WILLIAMSBURG — Elizabeth Woodward recently kicked off a 2,198.4-mile journey along the Appalachian Trail, a dream she’s had since she was a child.
“I recently retired from my corporate job, my children are educated and employed. I’m in between that beautiful time when I’m done raising my own children, and my in-laws and my dad are both healthy and don’t need my help,” Woodward said.
“I’m at this crazy point of my life where I’ve sort of done all of the things I was supposed to do, and the next round of things that generally happen in life aren’t upon me yet. I thought, ‘you know what? There is never going to be a better time than now,'” Woodward added.
Woodward’s efforts are not just a childhood dream, however, she’s also raising funds for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as the group celebrates its 100th anniversary.
“I’ve always had this thing with anniversaries. I graduated from William & Mary on its 300th anniversary, my husband and I just celebrated our 30th anniversary, and it’s the 100th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which is incredible. Honoring the trail this year in its anniversary year just seemed really cool to me,” Woodward explained.
Woodward has been preparing physically for the hike for over a year.
“There are many many facets to getting ready for this. First, of course, is getting your body ready. There are people that go out without really having done any hiking and are not in great physical condition. Depending on how you want your experience to be, you can either do a lot of physical prep or a little physical preparation. I was sort of above the middle. I’m not a multi-day marathon trail runner type, but I’m also not a couch potato,” Woodward said.
However, she also noted that much of her preparations were focused on what she was leaving behind.
“You just don’t leave your life without preparing for the things that have to still happen. I’m so incredibly blessed in that way. My husband has been incredibly supportive, and right now, he’s doing all the things that I normally do at home. He’s handling all the household things, he still works full time, we run a couple of small businesses together, and all the family things, he’s on top of all of it,” Woodward said.
After kicking off her trek in April in Virginia, Woodward has been hitting the trail almost every day.
“The way I’m doing my path, I started north of Damascus, I will hike to Maine, and drive from Maine to Georgia and then hike my way home. I wanted to start and end my journey in my home state of Virginia,” Woodward said.
Along the way, she’s creating blog posts and social media updates for her followers on The Trek website.
Woodward spoke to WYDaily from the trail as she entered Maryland and said, “so far, so good.”
“Every day that I’m on the trail, I’m happy. The conditions for me have been fantastic. I’ve had great weather. When it has rained, it’s mostly been at night. Mentally, I’m doing great. I haven’t had a single moment over the last month where I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’ I wanted to get away from the noise of the world for a little while, and I am just completely at peace all day, every day,” Woodward said.
While she’s hiking by herself on the trail, Woodward is experiencing days off the trail with her father, Ronald Beehler, who is trailing her location in a camper.
“This is the most time I have ever spent with my father. We had an extremely traditional household where he worked super long hours and he was very dedicated to his career and my mom ran the house. We weren’t the kind of family that took vacations,” Woodward said.
“Up until recently, I never spent a ton of vacation time with my dad. The fact that he is prepared to do this, he’s still incredibly mentally fit, he’s mobile, he’s very savvy with technology, he’s available, he’s willing to do it,” Woodward continued. “He turns 80 this year, and to have him still so engaged, both mentally and physically, it’s a beautiful and special thing. You never know how long you will have your parents around, and to have him with me on what for me is the trip of a lifetime is phenomenal.”
If all goes to plan, Woodward will complete her trek in late September.
Donations towards Woodward’s efforts are still being accepted and she hopes to raise $25,000 for the conservancy. To donate or to learn more about her journey, visit her page here.