Appalachian Trail

My name is Hannah Stewart, I live in Washington Maine. I have lived in Maine for almost all of my life and I am a really big fan! I love it. Maine feels like home. Over the last year and a half my Dad and I have been preparing ourselves for an epic journey. We plan to thru hike the Appalachian trail. So our plans developed and we began to gear up and take practice hikes all around Maine. My dad and I have always had an amazing relationship, or a better word would be friendship. 2012 an invitation to my cousin Amy's wedding at Texas A&M college arrived. So we decided if we were going to go to Texas we would make a trip of it! We took 8 days to make a trip in the Spring of 2013 from, home, to Niagara Falls, to Mammoth Caves National Park Kentucky, to the Ozarks, to the beautiful very "Texas" wedding, to Bourbon street Louisiana, to Tail of the Dragon Tennessee/NC, to the Blue Ridge Parkway to, Washington DC, and finally back home! I can certainly say it was an amazing experience. Following our return home we immediately began planning our next trip. We decided to float the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. A 3 day 2 night canoe trip. We got to visit with some wonderful family while we were there, it really was a great time. From Arkansas we went to our second trip on the Dragons Tail, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. This trip led us on a wild adventure through the smokey mountains while we searched for the elusive skinny dip falls. (The waterfalls were amazing!) After our little excursion we came home and began planning our first foot-bound Odyssey. A very important detail is missing from this story. During our last trip to Arkansas and North Carolina I had been bitten by three tics. 12 Days after I had been bitten I became incredibly ill. I woke up in tears my body was aching. The most realistic way to describe the pain has been as if there were rubber bands tightened around all of my joints. I wasn't able to fill my lungs completely and I had a very high fever. Obviously we were worried and so my mom and I contacted the doctor.. Shortly after this "episode" I was informed I had Lyme disease. This put my everything on the back burner while my health became priority. Aggressive antibiotics were promptly rejected by my body and created a difficult situation to contend with when trying to train and prepare to thru hike. So people might ask why would I compromise my health to continue on with the hike? Just because I want to? Well, I have been working on graduating high school at home through Keystone National High School. Once I receive my high school diploma I will begin working towards becoming a midwife. I have short term goals, and I have long term goals. My short term? Graduate high school, buy socks for hiking, go to bed early, drink more water.. Then I have my long terms, become a midwife, build a homestead, hike the AT, conquer Lyme disease, become more aware, live more fluidly. Well I believe that becoming a midwife requires me to take the time Ill be hiking the AT to reflect upon myself, get my priorities straight, allow myself time to get grounded before beginning such a incredible feat. I do wish to help everyone around me someway but spreading joy and happiness is not easy when you have your own vices to contend with. So step one is to create peace inside of me. And I believe I can do that hiking the Appalachian trail. I also have learned from getting sick with Lyme is that is sucks to have the things you love taken away from you and it sucks to feel alone when your sick. I want to show people who are sick and feel alone and thwarted that they arn't alone and just because you don't look sick doesn't mean your sickness is shrugged off. Or that just because you feel tired today you cant do what you want tomorrow. Living with Lyme is hard and I know that now. That is why I'm giving a minimum 30% of what  I make to Lyme research and treatment and 10% to education for other aspiring midwifes. After I reach my goal of 33,000 I will be giving 70% of my donations raised to research and treatment of Lymes and a 10% will continue funding other aspiring midwifes.