Mallory Weston 6/13/25 Mallory Weston 6/13/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 26-28

I’ve been falling so behind on my blogging, so I’m going to try a 3 day format! Plus I’ve been writing more than I expected, so maybe this will make things more manageable. I wrapped up my time at Uncle Johnny’s, probably my favorite hostel stop along the way so far, and departed Erwin. The vibe at Uncle Johnny’s was great, but I think trail friends that I reconnected with and the new crowd of people that I met were really the defining factors of my time in town. From here on out, I’ve been camping with a really wonderful semi-consistent group of people.

Mallory Weston 6/9/25 Mallory Weston 6/9/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 21-25

The trademark AT weather created a week of highs and lows: a sleepless night in the torrential rain followed by dreamless sleep in the shelter and another night of pleasant camping. There was also so much wonderful and unexpected trail magic. Big Bald was the hiking highlight of the week, but there was also a fun scrambly ridge line that I tackled in the fog.

Mallory Weston 6/4/25 Mallory Weston 6/4/25

Appalachian Trail, Damascus Trail Center

Just a quick break in the blogging to announce an upcoming event. I’ll be passing through the trail town of Damascus, VA this week, and the Damascus Trail Center will be hosting an info session where I’ll talk more about my residency and my hike so far. Please join us if you’re in the area!

Mallory Weston 6/1/25 Mallory Weston 6/1/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 16-20

There is little fanfare when crossing over into Tennessee, mainly because for the next 200 odd miles, I’ll be hugging the state line, criss crossing back and forth between them both. This week, I visited Gatlinburg and Hot Springs, two places with opposite vibes. I surpassed 200 miles on the AT. I continued my quest to karaoke blaze. Plus, I connected with some new cool people.

Mallory Weston 5/26/25 Mallory Weston 5/26/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 11-15

After the last few days of terrible weather, things cleared up a bit and it was a much more pleasant camping experience. I set foot in Smokey Mountain National Park for the first time, I hiked my first 20+ mile days, and I slept in an AT shelter for the first time (rather than camping nearby)! I also saw my first bear of the trail and had some other wildlife encounters. Things are starting to feel routine out here as I pass the 2-week milestone since I started the AT.

Mallory Weston 5/19/25 Mallory Weston 5/19/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 6-10

This week, I reached a few of my first AT trail milestones: I passed my first state line from Georgia to North Carolina, I finished 1 full week on trail, and I passed the 100 mile mark (both on the AT and in total miles hiked). It started with some truly foul weather that drifted north after a few days and left some of the nicest days since I started at Amicalola. Using the bad weather as an excuse, I’ve been feeling guilty about spending so many nights in hostels. But I guess I’m still easing into things, and I’m planning to work my way up to spending more nights on trail.

Mallory Weston 5/13/25 Mallory Weston 5/13/25

Appalachian Trail, Days 1-5

I made it through the first few days! Now I’m holed up in a hostel outside Hiawassee, GA trying to decide what to do about the heavy rain and thunderstorms forecasted for the next few days.

Day 1: We woke up in our Sandy Springs hotel and spent the morning repacking and organizing our groceries from last night. At 9:30, the shuttle driver arrived to take us up to Amicalola Falls. I decided to do the approach trail, because what do an extra 9 miles mean in comparison to the rest of a thru-hike? We only spent a minutes at the visitor center and then headed outside to take some pictures beside the stone arch. With little fanfare on a beautiful sunny day, I started hiking the Appalachian Trail at 11:15 am on May 6, 2025. It’s true what they say about the Amicalola steps, they’re a rude awakening with a full pack. But after that, we transitioned onto regular trail for the ascent up Springer Mountain. We got to the official terminus in the mid afternoon and spent a few minutes taking pictures and signing the logbook.

Mallory Weston 5/6/25 Mallory Weston 5/6/25

Appalachian Trail, 1 Day Out

Oh my goodness, to be one day out is truly surreal. I spent most of my last morning in Philadelphia running around like crazy, going to the studios, cleaning, packing, etc. I was going right until we called the car. But I feel confident that I have everything I need, maybe more than I need. But around 1:15 Alex and I arrived at the airport. That giddiness of heading out of town for a prolonged period of time.

Mallory Weston 4/30/25 Mallory Weston 4/30/25

Appalachian Trail, 1 Week Out

My AT thru-hike as the inaugural Appalachian Trail Conservancy Artist-In-Residence starts in approximately one week. Almost a year after I planted the seed for this wild idea, somehow, things came together to make it a reality. It feels like it took so long for all the details to be finalized with work, and to finally have a concept of my timeline. I only got word that my sabbatical was approved in mid-March. But luckily, this is the best-case scenario and will allow me to hike at a comfortable pace and not have to rush back to Philadelphia in time for the start of the semester. So I’m feeling very fortunate.

In early May 2025, I set out on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s first artist-in-residence. I’m blogging periodically about my progress, so stay tuned for future updates. Thanks for following along!

Mallory Weston