Page 28 - SMH 2017 2nd edition

by Jessica Grooms

I am a quitter.

All my life, if something became hard, frustrating, or tedious, I bailed. It was easier to quit,
then it was to struggle through to the end. “I can’t” was my mantra, and I shouted it
loud and often.

In January of 2016, I saw the Challenge issued by Superintendent Cash about hiking 100
miles by the end of the year to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the National Park
Service. Here was another project for me to embark on, and probably bail out the first
time I gasped for oxygen climbing a steep incline.

When I told my family and friends I was going to do it, I don’t think anyone fully believed I was serious. They had
seen me begin things a thousand times, only to stop when it got difficult. This time, though was different. I was tired
of being a quitter.

I sat down and made a list of eleven things I wanted to accomplish in the Great Smoky Mountains during 2016. I
was starting in February, so that gave me time to complete one item each month. A few of the goals I set were to
hike 100 miles, hike all five trails to Mt. LeConte, hike solo, and of course, hike with the Mountain Jedi himself,
Mike Maples.

On February 20 2016, I stepped foot on the Chimney Tops Trail. It was rough, I was convinced I was going to die,
th,
but, I did it. The thrill I got marking off my first four miles was absolutely intoxicating. Instantly I began planning my
next hike. I was hooked.

I became so obsessed in fact, that no longer was I just looking at hiking once a month, now I was going every week-
end. On May 14 , I completed my first 100 miles, and on October 2 , I completed the final task of my goal list by
nd
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hiking my final trail up to Mt. LeConte, and having close to 400 miles hiked for the year.
The journey has not always been easy. Sometimes I don’t want to get up at 4:00 a.m. on
a Saturday to go hiking. The miles get long, and I have had to overcome a pretty serious
injury. But I keep moving. Once my feet hit the trail, I feel fully alive. No longer am I
grumbling. There is just something about these Smoky Mountains that makes you want
to drink up every inch of them.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You must do the thing you
think you cannot do.” A year ago, I just wanted to show I
could complete something I started. I ended up falling in
love with these mountains and the people I met along the
way. I know now, NOTHING is impossible. Now I have
new goals, with my biggest one being completing my Map
and becoming a 900 miler by October 2018. No longer can
anyone call me a quitter.

I am doing the thing.

28 Smoky Mountain Hiker