Once March rolls around when everybody's starting the trail again each year you're going to feel that longing for the trail every year until the rest of your life.

You have this experience that you know about,

and it's just something you'll never forget.

And it's not, obviously it's not real life.

And so you can't live it forever. For most people you know it's this

thing in your mind that you're always kind of like thinking about and it's weird.

I feel like my life is so weird now.

I'm Gail Storob and you're listening to She Explorers.

I've been quietly collecting interviews for an episode about what life is like after a big through hike.

I have a fascination with through hiking, especially the long famous ones like the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. As an

outsider it's pretty compelling stuff. What type of person chooses to spend four to

five months of their lives walking the height of of

the person chooses to spend four to five months of their lives walking the height of the country?

Are they putting everything on hold,

their career, family, personal life, or are they finally doing what feels right?

I've read several memoirs on Through Hiking, including Girl in the Woods by Aspen Mattis,

and Through Hiking will break your heart by

carrot quen. They're compelling personal reads about what happens on the trail.

But what happens after? How do you feel after you've given everything

you have physically and mentally towards the singular experience of a trail.

After interviewing three women, including the aforementioned carrot quen,

I realized I couldn't just make one episode.

...