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!

Appalachian Trail, Days 26-28
Appalachian Trail Mallory Weston Appalachian Trail Mallory Weston

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.

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Appalachian Trail, Days 21-25
Appalachian Trail Mallory Weston Appalachian Trail Mallory Weston

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.

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