In a Nutshell
My name is Lynne Wummel, I also go by my trail name “Lioness”. Although, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve gone by that name daily. I’ve been deeply interwoven within the “real world” as of the last 6 years, since my 2017 thru-hike of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail. It is a busy world out here. In that time I’ve also biked across the U.S.A, learned Spanish (a continual process), done a variety of work in the outdoor industry, broken a few bones, lived in Spain, Colorado, Utah, Michigan. I’ve earned a Bachelors in Social Work and Spanish (fire up chips!), and lived out of and in my car(s). I prefer to live and travel lightly and spend time either rock climbing, hiking, rafting, kayaking, skiing, slacklining/highlining, canyoneering, biking, writing, laughing, eating chocolate, holding a warm cup of liquid in my hand, laying in the sun….. you get the idea. I am a big fan of the growth zone and the flow state and I love doing things that allow me to interact with both of those.
About Trekking Home
This blog exists as a way for me to articulate thoughts, experiences, and reflections from travels and life in a coherent format. As my means of open and authentic communication with the world. To share tips and inspiration for thru-hiking, long-distance biking, living out of a vehicle, etc. I am choosing to write about these things because my first thru-hike changed my life. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of the world, to the natural rhythms of life, and what the human mind and body are capable of doing when one believes in it. There are obstacles, there are challenges, and there are difficulties, but ultimately I hope to inspire the belief that one can still do whatever they set their mind to and live their lives honoring their true self.
Trekking Home is the idea that we are all on this long, beautiful journey. We aren’t exactly sure where we are headed but there is this nagging feeling in the back of our heads that we are already there. No matter what form the journey takes, it’s not about where we are going, or what is to be accomplished. It’s about recognizing the inherent beauty in every passing moment, knowing that we are exactly where we need to be along our path, that everything is already perfect, and that we are already home.
About Me: An Elaboration on the Nutshell
Hello again! I appreciate you making it this far into the inquiry of who the heck am I, read on for a bit more information…..
When I was in high school I stumbled upon the idea of this trail, The A-pa-la-chin Trail, and the crazy concept of hiking the whole damn thing. The rest is history. I became obsessed with the idea of hiking the trail and making it feasible to do so. I had never spent a night in the woods away from cars, let alone gone backpacking. I didn’t even own a backpack. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It all seemed so new, so shiny. It was a concept completely out of my norm, my way of existing and seeing the world. I think that’s partly what drew me to the idea so strongly. It seemed impossible, yet here was another internet blogger writing about how she had also never hiked before, then hiked the AT, and she did it by herself. Golly, if she can do it, I thought, then so can I (and so can you by that logic). So when I was 18 I took a gap year before going to University and I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.
Then it was over, for 5 months I had white blazes telling me where to go, now I only had introductory college classes telling me I could go any direction I pleased. The transition back into the world was difficult and I don’t think I made it back to Michigan before my scheming to chase that lifestyle kicked into high gear. I was committed to college for a bit, so that meant no 5 months sabbaticals to hike in the woods, that would have to wait until post graduation. A friend on the AT had biked across America so that seed had already been planted in my mind. The growing discontent at being back in civilization, where everyone seemed to be on a whole different parallel than I, slowly watered that seed day by day. Soon into my freshmen year of college, I committed to the bike trip and the following summer, my new friends Jenny and John and I headed down to Yorktown, Virginia, where we would begin our bike trip to Astoria, Oregon, following the Trans-American Trail.
With the bike trip and another summer behind me, I still felt lost and directionless. Nothing still made sense the way it did on the trail and I did not know what I wanted to pursue in terms of career or education (other than Spanish). I eventually found my way into the Social Work degree program and things started to clear up and make a bit more sense. The following summer I stayed a bit more local and worked for a change. I worked at a summer camp called camp Miniwanca on the west side of the state, right on lake Michigan. I was a guide for their Voyageur program, a then 3-week sea kayaking trip on the Georgian Bay of Canada. Not a bad way to spend the summer.
I went into my third year of university in a planning frenzy. It was finally the long-awaited year of doing my study abroad. I had been studying Spanish for the last couple of years and was about to take my language to the next step. I decided to go to Spain for a couple of reasons, the obvious; was to work on my Spanish but to also do some traveling around Europe and walk the Camino de Santiago once my classes were complete. I was in Pamplona, Spain, in the northeast (where they do the running with the bulls in July) from January until the end of March before I had to leave the country due to COVID. My Spanish improved drastically but I did not have the opportunity to complete my other desires.
So I came home to the USA, bummed beyond imagination, unsure of what my spring and summer would now look like. Like much of the world, the rug was ripped out from beneath and I was left without a clue. They say when one door closes, another one opens, I didn’t think that still applied during the pandemic. I had a friend who was set to raft guide in Colorado, and I guess COVID doesn’t shut down the rivers. The company was still planning on operating and the training class had a few spots left. I called the manager and within a few minutes, I secured my spot for the summer. I drove out to the Vail region in May and lived out of my Buick LeSabre for the summer as I learned how to navigate white water and guide people down the river.
The final year of university rolls around. I broke my ankle in February and learned a little bit about patience and slowing down. In the summer it was the time to do my internship, the last thing I would need to do before officially graduating. I worked with St. Vincent Catholic Charities Refugee Services in Lansing, Michigan while taking some online classes to wrap things up. I learned more about social work in those 3 months than in my entire time at CMU.
I applied and accepted a job working for a wilderness adventure therapy company out in Utah and moved out there in September. I lived in my town and country mini-van when I wasn’t out sleeping beneath the stars in the desert. Now, remember when I mentioned that future thru-hikes would have to wait until post-graduation? Well, here we are. The idea of thru-hiking had always been on my mind, returning to that freedom and that lifestyle. The next step for me would be the Pacific Crest Trail, and since I had to do my internship over the summer, it would have to wait another year. I planned to do wilderness therapy until march, then make my way back to Michigan to visit family, then fly out to San Diego to begin walking toward Canada.
The rug got ripped out from underneath once more as a pit stop to snowmobile in Colorado turned into a broken tibia plateau (top part of leg where it meets knee), a broken skull, a broken wrist and one hell of a story. So now I am in the process of healing from that and re-strengthening my leg so that some day I may return to walking and biking thousands of miles! If you want to be notified every time I post new content (1-2x a month) please scroll down and click subscribe. Make sure you check out the support page if you are interested in other ways you might be able to help out 🙂
Recap plus random facts
- I like to juggle
- Love all things outdoors
- The road is long
- I am an ameateaur cobbler
- Less is more
- A life dream of mine is to make my own maple syrup and ride my bike from Alaska to Argentina (not necessarily at the same time but maybe)
- I speak Spanish, studied in college, spent some time in Spain, need to continue to practice and increase fluency
- Big chocolate aficionado
- I have broken my right collar-bone, my left ankle, my left wrist, my left Tibia Plateau (leg/knee), and a part of my skull by my left eye. Hoping to end that list there! (*knocks on wood*)
- I’ve had heart surgery, skull surgery, leg surgery and ear surgery oh and wisdom teeth, can’t forget those