Hi! I'm Rocket and I successfully thruhiked all 2,198.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 2023. This had been a decadelong dream for me and surpassed all of my expectations!

I'll be posting videos to share what my thruhike experience was like for other aspiring thruhikers or people who are just curious to learn more. I was a first time thruhiker and I had only been on 1 prior solo overnight backpacking trip before I set out on March 5, 2023. I hiked NOBO and summited Katahdin on August 30, 2023, bawling like crazy when I finally touched that sign.

Life has been pretty hectic lately and this was a tough video to put together. This was one of my lowest points on trail. I had never even considered the possibility of getting injured in a way that would end my hike for good.

For anyone who hasn't heard yet, this is the story of how I sprained my ankle on trail.

At the time, I wasn't sure if this injury was going to send me home. I knew in my heart I was meant to finish the trail and that tiny bit of hope propelled me along in the immediate aftermath of my injury. The selfless support of so many generous hikers, trail angels, and my tramily helped me to safely make it to a hospital where I had xrays and a full checkup. The news of a sprain instead of a fracture or break flooded me with relief, but the entire experience was really sobering. I held onto my dream even tighter and tried to be optimistic that my ankle would heal enough for me to finish the trail.

Happy (and safe) Trails,
Rocket!