My name is Tracy and I am an avid long distance thru hiker. In 2014, I embarked on my first thru hike along the Appalachian Trail and fell in love with camping, hiking, and the mountains. I am known as Sass on the trail. I was “slow and steady” at the start of my thru hike and now Sass stands for “slow and steady sometimes.” In 2015, I completed a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and followed up by thru hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 2016. These endeavors earned me the Triple Crown of thru hiking. I have learned so many skills and experienced so much beauty and generosity in those three years. I am not stopping there and plan to hike many more miles along long distance trails in the upcoming years. In 2017, I will be thru hiking the Arizona Trail, exploring the beauty of Utah’s National Parks, and then thru hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail. Happy Trails!

Written in 2016 before the CDT

I have spent about 11 months of my life living out of a backpack on two of the country’s long trails the past two years. This year I will be attempting to earn my triple crown by completing the Continental Divide Trail. I will be turning 30 in June and couldn’t be happier with my current lifestyle. I want to live a full life of exploring, not settling for less than I deserve, and giving back. Thru hiking has proved to me that the world is still a beautiful place full of mostly loving, generous, and honest people. I used to be scared to take risks and would over think every situation always taking the safe route. Now I live for the unknown. I love waking up each morning on trail and passing through new places. I find it so freeing to have everything you need for months on end inside of a backpack! I live for the sunrises and sunsets. All I want is to be happy and I am!

Written in 2015 before the PCT

I like going on long walks in the woods for months on end. I found true happiness on my solo Appalachian Trail thru hike in 2014. It only took a few weeks for me to realize my love of the backpacking lifestyle and now I’m hooked. I am a simple 28 year old single woman exploring this beautiful country on foot. I strive with a pack on my back and a destination thousands of miles away. I found my inner athlete again and conquered so many fears and obstacles in 5 ½ months. I came home a better person more aware of life and my place in this world. This year I will embark on a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

They call me SAS on the trail. I was given my trail name in Georgia by a kind older gentleman that kicked my butt going up the Georgia Mountains. I told him I just wanted to go “slow and steady” all the way to Maine. He called me SAS and it stuck. By mid-Virginia, I was no longer slow and often not too steady on my feet. I had fun playing around with the acronym – sitting and snacking, sassy and smiling, sipping and swimming, snoring and sleeping… but SAS seems to fit me. I always have a smile on my face because there is nothing better than being alive and in nature. I have also been told that at times I can be a bit sassy. You decide.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction through the Arts. I miss teaching, but I look forward to sharing my adventures with my students in the future. I am fortunate to have made smart financial choices in my teen years and early twenties allowing myself to work through college and not have student loans. I worked three jobs for a time after undergrad saving all my money since I have never been a spender. I landed my dream job as a 5th grade teacher and earned my masters. Budget cuts and heartbreak followed making me question the education field. I found myself secure enough to take some time away from a career. I wanted more out of my life than just to work to retire. I want to see the world now because life can be too short. If you live a simple life, you need little to survive.

My long term dreams include living off the grid on my own homestead, growing all my own food, rescuing animals, adopting children, and smiling every day. Also, I hope to thru hike the CDT, NCT, LT, IAT, and many others I do not know about at this moment. Most of all I want to be happy and for now you can find me smiling on a trail!

 About me from 2014- pre AT Thru Hike
My name is Tracy and I am seeking adventure by foot. I always imagined that at 27 years old I would be locked into my dream job, own a home, be married, have children on the way, and be teaching students until retirement. Sure I would like those things someday, but my need to explore and travel wins over. As I explain my trip to others, the most common statement is to “do it now while you are young” or “I wish I had traveled before I started a career or family.” I am doing this hike for me and hope it leads to more wonderful places.

I have had an obsession with thru hiking the Appalachian Trail for the past two years. It all started when I was flipping through channels and saw the National Geographic special on the AT. Through endless research, I realized how amazing it would be to spend six months in the mountains traversing fourteen different states.

Luckily, I have wonderful family and friends who support my dreams and will give me the encouragement on tough days to keep putting one foot in front of another to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.