Saint Andrews woman one of few to finish Appalachian Trail hike

Every year, thousands of hikers set out to completethe Appalachian Trail, a total of 3,500 kilometres running through theeastern United States, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

New Brunswick's Christine Taylor was one of the few who completed the entire trail, and she did it in158 days.

"It's the adventure of a lifetime," said Taylor, who set out on the journey last April.

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According to a group that manages the trail, only about one in four hikers makes it all the way through.

Taylor, who lives in Saint Andrews,said a lot of people do the hike because "it's there."

She, however, was inspired during a heartbreaking time of her life by a book calledHiking Through: Finding Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail,by Paul V. Stutzman.

The book helped Taylor as she tried tocome to terms with thedeath of her daughter.

Four years later, she put on her hiking boots.

I just didn'twant it to end.- Christine Taylor, hiker

She started her journey in Springer Mountain and hiked through 14 states all the way up to Mount Katahdin, hitting the highest points in each state.

She spent the first half of her journey clearing her mind.

"I wanted to clean out the attic," said Taylor, who trained for the hike by running alongNew Brunswick trails.

She said Mount Katahdin was the hardest to climb, because it was at the end of her month journey.

The most thrilling climb was Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the highest peak in the northeastern U.S.

"I just set out and did it," she said.

A love for hiking

Taylor grew up hiking along the Bruce Trail in her home province of Ontario. When her kids were young, she took them camping but never combined the two activities together until now.

Some people were supportive of her latest adventure and others less so.

"It's huge, it's like jumping off a cliff," she said. "That's the way it felt last March. It was like, 'OK, I'm going to just go now.'"

Her husband hiked with her for the first five days, carrying some of her gearand helping her get into the swing of things.

After that, she was on her own.

"I remember the first day of saying goodbye to him and he drove away, I was like, 'OK, now I'm on my own," she said. "I was just thrilled, I just bounced down the trail."

Some days were harder than others, with lots of mud and thunderstorms along the way, she said.

"Lots of being wet and being dirty," Taylor said. "If I could be clean everyday, I would just do it everyday."

She befriended several other hikers too.

"It's kind of like a community," she said. "You're all in this together."

The SaintAndrews resident will give a talk Saturdayabout her experience.

"I just didn'twant it to end." she said. "But physically you're ready for the couch."