In Summer 2015 Jessica did a thru-hike and hiked the full length of the Appalachian Trail all 2189.2 miles!  During this podcast Jessica shares with us, more about her journey, the highs, the low points, what she learned on the way and why she loves being outdoors! If you’ve ever wanted to go on a long distance hike - take a listen to this episode to learn more! Shownotes The Appalachian Trail Where the idea came from The steps she took to get to the start of the trail Telling her friends and family about her dream to hike the Appalachian Trail Dealing with fears Why you sometimes have to do things on your own Why she set her start date for March 29th Research & planning - especially around what gear to take! Where you can save some money on gear What’s it like being on the start line! Trying to figure out things as she went Getting her trail name! Being challenged on the trail and the hardest things she faced Being alone on the trail and taking the time to figure things out Money and the costs involved Having run in’s with wildlife & dealing with bears! Why you shouldn’t really plan your hike! Vlogging & blogging while on the trail What to do about water while walking What she learnt most while on the trail Getting to the end of the hike  Finishing the hike, dealing with the aftermath and what her next steps were Going for the Triple Crown in hiking! More details about her book - Take A Thru-Hike: Dixie's How-To-Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail!   Read Jessica’s book! Check out her blog  Follow her on twitter @HomemadeWL Watch her videos & subscribe to her Youtube channel here! A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!