This post is part of a  Q&A series written by Appalachian Trail hikers.  If you've hiked the AT or are planning to hike the AT, and would like submit a guest post, visit this page for more information.  If you want to read more posts from this series, click here.

Note from Jill: Simply hearing the name Bearcub makes my insides happy.  Kelly and her husband (Guyline) are good friends of ours and I will forever be grateful to the trail for introducing them to us.  It's rare to find other hikers in Chicago and even rarer to find friends who are balancing corporate jobs with a life of adventure.  Kelly is doing a much better job of balancing it than I am, which inspires me each time I hear from her.  In fact, she and Brian are living and traveling in Ecuador, loving life and keeping the adventure going right now.  You can read through their thru-hike posts or follow along on their new travel posts at Brian and Kelly Hike the AT.   Bearcub, I love ya girl.  Now move your ass to NC, okay?  ;-)

1. What is your trail name and what year(s) did you hike? 
Bearcub, 2012

2. Where did you start your hike?
Springer Mtn., Georgia

3. Where did you finish your hike?
Katahdin, Maine

4. Did you start with a group or solo?
Started with my then boyfriend of around 10 months, Guyline (Brian).  Fun random story is that we started on Springer Mountain with a hiker named Day Glo - he took our picture for us from the starting point.  We hiked with him a few days and shared some navigational struggles before he quickly picked up speed and left us in the dust.  We never saw him again until Monson, Maine, and ended up hiking with him quite a bit in the 100 mile wilderness, and then summitting Katahdin with him on the same day.  He took our first and last picture on the AT - pretty cool!

5. What’s the best thing about hiking? 
That's a really hard question, because there are so many things I love about hiking.  But I think the best thing is that hiking helps me to cut through all of the noise I create for myself in the "real world" and start to perceive and appreciate the world around me.  This Thoreau quote captures the feeling that I get when I'm backpacking:
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.”

6. What’s the worst thing about hiking?
When your super sweaty hiking socks get soaking wet in the rain, and don't dry out, and then you have to put them on cold and soaking wet and smelling like mold first thing in the morning.  Sorry, that was graphic. 

7. Describe your best day on the trail.
My husband described one of my favorite days in his post, so I'll take a different angle.  About 8 months after we finished our thru-hike, we went to CT for my sisters' graduation and returned to the AT for a quick two day trip.  The section we hiked wasn't particularly stunning or special, but all of the magic of the trail came flooding back.  We spent the evening over a campfire and boxed wine with a few section hikers and traded trail stories.  It was one of the happiest days of my life and I think that's when I realized how much the AT means to me (when we finished our thru-hike, we were so ready to be done that it took awhile to sink in).  

8. Describe your hardest day on the trail.
I've got some good ones to pick from :).  When we were hiking into Daleville, we ran out of water about 9 miles from town, and all of the sources there were completely dried up.  It was hot....maybe in the mid-90s, and the 9 miles into town was painful.  Guyline, who is one of the most even-keeled people I know, had a moment where he just stopped in the middle of the trail and screamed obscenities.  

9. Did you ever feel like quitting your hike?
Yes - specifically, I got giardia (a water-born bacterial infection) in Virginia and was super sick for about six or seven weeks.  We took a few zeroes in Waynesboro, VA where our friends from Chicago met us, and I called my Mom and told her I was going to fly home and take a break if I wasn't dramatically better after our time off.  Sure enough, that was rock bottom and I slowly started to get better - and that was the last time I thought about quitting.

10. How did you prepare for your hike?
We had never really hiked (other than day hikes) before the trail!  We read books and blogs, but most importantly, we spent a lot of time with our friend The Griz, who had thru-hiked the trail a few years ago.  He coached us, gave us shakedown, and helped set our expectations for the hike.  If you have want to do a thru-hike and have access to someone who has, I highly recommend adopting them as a mentor!  Also - people at outfitters like REI and Moosejaw were super helpful and many of them had done a long-distance hike before.  

11. Do you stay in contact with your trail friends? 
Despite the fact that life has taken us out of country, we try!  Fellow thru-hikers have a bond that can't be tried by time and distance :). 

12. Would you attempt another long distance hike?
Yes - I think so.  It's just a matter of find the right time!

13. Would you thru-hike the AT again?
I just might!  I would love to do it slower.  

14. Do you have any advice for the next class of thru-hikers?
Give yourself a lot of time and go slow and steady.  Find a mentor in someone who has already hiked the AT.  Journal when you have the energy.  And pack light :) - be willing to spend money on lightweight, quality gear before you start - it is worth it!   Oh, and trail runners are way better than boots.  And peanut butter is really good in ramen (though Guyline disagrees).

Guest Post by Jake

This post is part of a  Q&A series written by Appalachian Trail hikers.  If you've hiked the AT or are planning to hike the AT, and would like submit a guest post, visit this page for more information.  If you want to read more posts from this series, click here.

Note from Jill: I met Jake through out blogs and I'm so glad that I did.  Even over email and blog posts I can tell that he is a kind and genuine person.   Plus he's a vegan with a cute dog!  We were destined to be blogger friends.  Jake is preparing for his first AT thru-hike, but he's no stranger to backpacking.   With his positive attitude and his dedication to charity, I have no doubt that he will finish the trail.  And we're excited to follow along!

If you’d like to learn more about what Jake is doing doing to support People Serving People and Minnesota’s homeless families, I encourage you to visit the 2,000 Miles From Home blog and follow his progress on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram.  Please join him in helping some very deserving families find their way home!

1.            When are you planning to start your hike?
Right now I’m planning to hit the trail in mid-March 2014, although I don’t have a date picked out just yet.  I should probably get on that!

2.            Where are planning to start and finish your hike?
I’ll be a NOBO, one of many, so I’ll start at Springer Mountain, GA and finish at Mount Katahdin, ME.  I’m PSYCHED about hiking through the Whites and the Hundred Mile Wilderness, and being from Minnesota I’m partial to the northland!

3.            Do you already have a trail name or are you waiting to let the trail name you?
Believe it or not, I’m torn about this!  I don’t want to name myself, and while I’m inclined to let the trail name me I’ve also considered allowing donors to bestow my trail name as a way of generating contributions for the charity I’m supporting, People Serving People.  I’m not sure how I feel about that, but if it helps those in need I may be able to abide it!

4.            Are you starting with a group/partner or solo?
I’ll be starting alone, but I’m really looking forward to meeting other aspiring thru-hikers and hopefully making some new friends.

5.            Why did you choose the AT over another trail?
The AT is an American tradition.  It’s ingrained in our culture—so many of us dream about escaping to the trail, living close to the land, and experiencing high adventure.  I considered the PCT and CDT, and while I’m passionate about the west I feel the AT is better suited to what I’m trying to achieve through my fundraiser, 2,000 Miles From Home.  The charity I’m supporting is dedicated to serving homeless and highly mobile families in the Twin Cities, and sadly the circumstances that led to their poverty and homelessness are as much a part of American life as the vision and perseverance that produced the AT.  Ultimately I believe thru-hiking the AT will help focus attention on family poverty in Minnesota and enable some very deserving parents and kids to complete their journeys home from homelessness.

6.            What are you most excited about?
The Whites!  I love big mountains; I’ve climbed in the Rockies and the Cascades and recently completed my first ascent of Mount Rainier (on my second try), and I feel like the Whites are as close to that as I’ll get on the East Coast.  But I’m also really looking forward to meeting other aspiring thru-hikers, taking each day as it comes, and doing my best to inhabit the moment.

7.            What are you least excited about?
The food!  I’m a vegan, and I’m gravely concerned about being able to stick to my plant-based chops.  I spent time in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the lack of wholesome food was extremely challenging for me during those six-month tours.  I just don’t know how well I’ll do eating the same thing day after day for 4-6 months!  Thankfully there are folks like Serial and Jill out there to offer both moral support and expert advice!

8.            Have you ever camped before?
Frequently.  I can’t get enough of it!  Although thru-hiking the AT just might scratch that itch for a while!

9.            What's the longest distance you have previously hiked?
I did a 30-ish mile section hike of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota in 2007 and a 26-mile ascent of Pikes Peak in 2012, but those are really the longest hikes I’ve done.

10.       What are you doing to prepare for your hike, mentally or physically?
I’ve done a great deal of reading about the AT, and I feel like I have a realistic expectation for how mentally challenging the trail will be.  Zach Davis’ book Appalachian Trials was particularly helpful in that regard.  Physically, I’m trying to strengthen my legs through weighted stair running, cycling, and conditioning hikes.  I have…particular…knees and I’m doing whatever I can to decrease the risk of developing an overuse injury before gaining my trail legs.


11.       How do your friends and family feel about your hike?
Everyone has been incredibly supportive.  I’m leaving a stable job and a comfortable home to pursue this fundraiser, and while I sometimes question my sanity my friends and family have been uniformly encouraging.  I’ve also been humbled and inspired by the outpouring of support for my project and the willingness of complete strangers to donate on behalf of families in need.  My experience to date has only underscored the goodness, the generosity, and the compassion in our community and our nation.

12.       How concerned are you about your gear list and pack weight?
I’m not terribly concerned.  I already own most of the necessary gear, and I’m aiming to go light (no more than 25-30 pounds).  I’m training with more weight than that, so I’m hopeful the load won’t be too burdensome when I hit the trail!

13.        Do you have any questions for hikers who have completed a section or thru-hike?
Does anyone have any advice on the ideal pack size for an AT thru-hike?  I’m debating bringing my Osprey Aether 85, but I’m worried it might be a bit too large.  The pack weight is also a little high at roughly five pounds.  The pack has been great for heavy loads in big mountains, but I’m not sure it’s the most efficient choice for a 2,180-mile hike.  Help me, Obi Wan!

14.       Anything else on your mind?
I welcome any and all guidance concerning how to preserve my vegan credentials while on the trail, how to hitchhike effectively, how to reduce the risk of foot and knee injuries, and how to minimize “eau de thru-hiker!”