June 24, 2022 • 32 mins
Dr. Joy James speaks with App State alumnae Megan Bryant about her her trek solo hiking the Appalachian Trail for 6 weeks covering 600 miles. Along the way she found a community of like minded people from many different walks of life, suffered through shin splints, discovered she was much stronger than she thought and even happened to meet her future fiance!
Transcript:
00;00;19;00 - 00;00;51;06 Melissa Weddell Welcome to the Outdoorosity Podcast. Get outside. Keep going outside. Where we share Appalachian State stories that entertain, inspire and inform listeners about living an active outdoor lifestyle. Each episode features a story. The goal to get you outside and keep you going outside to improve your overall wellness. The Outdoorosity Podcast is brought to you by the Hope Lab, where our purpose is to investigate the role of outdoor physical activity, exercise and play on healthy environment and human development.
00;00;51;16 - 00;01;16;22 Melissa Weddell The vision of the Hope Lab is to continue developing the perfect foundation for promoting and supporting outdoor physical activity, exercise and play through interdisciplinary research. Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu. Hi, my name is Melissa Weddell. I'm a professor in Recreation Management at Appalachian State University and a self-proclaimed outdoor addict. I will be your host for the Outdoorosity Podcast.
00;01;17;04 - 00;01;45;06 Melissa Weddell On today's episode, team member Dr. Joy James, also Professor in Recreation Management Interviews Alumni Megan Bryant. We will be discussing the title of the episode, Big Adventures Empowered by Little Inspirations, where Megan tells us the story of how she moved from the city to attend Appalachian State University, why she made that decision in her journey from learning how to hike and enjoying the outdoors, to planning and participating in a six week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.
00;01;46;07 - 00;01;48;14 Melissa Weddell Now, here's the interview with Joy and Megan.
00;01;50;27 - 00;02;10;16 Joy James So this is Joy James, and we have Megan Bryant here with us today to share her story on Outdoorosity. Megan, what I'd like you to do, if possible, if you would introduce yourself, kind of like where you from, how you ended up at Appalachian State. I know you've graduated and then tell us your favorite outdoor activity.
00;02;10;25 - 00;02;36;09 Megan Bryant Yeah. So I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia, grew up there, but was always drawn up to the mountains, which is one of the reasons that most people end up it up to me, too. I did my first two years of college at the University of Georgia, and I studied environmental economics there. But the mix of the campus culture and also just the focus on economic use of the outdoors was just not where my interest was.
00;02;36;23 - 00;02;55;05 Megan Bryant When I was in high school. I originally applied and got into App, and after two years at UGA, I was like, I'm not happy here. I'm going to try to mix this up a bit. I love App, let's try that out again. So went out for two years and graduated there. I'd say my favorite outdoor activity. I love long distance backpacking, which I know we'll talk a bit about later.
00;02;55;16 - 00;02;58;28 Megan Bryant So that's my all time favorite outdoor activity.
00;02;59;04 - 00;03;04;25 Joy James Cool, so how would you say you first got interested in the outdoors, like your childhood or a friend?
00;03;05;01 - 00;03;22;16 Megan Bryant So my introduction to the outdoors was through Girl Scouts when I was in elementary school, going on little camp outs and stuff. And if you've ever been to The Hike Inn in North Georgia. It's Four miles out and then you stay at this awesome lodge and hike back. We did that and I was like, this is my type of thing.
00;03;22;16 - 00;03;44;15 Megan Bryant Like, I love this. And then as
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:19):
Welcome to the Outdoorosity Podcast.
Get outside.
Keep going outside.
Where we share Appalachian State stories.
That entertain, inspire
and inform listenersabout living an active outdoor lifestyle.
Each episode features a story.
The goal to get you outsideand keep you going outside to improve your
overall wellness.
(00:39):
The Outdoorosity Podcast is brought to youby the Hope Lab,
where our purpose is to investigatethe role of outdoor physical activity,
exercise and play on healthy environmentand human development.
The vision of the Hope Lab is to continuedeveloping the perfect foundation
for promoting and supporting outdoorphysical activity, exercise and play
through interdisciplinary research.
(01:01):
Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu.
Hi.
My name is Melissa Weddell.
I'm a professor in Recreation Management
at Appalachian State Universityand a self-proclaimed outdoor addict.
I will be your hostfor the Outdoorosity Podcast.
On today's episode, team member Dr.
Joy James, also Professor in RecreationManagement Interviews Alumni Megan Bryant.
(01:24):
We will be discussing the titleof the episode, Big Adventures
Empowered by Little Inspirations,where Meghan tells us the story
of how she moved from the cityto attend Appalachian State University,
why she made that decision and her journeyfrom learning how to hike
and enjoying the outdoors,to planning and participating
in a six weekbackpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.
(01:46):
Now, here's the
interview with Joy and Megan.
So this is Joy James,and we have Megan Bryant here
with us todayto share her story on Outdoorosity.
Megan, what I'd like you to do, ifpossible, if you would introduce yourself,
kind of like where you from,how you ended up at Appalachian State.
(02:06):
I know you've graduated and then tell usyour favorite outdoor activity.
Yeah.
So I'm originally from Atlanta,Georgia, grew up there, but
was always drawn up to the mountains,which is one of the reasons
that most people end up it up to me, too.
I did my first two years of collegeat the University
of Georgia, and I studiedenvironmental economics there.
(02:26):
But the mix of the campus cultureand also just the focus
on economic use of the outdoorswas just not where my interest was.
When I was in high school,
I originally applied and got into App,and after two years at UGA, I was like,
I'm not happy here. I'mgoing to try to mix this up a bit.
I love App, let's try that out again.
(02:47):
So went out for two yearsand graduated there.
I'd say my favorite outdoor activity...
I love long distance backpacking,which I know we'll talk a bit about later.
So that's my all timefavorite outdoor activity.
Cool! So how would you say you first
got interested in the outdoors?Was it your childhood or was there a friend?
So my introduction to the outdoorswas through Girl Scouts
(03:09):
when I was in elementary school,going on little camp outs and stuff.
And if you've ever been to The Hike Innin North Georgia.
Yeah, yeah. Four miles out.
And then you stay at this awesomelodge and hike back.
And we did that and I was like,this is my type of thing.
Like, I love this.
Then, as I got into high school, meand my friends love to go hiking.
And then on spring break,
when most people are going to the beach,we planned a big hiking trip
(03:31):
with all of our friends and campingand all of that.
More and more as I was doing it,I was like, I love being outside
and then when I got to college,
I actually originally wantedto do international affairs
and work for State Departmentand like big government and stuff.
And I was very quickly like,
Oh, I'm not nearly as passionateabout this as I am about being outside.
Like I wanted to do National Park stuff.
(03:53):
As I got more and more into college,I was like, This is what I want to do.
And then I ended up doing a six week solohike on the Appalachian Trail
because I was kind of just lost and wasn'tsure what I was going to do
after my first year at college.
Having all that time out therekind of being like,
not only is this opportunityawesome for me, just being able
to be outside, like,I think I want to do something
(04:15):
to give more people accessto opportunities like this.
So it was like,Oh, wow, this really helps me.
I bet it can help other people too.
I want to do this.
And it was like down that path.
In terms of backpackingand that solo hike, what inspired
you or helped you to make that plan?
Because, you know, a lot of peopledon't like to do things by themselves
(04:35):
and sometimes backpackingis a solo activity, but it can be social.
How did you move from hikingwith your friends to backpacking?
I went backpacking twice with my auntwho lives out
in California when I was in high schoolThat was out in Yosemite.
So it was like, oh yeah, starting at
the best I knew it was awesomeand I was like, This is incredible.
(04:57):
Like, this is so great.
The time to reflect out there.
I really likeI was saying I was feeling lost.
It was like I don't really feel
like I have that many peoplethat I can rely on to do a long trip.
And I was like, Well,I can rely on myself.
Let's make this happen.
And when I reflect on that timeof planning for my AT experience,
(05:19):
the planningbecame a leisure activity of itself.
When I had my free time,I was doing research,
I was watching videos,I was going on the REI website
or going to local outfitters
and trying to figure outwhat the best sleeping bag would be
because I had a super low budgetfor the trip.
Like, what's the best sleeping bag,
what's the best backpack,what's the weather going to look like?
Because I was 18 when I went out there.
(05:41):
That's also one of the thingsthat brought me to doing the AT
instead of any other long trail was thatI knew that there would be that community once I got out there.
I felt super socially awkward at the time,
so I was like, Even if I don't make anylike super long term friends...
Once I got outthere was like a super big community.
I was like, Oh my gosh,I actually get along with these people.
What is this?
This is crazy.
(06:01):
But it's like, Oh, this makes sense.
Did you have a trail name for the App?
I did, and my trail name is Duct Tape.
My second day out there,I was at Trail Magic
with a bunch of peoplethat were like yellow blazers.
I kind of just drove from one trailcrossing to another,
and we were about to go intoa really scenic section, Grayson Highlands.
And I was like, you know, I heard it's supposedrain for the next few days.
(06:23):
And they said,
if you keep cursing the weatherlike that,
we're going to have to duct tapeyou to a tree.
For some reason, I was like, All right.
And then they're like,We're going to call you duct tape.
And I'm like, Cool. Like, I have a trail name!
Yay!
Well, a couple more thingsI want to go a little deeper
into your backpackingplanning and stuff like that.
But before I do that,can you describe that feeling of lost?
(06:44):
Like. Yeah.
You were just kind of not knowing what todo, like, what was that feeling?
And then how did you get out of thatfeeling to direct yourself into
backpacking?
I mean, I was at a schoolthat I didn't want to be at.
I hadn't followed my heart.
I was more like,This is a well-respected school
(07:05):
and it has a good program,so I'm going to go there.
Even though,everything inside of me is like, don't go!
I'm just going to go becausewill probably be good in the long term.
So I wasn't really where I wanted to be.
I wasn't studying stuffthat made me passionate.
So feeling really bogged downby the course load and the type of stuff I was
studying in the classroom environment,which was so different from App.
(07:27):
It was very unpersonal.
Also, the campus culturethere was just not me.
It was very sorority basedor like really cultural
in a way that I wasn't in touchwith, like really good music.
And art and stuff.
And I just was like,I don't know anything about that.
So I was just
having a really hard timefinding my people and my place,
(07:50):
I knew I loved the outdoors,and I knew that when I started thinking
about doing something like a big trip,
like a big backpacking trip,I was feeling excited and I felt good.
So I was like, I'm going to follow that.
I'm going to make that happen.
How did you bring it to your parents?
I want to do a six week solo hike.
I inched into it.
I was like,I think I want to do a big trip by myself this summer.
(08:11):
I was like,I think I want to do a big trip by myself this summer.
And then I was like,I think I want to go on the AT.
Hey, here's all these documentaries
that I can show youthat we can watch together that show
how many people are out there and here'sall this planning that I've been doing.
Like, Look, I'm not just coming upwith this and just going to go.
I have done my research.
I feel like this is a safe enough place.
Also, just kind of like reassuring myself,like I can do this myself.
(08:34):
I would lovemy parents would be super supportive,
which they ended upbeing super supportive.
Just telling myself, even if they don'tfeel like it's the safest or best place
I'm going to do this.
So it's like a mix of tryingto appease them, but also
feeling self-assured in your journey.
Probably the process of tryingto appease them helped you as well.
(08:54):
Like you were kindof buying all this stuff
and that made you more confidentwhen you were talking to them.
Yeah, so ultimately they kind ofwere supportive of you as well.
So you did it during the summer.
Does that mean you didn't workthat summer?
You kind of worked really hard to save up,but like how did you afford to make it happen?
I didn't like it two ways.
So, the reason why I did it for six weeks,I did it time based instead of distance
(09:16):
based.
My family was awesome with it eventuallyonce
they really felt secure about it,but they were like,
Wherever you are, six weeks into it,we'll pick you up there.
So I had that six week periodThe whole time
before that, I worked really hard.
I was a waitress
at a sushi restaurant. I worked really hardas much as I could and save up money.
(09:36):
That pretty much all went into the trip.
Afterward, I came back after that six weeksand I nanny'd all summer just trying front
loading and back loading and just tryingto keep myself secure throughout it.
Yeah.
What section did you end up doingdid you start from the beginning?
Did you pick that area?
Yeah, I research a lot.
I'm a very big planner, so I was like,I know I'm going to be starting
(09:57):
May 7th. Where is the bubble going to be?
And I want to put myselfright in the middle of it.
And I was like, rightin the beginning of Virginia.
So I was like,
you know, it'd be really fun if I startedright at the base of Virginia.
So I started in Damascus.
My pipe dream was to get through Virginia,
and I ended up getting three Virginia,West Virginia and Maryland
(10:19):
and my last day hiking,I crossed into Pennsylvania.
So it was like 600 miles total,which I was not planning on doing,
but I felt really proud of.
What was your original mileageyou thought you would do?
I thought that my longest day would be 15,
but my first day I ended up doing15 miles, which was not good planning.
I got shin splints three days into it.
(10:40):
I did not do good in the beginning,but my longest ended up being 25 miles.
And how did you persevere with shin splints?
Like some peoplethat would knock us off the trail.
Yeah.
So my sisters boyfriendat the time told me before I left,
Hey, like I want you to know, like,you can call it quits at any time.
(11:01):
Your family was talking.
If you call it quits early,they can pick you up.
And in my headI was like, Oh, I'm not going to do that.
I'm not going to call it quits.
It was like this feeling of,Don't tell me that I can't do it.
Like, I can do it.
So I ended up taking a ton of ibuprofen
for a few days with my shin splintsuntil I got into town.
And I actually ended up
(11:23):
staying in a motel room in Marion,Virginia, by myself
for like four days,just trying to recover.
And that was definitely awhy am I doing this moment?
But I just was like really hardheaded and kept through it.
And then a few days later,because I was keeping my mileage down
because of the shin splints.
(11:44):
And the next day,I think this hiker named Weather
Man was like, oh, you have shin splints.
I had these really long socks
that compress your legsand can help you with shin splints.
Do you want them?
And I was like, yeah, awesome.
So it's like the trail provides. It'swhat people say.
And it helped me out, and I just had toreally watch my mileage for the next week.
Yeah.
(12:06):
As we listened to Megan's story,
one of the purposes of the podcastis to also inspire you to get outdoors.
Recent literature
discusses an abundance of benefitsfor your health through being in nature.
We know that being outside and exercisingincludes improved heart and lung fitness,
fewer cardiovascular risk factors, fewerdeaths, and less coronary heart disease.
It also reduces your risk of cancerand reduces obesity.
(12:29):
While these are physical aspectsof being outside and exercising,
there are many emotionaland intellectual aspects
where research has shownthat we can concentrate more
just by taking a ten minute walk aroundthe neighborhood, having nature around
us, whether we have plants around usor in our work.
home, office or windows.
These health benefits are documentedthrough different disciplines that we
(12:51):
represent in the Hope Lab.
In the
next half, Megan sharesmore of her experiences
and how she became more comfortablein the outdoors.
While you're on the trail,what did you learn about yourself?
And then as an outdoor person,what did you learn that
you didn't know before
about the outdoors or a skill or somethingthat is going to help you like
(13:14):
with your pursuit of being a backpackerfor the rest of your life?
Yeah,so I tell you what I learned about myself
is that I'ma lot stronger than I think I am
and that I can push through a lotmore than I think I could.
There were like so many momentsthat if there had been a road
where I was,I may have hitchhiked and called it quits.
But when you're
(13:34):
stuck in the middle of the woodsand you're five miles to a road crossing,
you have five miles to think about, OK,this is why I'm doing this.
I'm going to try to push on or,
you know, you meet someone that's like,OK, this is why I'm doing this.
I can do this.
So I really found out that not only I'mlike I'm strong enough, but
I can find strength in other peopleand that's OK also
because that's a big thing
(13:54):
you'll hear on the AT is a big part ofit is the people in the community.
And then from an outdoor perspective,
I think a lot of that,what I learned came from the just
huge, diversearray of people that I met, veterans
and retired folks and peoplethat were triathletes
and people that had never gonebackpacking a day in their life,
(14:16):
like just this huge array of peoplethat were out there recreating
and doing something totally transformativeand crazy for themselves.
And as an outdoor rec professional or justas a recreation professional in general,
I think seeing that can show you like,oh, anyone can benefit from recreation.
These opportunities that, you know,
(14:36):
sometimes you think like, oh,you have to be like peak fitness
be mentally like super disciplinedto get done with something like no, like
anyone who puts their mindto getting themselves involved
in some sort of recreationor awesome leisure activity can find
that enrichment and improvement.
And that was super inspiring to me.
And that was one of the reasonswhy I was like,
(14:57):
OK, I'm definitely going down the recpathway once I got off my hike.
You put it so well.
It's amazing with the human bodyand the human mind can overcome
regardless of our ability,our size, the amount of money we have.
If we want to do itand put our mind to it,
we could do itand it could be transformative.
And you kind of mentioned
(15:17):
this transformation. It sounds like the trailchanged your perspective of a career.
I was leaning environmental lawat the time.
I actually took some law classes
trying to figure out like,I think this is what I want to do.
But it was like being out there,really seeing what direct experience
with nature and directexperience with yourself can do.
And I was like, I want to gothe recreation side of things.
(15:41):
Yeah.
Like doing a big law casethat protects an area of land is awesome.
That land has so much worth in itselfbut think about how much protection
that land can spread if people are ableto, like, engage with that area of land.
And that's where I'm now looking forand where I'd like to go
because I found that,oh, I can have that desire of protection,
(16:02):
but do protectionwith sustainable recreation use on land.
And that's whereI'm most passionate about.
And being an App and working with the RecManagment Department really helped me
like figure out, ween down like, OK,this is what I think I want to do.
Yeah, cool.
This may go
back to more in your childhood,but you were hiking a lot
as a young person and then you decidedI wanted to go and do this backpack.
(16:25):
But what actually created comfort for youto go to the bathroom in the outdoors
or to just be comfortable with insector be uncomfortable with being wet?
Like, how did you become comfortablein outdoor settings?
Experience.
100% experience.
I was like, I'm not going to be ableto be comfortable going to the bathroom
(16:46):
or I'm not going to be comfortablegoing six, seven days without a shower.
But the only way you're ableto see if you can or if you can't
is if you do it.
If you put yourselfin that uncomfortable position,
I realized that I don't mind therebeing little bugs
around me, but if they're near my eyes,it really bothers me.
I hate it.
So it's like,
(17:06):
OK, when I'm out there, I'm goingto put a little bit of like a bug repelent here
and like I'm able to make the adjustmentinstead of never going out there
because I'm afraid I may not like bugsand not realizing
how to make those adjustmentsto make recreation work for you.
So I think,if you're curious about something,
if you think that something might be a wayto like be like intriguing
and transformational, like try itand then try to make adjustments for you.
(17:31):
OK, cool.
This is kind of like a
social media question, but it doesn'thave to be social media response.
I've been reading about influencers andhow they influence people on social media.
And so another way of looking at this iswas there an influencer
or a mentor or someone in your life?
It sounds like your aunt took youto Yosemite, but like, was it her?
Was there someone else that kind of really...
(17:52):
I mean, just the fact that you werea high school student, hiking is weird.
Yeah.
And from Atlanta, I'm like,I'm from Atlanta!
You know, all I did was Stone Mountain fora hike . You had to go seek that out.
I feel like it may have been fieldtrips to Stone Mountain or Furnbank Science Center
or if you're from Atlanta,I bet you went on trips there that were like...
(18:15):
OK, let's give these kidsas little experience
with outdoorsand then let's let them explore that.
I was an environmental educationintern at a nature center back in Athens,
and that was a big part of what we did,which was just getting kids into nature
and seeing kind of what sticksand what's intriguing to them.
And I think those experiences,especially with kids, are
(18:37):
so wonderful and can lead someonewho's lives in Atlanta
in a kind of a concrete jungle,like getting them to prioritize
nature and natural experiences. Yeah.
Some of your experience mirrorssome of mine as that young person,
but I'm assuming it was Sandy CreekNature Center you were at and
did you volunteer with thembecause that was something you want to do?
Or is that a class assignment for youat the University of Georgia?
(19:00):
No, I was wanting to get involved
I was wanting to do somethingwith my days, and I was taking
a class through UGA was Forestryand Natural Resources College were now
and because I was in one class,I was technically on their listserv
and Sandy Creek sent out an emailthat was like, Hey, if you want to
(19:20):
volunteer, you'll come in a few morningsa month, and bring some kids on hikes.
And I was like, That sounds awesome.
That sounds like so much fun.
So I volunteered with themfor probably a year
and I just went in one morningand we were kind of just getting like told
what the curriculum is going to be andwhat standards we want to meet and stuff.
And they were like,Oh, also, we have a paid internship
(19:40):
and you can do thispretty much on a bigger scale.
And do animal encountersand go to the farmer's markets
and do all this fun stuff.
And I was like, I would love to do that.
And I was looking for a summer job.
I thought I was going to have to workat like a restaurant or something again.
And I was like, No, I want to do thatprep for the interview. I did handwritten
thank you notes,which is totally like trying my hardest.
(20:02):
And I got the internshipand it wasn't for a class or anything.
I just really wanted working with kids,working in the outdoors.
I love animals.I like working with animals.
I like this is going to be the best.And it was awesome.
It was like a super cool way to be like,Oh, this is a job.
Like, this is an actual job I could do.
These are people
that are employed that are literally likejust doing the most exciting stuff.
(20:24):
Like, I want to do this.
I can actually do this.
Not to bemoan that, but I wish,
you know, Boone had a nature centersimilar to Sandy Creek
Thriving program because it would bea great partnership for our students
and all majors to be able to have accessto that experience that you had.
Yeah, it was super great.
They had a sea turtle and snakesand bearded
(20:48):
dragon, like just awesome animalsand their interpretive hall
any of our students would freak about itbecause it was so interactive
and engaging. Great signage. Just awesome.
The dream.
One last question.
And then I go into another segment.
We were wonderingif you could share a story with us
about an outdoor experience.
(21:08):
You've kind of been
sharing your backpacking experience,but think about it on a micro level.
Is there a moment that was really funny,revealing, or hilarious?
That's a story that you'd be willingto share with our listeners?
Yeah,it was one of those Appalachian periods
where it rains for like five daysstraight.
You ever see the sky?
I sat down,
(21:30):
I was like, I am so in pain right now.
I am miserable.
I took my shoes off to try to like,treat my feet.
My feet were so blistered and pruneythat there wasn't even any point
I was just like, OK,let me make my plan to leave.
This was like my lowest,just every step miserable.
And I was like, I need something right nowto make me feel good.
(21:56):
And I turned a cornerand I knew I was Enemy Crossy Road.
I said a little bit of like Blue or some,like, human color.
And I'm like,
probably someone just sitting there like,don't get excited, keep walking.
And I'm like, Don't get excited.
Like, it's probably nothing.Everything sucks.
There coud not be anything good.Right now, the world' is terrible you know, that type of stuff.
and I
get closer and I see that it'sthis huge set up
(22:19):
through true magic and I'm like, Oh,my gosh, please let there be something.
Cause I was a vegetarian at the time,
and I was like,probably not going to be able
to get anything, like everything, sucks,whatever.
And I walk up and like, the first thingthey say is, Do you eat meat?
And I was like, No,we have veggie burgers for you.
Awesome. No problem.You want grilled onions.?
We got grilled onions,like putting together
all these burgers and like, I sit down,I start talking to them.
(22:42):
And it turns out that they werefrom the town my sister was living in
and that their daughter livedin the same area that my parents lived in.
And she worked at our family'sfavorite restaurant of all time.
And I was like, I'm
not a superstitious person or anything,but I was just like, this is crazy.
I was literally at the like, This is it.
I'm done.
(23:02):
It was like the best food ever.
Something I could eat as many snacksas I could want.
All these nice people there, everythingabout these people's life fit into mine.
It was like, OK, I can do it.
And I just think that feeling ofeven when things can be like super
at the lowest that people can really cometogether, lift you up from there.
That's like a momentthat stuck out of my mind.
(23:23):
As a hiker, and particularly with the ATyou're familiar with this.
But could you describe what trail magicmeans?
For listenerswho may not know what that means.
There's a whole lexicon of hiker words.
Trail magic is when traditionally peoplethat aren't hiking
leave things or station at road crossings
and either make a lot of foodor leave really good treats and stuff.
(23:45):
I've seen it where a ladyjust put a little box of homemade cookies
and a little note on it, like trail magic!
Take one if you like.Or it could be like this
where they apparently made breakfast,lunch and dinner.
They had beers, soda, snacks,anything anyone could ever want.
Sometimes it's like a whole grill out.
It's just people taking timeout of their days to just give to hikers.
(24:06):
And they never charge any moneyor really ask for anything.
It's more just you guys are doingsomething really hard, really awesome.
I want to give you guys some love.
It's really quite amazing.
And it goes along with what you're sayingabout
meeting peopleand that community of support.
Because a lot of times our culture reallypromotes individualism and doing it yourself.
And a lot of people like hear that peoplego out on long hikes by themselves.
(24:30):
You must have really had to push through.
Well, I pushed through a fair bit,but if I didn't have so many awesome
people around me, I wouldn'thave been able to get through it.
I think we need to realize,
yeah, personal motivation is awesome,but personal motivation is lonely.
If you don't have people to share it
with, it's awesometo really engage in a community
especially a community of people
that are creating alongside you,I think is really special.
(24:53):
Yeah.
Do you see yourself doing the A.T.
as a section hiker or do you want to everpursue it all in one fell swoop?
I definitely want to do itall in one fell swoop.
I actually met mynow fiancé on the trail. Oh,
I have this partner now in my life.
We are able to likewant to do these same things together.
(25:14):
And he did half the trailand I did a quarter of it.
And we're like, we have to start from thebeginning and end in Maine.
Like we don't want to just do the partswe haven't done.
We want to do it all through.
And right now,you know, we're like settling in.
We don't quite have the funds to do it,
As soon as we can, as soon asthe time's right, we're getting out there.
We love to do the AT, PCT and the CDT...do as manyas we can because it's our thing.
(25:38):
We...
You know, it'salmost like it's going to happen
because myI had a college buddy who she did the AT
and at the time they didn'thave the Internet to meet people she knew.
She didn't want to do it by herself.
So she was not like youin terms of the solo
and we just didn'thave a lot of information.
So she, there was a club newsletterthat you could get
and she found this guyand so they started hiking together.
(26:00):
She hated him.
He had her and they partiedin Pennsylvania, which apparently
is one of the most difficult partsof the trail, from what I understand.
And then in the brief period of timethey stopped,
they realized they couldn't livewithout each other, and then did the AT
in the next year together and got marriedat the bottom of Mount Katahdin.
(26:21):
That's on the hike, the last part up.
So and then they did the PCT and they didI mean, so it really is interesting, once
you start kind of getting into thatcrowd of people,
you not only maybe meet partnersor significant others, but you
you get more support and encouragementso that you feel inspired
that I can continueto do these big type of hikes.
(26:42):
Well, cool.
That kind of finishes outthe questions that we have for you.
And one of the things we're doingwith the people that we're interviewing
is a segment getting the dirton getting outside, particularly in Boone.
And I know you're living in Ashevillenow that you've graduated,
but I have like four questions.
So what is your biggest fearabout being in the outdoors?
(27:04):
Whitewater
Fast moving water, can't do it.
I have friends that do whitewaterkayaking and stuff.
I've tried it petrified is neat.
I recently did the Linville Gorge Loop.I backpacked that with a friend.
There's a point where you have to swimacross to bring your pack over.
It's like a whole thingand just swimming across water
(27:26):
that was pretty slowlymoving toward a rapid I can't do it.
That's my biggest fear. 100%.
What is your most embarrassingoutdoor moment?
When I was in Yosemiteand we didn't put our food away, right
and Chipmunks got into all of our foodand we had to go back early.
Yeah, I would say that'sprobably the most embarrassing.
(27:48):
Not even the Bears but the chipmunks.
I had a raccoon eatthrough one of my backpacks
I had M&M's rolled up in my raincoatin a pocket,
like in the middle,and the raccoon ate the pocket
but never got to the M&M's.
So I enjoyed those M&M's.
All right, the third question is
what is a must have when you gobackpacking or in the outdoors?
(28:10):
What's something like a piece of equipment?
I have a lot because
whenever people are like getting into gearand like a bunch of different stuff.
But I would say my toprecommendation is a squeeze water filter.
It seems so simple,but so many people use pumps
or the tablets or bleachor Aquamira and stuff.
(28:30):
But having somethingthat when you're on a really long hike,
you get to a water sourcethat you can just immediately drink water
just by like squeezing it into your mouth
or into another water bottle or somethingI think is the biggest game changer.
Get the full sized ones.Not the little ones but the full size.
And what did you call it again? A squeeze...
The Sawyer Squeeze water filter.
I keep one in my car. It's so worth it.
(28:51):
So you don't have to risk
getting any sort of digestive problemor sick, just immediate water.
I've gone on so many backpacking tripswith people that use tablets
and they're having to do all the
flipping around and shaking and waitingand setting these timers. I'm
squeezing my water bottle. I'm good to go.
I think it's such a game changer.
And then, what'syour favorite local spot in Boone?
(29:12):
So I trail run a lot.
I actually lived in Blowing Rock,and I would go to Moses Cone all the time.
Alot of people go to Moses Cone
and they're like,this isn't really like good hiking.
And because it's
so, like paved and gravel and stuffand like it's like it's not real hiking,
but it's so great for training runningbecause there's 20 something
miles of trails so you're able to makeloops that are longer
(29:35):
as you get more comfortable and awesome.
Really mildly graded. It's graded for horses.There are great views.
You get to see the house and everything. I really miss Moses Cone and running
all around there.
It really is a treat to have that.
And even though it may not be likethe hiking experience, it's still nature.
Yeah, and getting the sun.
It's such an accessible place.
(29:56):
People that may not be super experiencedwith hiking are able to get out in nature,
feel what it's like to like summit upthat mountain and get to the house and stuff.
Like they're ableto have those experiences that even though
like as a rec professional, you might be likeOh, this isn't real rec, but it's like,
think about all the doors that a placelike Moses Cone opens for people.
(30:18):
I think it's suchan awesome resource in Boone.
As Megan shares how she became comfortablein the outdoors,
you may be reminded of who introduced youto a new outdoor activity or experience.
When Megan talks about her time
in Yosemite with her aunt,we can refer back to some research
examining environmental socializationexperiences in the outdoors.
(30:38):
What we know is that experiencesas a child
often shapes our abilityto be comfortable in the outdoors.
We have outdoor experienceswe can kind of think of like a ladder.
You take the first up,the second step, the next step,
and pretty soon you're a conservationistor an outdoor enthusiast.
If you are new to the outdoors,some local options
are to visit Grandfather Mountainwhich has an amazing nature center
(31:02):
where you could also volunteer. Apriland December or what we call dollar days.
Local students, employees or anyone inthe community can go for a reduced price.
These are great spaces to go and learnabout animals and to go hiking on more
developed trailswhere you will see people around
other opportunities in our area,our Moses Cone in the Blue Ridge Parkway,
(31:24):
which is close to campus,we have other small trails around campus
that you can also hike personally, we liketo use the all trail app on our phone.
What's nice about this iseven if you don't have cell service,
it has GPSand can tell you exactly where you are.
On the trail.
Remember, outdoors is a learning process.
You're not going to go on your first trip
(31:45):
or your first hike and have everything goright and say it was perfect.
This is not how it goes.
Mother Nature has her own mind.
The weather can change.
You can get a blister,have an animal encounter.
Things are constantly changing.
Each situation is differentand we all make a lot of mistakes.
But remember, every experienceis an opportunity to learn.
But you need to continue moving forwardand continue braving those challenges.
(32:10):
We want to thankMegan and Joy for sharing these stories.
As we sign off, we want to end witha quote and encourage you to get outdoors.
Remember a journey of a thousand milesbegins with a single step.
Welcome to the Outdoorosity Podcast.
Get outside.
Keep going outside.
Where we share Appalachian State stories.
That entertain, inspire
and inform listenersabout living an active outdoor lifestyle.
Each episode features a story.
The goal to get you outsideand keep you going outside to improve your
overall wellness.
(00:39):
The Outdoorosity Podcast is brought to youby the Hope Lab,
where our purpose is to investigatethe role of outdoor physical activity,
exercise and play on healthy environmentand human development.
The vision of the Hope Lab is to continuedeveloping the perfect foundation
for promoting and supporting outdoorphysical activity, exercise and play
through interdisciplinary research.
(01:01):
Feel free to check us out at hopelab.appstate.edu.
Hi.
My name is Melissa Weddell.
I'm a professor in Recreation Management
at Appalachian State Universityand a self-proclaimed outdoor addict.
I will be your hostfor the Outdoorosity Podcast.
On today's episode, team member Dr.
Joy James, also Professor in RecreationManagement Interviews Alumni Megan Bryant.
(01:24):
We will be discussing the titleof the episode, Big Adventures
Empowered by Little Inspirations,where Meghan tells us the story
of how she moved from the cityto attend Appalachian State University,
why she made that decision and her journeyfrom learning how to hike
and enjoying the outdoors,to planning and participating
in a six weekbackpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.
(01:46):
Now, here's the
interview with Joy and Megan.
So this is Joy James,and we have Megan Bryant here
with us todayto share her story on Outdoorosity.
Megan, what I'd like you to do, ifpossible, if you would introduce yourself,
kind of like where you from,how you ended up at Appalachian State.
(02:06):
I know you've graduated and then tell usyour favorite outdoor activity.
Yeah.
So I'm originally from Atlanta,Georgia, grew up there, but
was always drawn up to the mountains,which is one of the reasons
that most people end up it up to me, too.
I did my first two years of collegeat the University
of Georgia, and I studiedenvironmental economics there.
(02:26):
But the mix of the campus cultureand also just the focus
on economic use of the outdoorswas just not where my interest was.
When I was in high school,
I originally applied and got into App,and after two years at UGA, I was like,
I'm not happy here. I'mgoing to try to mix this up a bit.
I love App, let's try that out again.
(02:47):
So went out for two yearsand graduated there.
I'd say my favorite outdoor activity...
I love long distance backpacking,which I know we'll talk a bit about later.
So that's my all timefavorite outdoor activity.
Cool! So how would you say you first
got interested in the outdoors?Was it your childhood or was there a friend?
So my introduction to the outdoorswas through Girl Scouts
(03:09):
when I was in elementary school,going on little camp outs and stuff.
And if you've ever been to The Hike Innin North Georgia.
Yeah, yeah. Four miles out.
And then you stay at this awesomelodge and hike back.
And we did that and I was like,this is my type of thing.
Like, I love this.
Then, as I got into high school, meand my friends love to go hiking.
And then on spring break,
when most people are going to the beach,we planned a big hiking trip
(03:31):
with all of our friends and campingand all of that.
More and more as I was doing it,I was like, I love being outside
and then when I got to college,
I actually originally wantedto do international affairs
and work for State Departmentand like big government and stuff.
And I was very quickly like,
Oh, I'm not nearly as passionateabout this as I am about being outside.
Like I wanted to do National Park stuff.
(03:53):
As I got more and more into college,I was like, This is what I want to do.
And then I ended up doing a six week solohike on the Appalachian Trail
because I was kind of just lost and wasn'tsure what I was going to do
after my first year at college.
Having all that time out therekind of being like,
not only is this opportunityawesome for me, just being able
to be outside, like,I think I want to do something
(04:15):
to give more people accessto opportunities like this.
So it was like,Oh, wow, this really helps me.
I bet it can help other people too.
I want to do this.
And it was like down that path.
In terms of backpackingand that solo hike, what inspired
you or helped you to make that plan?
Because, you know, a lot of peopledon't like to do things by themselves
(04:35):
and sometimes backpackingis a solo activity, but it can be social.
How did you move from hikingwith your friends to backpacking?
I went backpacking twice with my auntwho lives out
in California when I was in high schoolThat was out in Yosemite.
So it was like, oh yeah, starting at
the best I knew it was awesomeand I was like, This is incredible.
(04:57):
Like, this is so great.
The time to reflect out there.
I really likeI was saying I was feeling lost.
It was like I don't really feel
like I have that many peoplethat I can rely on to do a long trip.
And I was like, Well,I can rely on myself.
Let's make this happen.
And when I reflect on that timeof planning for my AT experience,
(05:19):
the planningbecame a leisure activity of itself.
When I had my free time,I was doing research,
I was watching videos,I was going on the REI website
or going to local outfitters
and trying to figure outwhat the best sleeping bag would be
because I had a super low budgetfor the trip.
Like, what's the best sleeping bag,
what's the best backpack,what's the weather going to look like?
Because I was 18 when I went out there.
(05:41):
That's also one of the thingsthat brought me to doing the AT
instead of any other long trail was thatI knew that there would be that community once I got out there.
I felt super socially awkward at the time,
so I was like, Even if I don't make anylike super long term friends...
Once I got outthere was like a super big community.
I was like, Oh my gosh,I actually get along with these people.
What is this?
This is crazy.
(06:01):
But it's like, Oh, this makes sense.
Did you have a trail name for the App?
I did, and my trail name is Duct Tape.
My second day out there,I was at Trail Magic
with a bunch of peoplethat were like yellow blazers.
I kind of just drove from one trailcrossing to another,
and we were about to go intoa really scenic section, Grayson Highlands.
And I was like, you know, I heard it's supposedrain for the next few days.
(06:23):
And they said,
if you keep cursing the weatherlike that,
we're going to have to duct tapeyou to a tree.
For some reason, I was like, All right.
And then they're like,We're going to call you duct tape.
And I'm like, Cool. Like, I have a trail name!
Yay!
Well, a couple more thingsI want to go a little deeper
into your backpackingplanning and stuff like that.
But before I do that,can you describe that feeling of lost?
(06:44):
Like. Yeah.
You were just kind of not knowing what todo, like, what was that feeling?
And then how did you get out of thatfeeling to direct yourself into
backpacking?
I mean, I was at a schoolthat I didn't want to be at.
I hadn't followed my heart.
I was more like,This is a well-respected school
(07:05):
and it has a good program,so I'm going to go there.
Even though,everything inside of me is like, don't go!
I'm just going to go becausewill probably be good in the long term.
So I wasn't really where I wanted to be.
I wasn't studying stuffthat made me passionate.
So feeling really bogged downby the course load and the type of stuff I was
studying in the classroom environment,which was so different from App.
(07:27):
It was very unpersonal.
Also, the campus culturethere was just not me.
It was very sorority basedor like really cultural
in a way that I wasn't in touchwith, like really good music.
And art and stuff.
And I just was like,I don't know anything about that.
So I was just
having a really hard timefinding my people and my place,
(07:50):
I knew I loved the outdoors,and I knew that when I started thinking
about doing something like a big trip,
like a big backpacking trip,I was feeling excited and I felt good.
So I was like, I'm going to follow that.
I'm going to make that happen.
How did you bring it to your parents?
I want to do a six week solo hike.
I inched into it.
I was like,I think I want to do a big trip by myself this summer.
(08:11):
I was like,I think I want to do a big trip by myself this summer.
And then I was like,I think I want to go on the AT.
Hey, here's all these documentaries
that I can show youthat we can watch together that show
how many people are out there and here'sall this planning that I've been doing.
Like, Look, I'm not just coming upwith this and just going to go.
I have done my research.
I feel like this is a safe enough place.
Also, just kind of like reassuring myself,like I can do this myself.
(08:34):
I would lovemy parents would be super supportive,
which they ended upbeing super supportive.
Just telling myself, even if they don'tfeel like it's the safest or best place
I'm going to do this.
So it's like a mix of tryingto appease them, but also
feeling self-assured in your journey.
Probably the process of tryingto appease them helped you as well.
(08:54):
Like you were kindof buying all this stuff
and that made you more confidentwhen you were talking to them.
Yeah, so ultimately they kind ofwere supportive of you as well.
So you did it during the summer.
Does that mean you didn't workthat summer?
You kind of worked really hard to save up,but like how did you afford to make it happen?
I didn't like it two ways.
So, the reason why I did it for six weeks,I did it time based instead of distance
(09:16):
based.
My family was awesome with it eventuallyonce
they really felt secure about it,but they were like,
Wherever you are, six weeks into it,we'll pick you up there.
So I had that six week periodThe whole time
before that, I worked really hard.
I was a waitress
at a sushi restaurant. I worked really hardas much as I could and save up money.
(09:36):
That pretty much all went into the trip.
Afterward, I came back after that six weeksand I nanny'd all summer just trying front
loading and back loading and just tryingto keep myself secure throughout it.
Yeah.
What section did you end up doingdid you start from the beginning?
Did you pick that area?
Yeah, I research a lot.
I'm a very big planner, so I was like,I know I'm going to be starting
(09:57):
May 7th. Where is the bubble going to be?
And I want to put myselfright in the middle of it.
And I was like, rightin the beginning of Virginia.
So I was like,
you know, it'd be really fun if I startedright at the base of Virginia.
So I started in Damascus.
My pipe dream was to get through Virginia,
and I ended up getting three Virginia,West Virginia and Maryland
(10:19):
and my last day hiking,I crossed into Pennsylvania.
So it was like 600 miles total,which I was not planning on doing,
but I felt really proud of.
What was your original mileageyou thought you would do?
I thought that my longest day would be 15,
but my first day I ended up doing15 miles, which was not good planning.
I got shin splints three days into it.
(10:40):
I did not do good in the beginning,but my longest ended up being 25 miles.
And how did you persevere with shin splints?
Like some peoplethat would knock us off the trail.
Yeah.
So my sisters boyfriendat the time told me before I left,
Hey, like I want you to know, like,you can call it quits at any time.
(11:01):
Your family was talking.
If you call it quits early,they can pick you up.
And in my headI was like, Oh, I'm not going to do that.
I'm not going to call it quits.
It was like this feeling of,Don't tell me that I can't do it.
Like, I can do it.
So I ended up taking a ton of ibuprofen
for a few days with my shin splintsuntil I got into town.
And I actually ended up
(11:23):
staying in a motel room in Marion,Virginia, by myself
for like four days,just trying to recover.
And that was definitely awhy am I doing this moment?
But I just was like really hardheaded and kept through it.
And then a few days later,because I was keeping my mileage down
because of the shin splints.
(11:44):
And the next day,I think this hiker named Weather
Man was like, oh, you have shin splints.
I had these really long socks
that compress your legsand can help you with shin splints.
Do you want them?
And I was like, yeah, awesome.
So it's like the trail provides. It'swhat people say.
And it helped me out, and I just had toreally watch my mileage for the next week.
Yeah.
(12:06):
As we listened to Megan's story,
one of the purposes of the podcastis to also inspire you to get outdoors.
Recent literature
discusses an abundance of benefitsfor your health through being in nature.
We know that being outside and exercisingincludes improved heart and lung fitness,
fewer cardiovascular risk factors, fewerdeaths, and less coronary heart disease.
It also reduces your risk of cancerand reduces obesity.
(12:29):
While these are physical aspectsof being outside and exercising,
there are many emotionaland intellectual aspects
where research has shownthat we can concentrate more
just by taking a ten minute walk aroundthe neighborhood, having nature around
us, whether we have plants around usor in our work.
home, office or windows.
These health benefits are documentedthrough different disciplines that we
(12:51):
represent in the Hope Lab.
In the
next half, Megan sharesmore of her experiences
and how she became more comfortablein the outdoors.
While you're on the trail,what did you learn about yourself?
And then as an outdoor person,what did you learn that
you didn't know before
about the outdoors or a skill or somethingthat is going to help you like
(13:14):
with your pursuit of being a backpackerfor the rest of your life?
Yeah,so I tell you what I learned about myself
is that I'ma lot stronger than I think I am
and that I can push through a lotmore than I think I could.
There were like so many momentsthat if there had been a road
where I was,I may have hitchhiked and called it quits.
But when you're
(13:34):
stuck in the middle of the woodsand you're five miles to a road crossing,
you have five miles to think about, OK,this is why I'm doing this.
I'm going to try to push on or,
you know, you meet someone that's like,OK, this is why I'm doing this.
I can do this.
So I really found out that not only I'mlike I'm strong enough, but
I can find strength in other peopleand that's OK also
because that's a big thing
(13:54):
you'll hear on the AT is a big part ofit is the people in the community.
And then from an outdoor perspective,
I think a lot of that,what I learned came from the just
huge, diversearray of people that I met, veterans
and retired folks and peoplethat were triathletes
and people that had never gonebackpacking a day in their life,
(14:16):
like just this huge array of peoplethat were out there recreating
and doing something totally transformativeand crazy for themselves.
And as an outdoor rec professional or justas a recreation professional in general,
I think seeing that can show you like,oh, anyone can benefit from recreation.
These opportunities that, you know,
(14:36):
sometimes you think like, oh,you have to be like peak fitness
be mentally like super disciplinedto get done with something like no, like
anyone who puts their mindto getting themselves involved
in some sort of recreationor awesome leisure activity can find
that enrichment and improvement.
And that was super inspiring to me.
And that was one of the reasonswhy I was like,
(14:57):
OK, I'm definitely going down the recpathway once I got off my hike.
You put it so well.
It's amazing with the human bodyand the human mind can overcome
regardless of our ability,our size, the amount of money we have.
If we want to do itand put our mind to it,
we could do itand it could be transformative.
And you kind of mentioned
(15:17):
this transformation. It sounds like the trailchanged your perspective of a career.
I was leaning environmental lawat the time.
I actually took some law classes
trying to figure out like,I think this is what I want to do.
But it was like being out there,really seeing what direct experience
with nature and directexperience with yourself can do.
And I was like, I want to gothe recreation side of things.
(15:41):
Yeah.
Like doing a big law casethat protects an area of land is awesome.
That land has so much worth in itselfbut think about how much protection
that land can spread if people are ableto, like, engage with that area of land.
And that's where I'm now looking forand where I'd like to go
because I found that,oh, I can have that desire of protection,
(16:02):
but do protectionwith sustainable recreation use on land.
And that's whereI'm most passionate about.
And being an App and working with the RecManagment Department really helped me
like figure out, ween down like, OK,this is what I think I want to do.
Yeah, cool.
This may go
back to more in your childhood,but you were hiking a lot
as a young person and then you decidedI wanted to go and do this backpack.
(16:25):
But what actually created comfort for youto go to the bathroom in the outdoors
or to just be comfortable with insector be uncomfortable with being wet?
Like, how did you become comfortablein outdoor settings?
Experience.
100% experience.
I was like, I'm not going to be ableto be comfortable going to the bathroom
(16:46):
or I'm not going to be comfortablegoing six, seven days without a shower.
But the only way you're ableto see if you can or if you can't
is if you do it.
If you put yourselfin that uncomfortable position,
I realized that I don't mind therebeing little bugs
around me, but if they're near my eyes,it really bothers me.
I hate it.
So it's like,
(17:06):
OK, when I'm out there, I'm goingto put a little bit of like a bug repelent here
and like I'm able to make the adjustmentinstead of never going out there
because I'm afraid I may not like bugsand not realizing
how to make those adjustmentsto make recreation work for you.
So I think,if you're curious about something,
if you think that something might be a wayto like be like intriguing
and transformational, like try itand then try to make adjustments for you.
(17:31):
OK, cool.
This is kind of like a
social media question, but it doesn'thave to be social media response.
I've been reading about influencers andhow they influence people on social media.
And so another way of looking at this iswas there an influencer
or a mentor or someone in your life?
It sounds like your aunt took youto Yosemite, but like, was it her?
Was there someone else that kind of really...
(17:52):
I mean, just the fact that you werea high school student, hiking is weird.
Yeah.
And from Atlanta, I'm like,I'm from Atlanta!
You know, all I did was Stone Mountain fora hike . You had to go seek that out.
I feel like it may have been fieldtrips to Stone Mountain or Furnbank Science Center
or if you're from Atlanta,I bet you went on trips there that were like...
(18:15):
OK, let's give these kidsas little experience
with outdoorsand then let's let them explore that.
I was an environmental educationintern at a nature center back in Athens,
and that was a big part of what we did,which was just getting kids into nature
and seeing kind of what sticksand what's intriguing to them.
And I think those experiences,especially with kids, are
(18:37):
so wonderful and can lead someonewho's lives in Atlanta
in a kind of a concrete jungle,like getting them to prioritize
nature and natural experiences. Yeah.
Some of your experience mirrorssome of mine as that young person,
but I'm assuming it was Sandy CreekNature Center you were at and
did you volunteer with thembecause that was something you want to do?
Or is that a class assignment for youat the University of Georgia?
(19:00):
No, I was wanting to get involved
I was wanting to do somethingwith my days, and I was taking
a class through UGA was Forestryand Natural Resources College were now
and because I was in one class,I was technically on their listserv
and Sandy Creek sent out an emailthat was like, Hey, if you want to
(19:20):
volunteer, you'll come in a few morningsa month, and bring some kids on hikes.
And I was like, That sounds awesome.
That sounds like so much fun.
So I volunteered with themfor probably a year
and I just went in one morningand we were kind of just getting like told
what the curriculum is going to be andwhat standards we want to meet and stuff.
And they were like,Oh, also, we have a paid internship
(19:40):
and you can do thispretty much on a bigger scale.
And do animal encountersand go to the farmer's markets
and do all this fun stuff.
And I was like, I would love to do that.
And I was looking for a summer job.
I thought I was going to have to workat like a restaurant or something again.
And I was like, No, I want to do thatprep for the interview. I did handwritten
thank you notes,which is totally like trying my hardest.
(20:02):
And I got the internshipand it wasn't for a class or anything.
I just really wanted working with kids,working in the outdoors.
I love animals.I like working with animals.
I like this is going to be the best.And it was awesome.
It was like a super cool way to be like,Oh, this is a job.
Like, this is an actual job I could do.
These are people
that are employed that are literally likejust doing the most exciting stuff.
(20:24):
Like, I want to do this.
I can actually do this.
Not to bemoan that, but I wish,
you know, Boone had a nature centersimilar to Sandy Creek
Thriving program because it would bea great partnership for our students
and all majors to be able to have accessto that experience that you had.
Yeah, it was super great.
They had a sea turtle and snakesand bearded
(20:48):
dragon, like just awesome animalsand their interpretive hall
any of our students would freak about itbecause it was so interactive
and engaging. Great signage. Just awesome.
The dream.
One last question.
And then I go into another segment.
We were wonderingif you could share a story with us
about an outdoor experience.
(21:08):
You've kind of been
sharing your backpacking experience,but think about it on a micro level.
Is there a moment that was really funny,revealing, or hilarious?
That's a story that you'd be willingto share with our listeners?
Yeah,it was one of those Appalachian periods
where it rains for like five daysstraight.
You ever see the sky?
I sat down,
(21:30):
I was like, I am so in pain right now.
I am miserable.
I took my shoes off to try to like,treat my feet.
My feet were so blistered and pruneythat there wasn't even any point
I was just like, OK,let me make my plan to leave.
This was like my lowest,just every step miserable.
And I was like, I need something right nowto make me feel good.
(21:56):
And I turned a cornerand I knew I was Enemy Crossy Road.
I said a little bit of like Blue or some,like, human color.
And I'm like,
probably someone just sitting there like,don't get excited, keep walking.
And I'm like, Don't get excited.
Like, it's probably nothing.Everything sucks.
There coud not be anything good.Right now, the world' is terrible you know, that type of stuff.
and I
get closer and I see that it'sthis huge set up
(22:19):
through true magic and I'm like, Oh,my gosh, please let there be something.
Cause I was a vegetarian at the time,
and I was like,probably not going to be able
to get anything, like everything, sucks,whatever.
And I walk up and like, the first thingthey say is, Do you eat meat?
And I was like, No,we have veggie burgers for you.
Awesome. No problem.You want grilled onions.?
We got grilled onions,like putting together
all these burgers and like, I sit down,I start talking to them.
(22:42):
And it turns out that they werefrom the town my sister was living in
and that their daughter livedin the same area that my parents lived in.
And she worked at our family'sfavorite restaurant of all time.
And I was like, I'm
not a superstitious person or anything,but I was just like, this is crazy.
I was literally at the like, This is it.
I'm done.
(23:02):
It was like the best food ever.
Something I could eat as many snacksas I could want.
All these nice people there, everythingabout these people's life fit into mine.
It was like, OK, I can do it.
And I just think that feeling ofeven when things can be like super
at the lowest that people can really cometogether, lift you up from there.
That's like a momentthat stuck out of my mind.
(23:23):
As a hiker, and particularly with the ATyou're familiar with this.
But could you describe what trail magicmeans?
For listenerswho may not know what that means.
There's a whole lexicon of hiker words.
Trail magic is when traditionally peoplethat aren't hiking
leave things or station at road crossings
and either make a lot of foodor leave really good treats and stuff.
(23:45):
I've seen it where a ladyjust put a little box of homemade cookies
and a little note on it, like trail magic!
Take one if you like.Or it could be like this
where they apparently made breakfast,lunch and dinner.
They had beers, soda, snacks,anything anyone could ever want.
Sometimes it's like a whole grill out.
It's just people taking timeout of their days to just give to hikers.
(24:06):
And they never charge any moneyor really ask for anything.
It's more just you guys are doingsomething really hard, really awesome.
I want to give you guys some love.
It's really quite amazing.
And it goes along with what you're sayingabout
meeting peopleand that community of support.
Because a lot of times our culture reallypromotes individualism and doing it yourself.
And a lot of people like hear that peoplego out on long hikes by themselves.
(24:30):
You must have really had to push through.
Well, I pushed through a fair bit,but if I didn't have so many awesome
people around me, I wouldn'thave been able to get through it.
I think we need to realize,
yeah, personal motivation is awesome,but personal motivation is lonely.
If you don't have people to share it
with, it's awesometo really engage in a community
especially a community of people
that are creating alongside you,I think is really special.
(24:53):
Yeah.
Do you see yourself doing the A.T.
as a section hiker or do you want to everpursue it all in one fell swoop?
I definitely want to do itall in one fell swoop.
I actually met mynow fiancé on the trail. Oh,
I have this partner now in my life.
We are able to likewant to do these same things together.
(25:14):
And he did half the trailand I did a quarter of it.
And we're like, we have to start from thebeginning and end in Maine.
Like we don't want to just do the partswe haven't done.
We want to do it all through.
And right now,you know, we're like settling in.
We don't quite have the funds to do it,
As soon as we can, as soon asthe time's right, we're getting out there.
We love to do the AT, PCT and the CDT...do as manyas we can because it's our thing.
(25:38):
We...
You know, it'salmost like it's going to happen
because myI had a college buddy who she did the AT
and at the time they didn'thave the Internet to meet people she knew.
She didn't want to do it by herself.
So she was not like youin terms of the solo
and we just didn'thave a lot of information.
So she, there was a club newsletterthat you could get
and she found this guyand so they started hiking together.
(26:00):
She hated him.
He had her and they partiedin Pennsylvania, which apparently
is one of the most difficult partsof the trail, from what I understand.
And then in the brief period of timethey stopped,
they realized they couldn't livewithout each other, and then did the AT
in the next year together and got marriedat the bottom of Mount Katahdin.
(26:21):
That's on the hike, the last part up.
So and then they did the PCT and they didI mean, so it really is interesting, once
you start kind of getting into thatcrowd of people,
you not only maybe meet partnersor significant others, but you
you get more support and encouragementso that you feel inspired
that I can continueto do these big type of hikes.
(26:42):
Well, cool.
That kind of finishes outthe questions that we have for you.
And one of the things we're doingwith the people that we're interviewing
is a segment getting the dirton getting outside, particularly in Boone.
And I know you're living in Ashevillenow that you've graduated,
but I have like four questions.
So what is your biggest fearabout being in the outdoors?
(27:04):
Whitewater
Fast moving water, can't do it.
I have friends that do whitewaterkayaking and stuff.
I've tried it petrified is neat.
I recently did the Linville Gorge Loop.I backpacked that with a friend.
There's a point where you have to swimacross to bring your pack over.
It's like a whole thingand just swimming across water
(27:26):
that was pretty slowlymoving toward a rapid I can't do it.
That's my biggest fear. 100%.
What is your most embarrassingoutdoor moment?
When I was in Yosemiteand we didn't put our food away, right
and Chipmunks got into all of our foodand we had to go back early.
Yeah, I would say that'sprobably the most embarrassing.
(27:48):
Not even the Bears but the chipmunks.
I had a raccoon eatthrough one of my backpacks
I had M&M's rolled up in my raincoatin a pocket,
like in the middle,and the raccoon ate the pocket
but never got to the M&M's.
So I enjoyed those M&M's.
All right, the third question is
what is a must have when you gobackpacking or in the outdoors?
(28:10):
What's something like a piece of equipment?
I have a lot because
whenever people are like getting into gearand like a bunch of different stuff.
But I would say my toprecommendation is a squeeze water filter.
It seems so simple,but so many people use pumps
or the tablets or bleachor Aquamira and stuff.
(28:30):
But having somethingthat when you're on a really long hike,
you get to a water sourcethat you can just immediately drink water
just by like squeezing it into your mouth
or into another water bottle or somethingI think is the biggest game changer.
Get the full sized ones.Not the little ones but the full size.
And what did you call it again? A squeeze...
The Sawyer Squeeze water filter.
I keep one in my car. It's so worth it.
(28:51):
So you don't have to risk
getting any sort of digestive problemor sick, just immediate water.
I've gone on so many backpacking tripswith people that use tablets
and they're having to do all the
flipping around and shaking and waitingand setting these timers. I'm
squeezing my water bottle. I'm good to go.
I think it's such a game changer.
And then, what'syour favorite local spot in Boone?
(29:12):
So I trail run a lot.
I actually lived in Blowing Rock,and I would go to Moses Cone all the time.
Alot of people go to Moses Cone
and they're like,this isn't really like good hiking.
And because it's
so, like paved and gravel and stuffand like it's like it's not real hiking,
but it's so great for training runningbecause there's 20 something
miles of trails so you're able to makeloops that are longer
(29:35):
as you get more comfortable and awesome.
Really mildly graded. It's graded for horses.There are great views.
You get to see the house and everything. I really miss Moses Cone and running
all around there.
It really is a treat to have that.
And even though it may not be likethe hiking experience, it's still nature.
Yeah, and getting the sun.
It's such an accessible place.
(29:56):
People that may not be super experiencedwith hiking are able to get out in nature,
feel what it's like to like summit upthat mountain and get to the house and stuff.
Like they're ableto have those experiences that even though
like as a rec professional, you might be likeOh, this isn't real rec, but it's like,
think about all the doors that a placelike Moses Cone opens for people.
(30:18):
I think it's suchan awesome resource in Boone.
As Megan shares how she became comfortablein the outdoors,
you may be reminded of who introduced youto a new outdoor activity or experience.
When Megan talks about her time
in Yosemite with her aunt,we can refer back to some research
examining environmental socializationexperiences in the outdoors.
(30:38):
What we know is that experiencesas a child
often shapes our abilityto be comfortable in the outdoors.
We have outdoor experienceswe can kind of think of like a ladder.
You take the first up,the second step, the next step,
and pretty soon you're a conservationistor an outdoor enthusiast.
If you are new to the outdoors,some local options
are to visit Grandfather Mountainwhich has an amazing nature center
(31:02):
where you could also volunteer. Apriland December or what we call dollar days.
Local students, employees or anyone inthe community can go for a reduced price.
These are great spaces to go and learnabout animals and to go hiking on more
developed trailswhere you will see people around
other opportunities in our area,our Moses Cone in the Blue Ridge Parkway,
(31:24):
which is close to campus,we have other small trails around campus
that you can also hike personally, we liketo use the all trail app on our phone.
What's nice about this iseven if you don't have cell service,
it has GPSand can tell you exactly where you are.
On the trail.
Remember, outdoors is a learning process.
You're not going to go on your first trip
(31:45):
or your first hike and have everything goright and say it was perfect.
This is not how it goes.
Mother Nature has her own mind.
The weather can change.
You can get a blister,have an animal encounter.
Things are constantly changing.
Each situation is differentand we all make a lot of mistakes.
But remember, every experienceis an opportunity to learn.
But you need to continue moving forwardand continue braving those challenges.
(32:10):
We want to thankMegan and Joy for sharing these stories.
As we sign off, we want to end witha quote and encourage you to get outdoors.
Remember a journey of a thousand milesbegins with a single step.
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