So grateful for the experience …
So grateful for the lessons learned …
So grateful for the support …
So grateful for the charities supported …
So grateful for the time …
A year later we don’t forget how important each of you are to us and how your support made a difference! (Forgive the delayed or unsent cards for those addresses we are still finding. Know you are appreciated!). This truly was a community effort and we couldn’t have made it without you!
Congratulations to all of us! Our service efforts raised over $12,000 for six different charities! CARMA, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Soles for Souls, B-Rad, Sonoma Wildlife Rescue, and Appalachian Wildlife Refuge




The girls are all doing great and have for the most part adapted back to the busy hussle and bustle of life so common in our culture andwith kids today. The Sparkle Machine will be competing in a figure skating competition, Horsepower made it to Nationals In Kentucky for Pony Club and will be competing there in July, Wild Jay is focusing on art, and Sister Bunny is focused on her bunny (of course) and time at home. They are all on softball teams starting this month and have their AT trail chants well prepared😉. With all they do, they continue to love evening walks, connecting to nature, working on challenges together, and reliving memories and experiences of the AT (one of our favorite gifts is a photo frame that sits in our living room and rotates through photos of our adventure). Our big project for the year is building bog boards and an AT style lean-to in the backyard.
Many people talk about the struggles of returning after such an adventure and being so connected to the natural world, living so simply, having one common goal each day for the whole family, and being physically and emotionally fit. We had read up on it, I had done it before, we prepared and were excited, but … it still hasn’t been easy. We tend to tell people how hard and intense the whole experience was, which may be the result of suppressing this on the trail during the daily excitement and motivation to reach our goal. We are working our ways back into our communities. Coming back, it is so good and important to be connected to our communities, school, friends, and activities. My reality today of driving 5 hours to and from schools and activities and working 2 jobs to make ends meet and rarely finding time to exercise, get out in nature and or reflect … is the reality of so many moms. It makes me realize even more how important and how fortunate we were to be able to make such an amazing adventure happen. I attribute this to prioritizing, years of planning and following your dreams! May we all have or make the opportunity to go out and make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.
On the trail we checked in at mile markers and month markers with lessons learned. At one point Horsepower said she realized we have all the time we need. At the time I thought it was an ironic statement as we struggled to make the miles, write in our journals and complete the activities we wanted … They now apply to today … Time to re-prioritize and revisit the lessons learned. We learned so much about strength and power when distractions are removed, the unity of family with a common goal, the rewards, challenges and hardships of living life to the fullest and gained unmatched life experiences of an incredible adventure. On the trail life is intentional, simplified, connected and intense.
To answer the questions we hear daily: Will I do it again? … not with the whole family and not for maybe 20 years, but there are many adventures to come … Will there be a book? … We are still working on compiling our journals and photos and still realizing and soaking in the lessons learned. Maybe still to come so we will keep you updated. … What’s next? … I’m working on planning a girls backpacking trip this summer. I will take on Earth Camp and am so excited to run wild with kids in nature.
We celebrated the one year mark of our start up Spring Mountain at Amicalola Falls with journals and photos ready to work into books and quick oats and ramen (which the girls were not excited to see the return of). We will take off for a 4 day backpack trip for spring break in 2 weeks and can’t wait to be on the trail. We wish everyone experiences and adventures in nature and time to follow and awaken your dreams!
The main goals we set out to accomplish were met and surpassed! SERVICE -EDUCATION -EXPERIENCE- A final gratitude to you all. We hope we inspired you and many others to go out and make a difference in your life and others!