Jenny Parker- Student Choice I: Guest Speaker

Having a guest speaker come to class whom is hiking through the Appalachian Trail was such an eye opening experience for me. I have a friend who has hiked the Appalachian trail too but sadly I did not get to hear of her experiences. It was neat listening to Faith (her trail name) and talking about how she has become very independent on the trail; she did this for herself so she could grow. When she was talking about how she has lost so much weight on the trail and has eaten nothing but crap made me laugh and smile because I could tell just how happy she was. She said she has not been at her current weight since before her surgery which was pretty outstanding, but I also learned it is not shocking because on the trail one burns thousands of calories in a day. It must be nice to eat pop-tarts and cake but still lose weight! Dr. Redick's stories about the guy who ate smooshed up anything in a bag was too funny. It seems that you meet some interesting characters out on the trail. Another interesting topic that caught my ear was on the trail you do not meet a stranger. She was talking about how if you pass by someone you talk to them and tell each other your trail names and why you're on the trail. She said she has met one of her best friends on the trail; her name is Knee Deep because she fell in mud knee deep. Faith's stories and journeys through the Appalachian trail have sparked my interest in maybe doing the trail one day. Though I don't know about sleeping in a hammock filled with water...