Page 23 - SMH 2017 2nd edition

The first time that I saw Sharon Spezia in person, she
was standing on the Old Sugarlands Trail, about a half
mile from Newfound Gap road. The reigning Queen of
Speed for the 900 Miler Club was there to hand off her
crown to my friend Benny Braden, who would become
King. There was no mandate or protocol that required
her to do this. She WANTED to be here, to be a part of
the celebration and to offer her congratulations. She also
came bearing gifts.

Sharon is a radiant creature in spirit, I fell in love
with her charm in an instant.

Ms. Spezia, until March 18, 2017 was the person
who completed the trails of G.S.M.N.P. in the shortest
time of four months and twelve days. She has completed
seven maps of the park (The expression for doing all of
the parks open trails) and as of this writing, is working
on her eighth. Quite the accomplishments for someone
who prior to 2001 had never really done much hiking.

In that year she found herself in a bit of a void, the
loss of her mother and brother had left a chasm that was
not going to be easily filled. She met Missy Cane, the
former Olympian, who worked for Covenant Health.
Sharon went on a few hikes and found that she enjoyed
all aspects of the sport from planning, feeling a sense of
achievement and communing with nature. Being a
strongly goal oriented person, Sharon began to think
about marking a map, doing all the trails. It gave her a
focus, an outlet and something to invest herself in. She
hikes often with the 'Margaret Hikers', an avid group
that loves spending time on the trail. Sharon finished her
first map, then went on to complete six more, dedicating
one for each of her seven grandchildren.

Sharon invited me to visit her at home this past
spring and as we sat in her garden she shared much with
me. She told me her favorite trail foods: jellybeans and
almonds. I was told about her most unsettling moment
on the trail when she encountered a strange man on
Gregory Ridge Trail who was wearing dress street
shoes, tight pants and a white shirt. I asked her if she
had ever cried on the trail and if so, why. Her reply was
yes, because she broke her ankle on the Lakeshore Trail
and had to walk four and a half miles on it to safety.

To date Sharon's longest single hike has been 25.6
miles, she does generally only day hikes, requiring ex-
tensive and calculated planning to achieve her goals.

Sharon Spezia is a classy, interesting, amazing and
resilient person that I am honored to know. Her future
involves marking more maps, helping others and world
travel.

23 Smoky Mountain Hiker