaurant in the middle of the mountains in West Virginia, and asking my dad, "what's that smell?" He'd reply, "deer poop." Well, it surely wasn't deer poop!

We explored other places too, once my sisters moved to Nebraska. We went on a road trip to South Dakota and I think this was my first time camping. I remember being very uncomfortable because of the bugs, and I couldn't sleep at night because it was too cold. I remember being miserable, the freezing ground making it impossible to sleep. Now I know it was because I didn't have the right protection. During the South Dakota trip, me and my sister walked through a trail that led to a huge waterfall.

Looking back, I see so many wonderful experiences that changed my life and made it more likely for me to decide to go on this journey. I'm so happy I got to experience all these things, and I'm so eager to go skiing during my trip!!! I can't wait to go to Grandfather Mountain again. I can't wait!