It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. During that time I have been on many journeys, both internal and external. Some experiences have been filled with joy. Others have been excruciatingly painful. But all have been a blessing in their own way and have brought me to a place I am glad to be in. I have truly gone from Meeting Mary Badass on my CDT hike, to Becoming Mary Badass over these last four years. And now I feel I am finally Living as Mary Badass. (Those, by the way, are the titles of my books.)
I have thought of you, my loyal readers, many times over these past months. The work of posting something polished each day was draining as much as it was rewarding, and as I began a quick slide down into despair after completing the NET (yes I did complete it!) I wondered who I was writing for and if it mattered to anyone. Yet even as I stopped posting, I was writing and always had the intention of returning to you, who have given me the gift of reading what I write. Now I am making that intention a reality.
I can not take the time to write a lot here, now. But I will give you a few tidbits and fill in some gaps as I am able. After the NET I had a really rough winter, dealing with a broken leg, vertigo, some serious medical issues, a tick illness called anaplasmosis, a serious reactivating of my dissociated states and more. But still I took to hiking and last summer I completed three more national scenic trails; the Natchez Trace Trail, the Ice Age Trail and the Potomac Heritage Trail. That leaves me with 4 of the 11 national scenic trails yet to do.
After another winter filled with the turmoil of the prolonged divorce (which I believe is finally over!) I am again in preparation mode. In a few days, (as I write this but not as you read this. There will be a lag of at least a week between writing and posting blogs.) I will drive west and begin the 800 mile Arizona Trail. I hope to finish that in two months, hiking at about 100 miles/week. Then in mid June I will drive to MT to begin the over 1200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail. If all goes as I hope I will return to VT in October with two more of the national scenic trails completed.
I will post blogs as I am able, though I am not going to post on a daily basis. My goal is to be fully present in each moment on the hike. I don’t want the writing and posting to detract from that. I want to fully allow these journeys to work their healing magic. If I find the time and am so moved to post, I will. But I also might post some less polished pieces just to share with you my journey. I will see when I get there.
I will let you know when the first book comes out. The other two are still in the works. In the meantime thanks again for sharing my journeys with me. I think you can unsubscribe if you want to stop getting notices of my posts. Either way, I hope you all are all finding your badass within and living with an increased sense of peace.
The Mary Badass 
Leave a reply to Nancy Phillips Cancel reply