Finding Peace on Nature's Path

The Cherokee called the Smoky Mountains “Shaconage” (shah-con-ah-jey) which means “land of the blue smoke.” Anyone who lives or has traveled through these mountains is familiar with the enchanting mist that hovers around the peaks. Although these ancient hills have witnessed much strife, they will forever be a place of peace and respite for those who traverse their paths.

Hiking has always been a necessity for mountain inhabitants. Navigating trails was essential to finding food, shelter, and safety. Eventually, hiking became a recreational activity. From the heightened interest evolved groups who enjoyed hiking together.

There are thousands of hiking groups around the country, and according to Zippia, women make up 28.9 percent of hikers. Across the Smoky Mountain region, women are hiking hundreds of miles, either on solo adventures or group excursions. Through the woods, they’re finding joy and respite among nature’s bounty and one another.

A Silver Lining of the Pandemic

Jessi Stone is from Northeast Georgia and has lived in Waynesville, North Carolina, since 2013, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that she says she fully realized the healing power of nature. In 2019, a friend of Jessi’s began hiking with her boyfriend but soon realized his skill and pace was much different than her own. She reached out to Jessi and suggested they begin hiking together.

“We started small and went slow. We simply wanted to be out in nature,” Stone said. “We didn’t put any pressure on ourselves. I quickly recognized how good the hikes were for my mental health. Just being outside cleared my head and brought about a sense of peace.”

It started out with just the two of them. One by one, they invited other friends to hike or friends saw their photos on social media and asked if they could partake. With there being no pressure to go fast or tackle strenuous trails, hikers of all skill levels felt comfortable and safe to join the group.

In early 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Jessi and her tribe began hiking every weekend. They created a group on Facebook where they crowdsourced trail ideas, times, and places to meet. Jessi says the goal was always to enjoy themselves, catch up on their lives, and be patient with hikers who were slower than others. One group member playfully bought T-shirts adorned with sloths and the saying, “We’ll get there when we get there.” These shirts were the inspiration for the group name: Sloth Sisters Hiking Group.

“I don’t miss the pandemic, but I miss the time it allowed for us to hike,” Stone said. “Now we’re all back to our busy lives and weekend plans, making it almost impossible for all of us to get together and hike.”

Once she began hiking, Stone said she couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to get started. Many Smokies residents have this same epiphany. It’s the old adage—we take for granted what’s in our own backyard.

The Sloth Sisters Hiking Group went on numerous hikes during 2020 all across Western North Carolina. They packed picnics and took their time, enjoying the scenery and the company of one another. Some of their hikes included as many as 10 women. They especially enjoyed hikes that offered a reward, such as a waterfall or stunning view at the top. There were sometimes tears and fatigue, she said, but there was also bonding and personal revelations.

The group even hiked to Max Patch with their yoga mats. Stone, who is a certified yoga instructor, led the group in a session. Another time, on her birthday in August, they hiked to Midnight Hole and cooled off in a refreshing swimming hole.

“We’ve made a lot of memories while hiking these mountains,” Stone said. “It’s more fun with a group. I enjoy solo hikes as well, but group hikes are so great and they feel safer.”

A number of studies support the impact hiking had on Jessi and her hiking mates. A 2015 study at Stanford University found that people who walked in a natural setting for 90 minutes were less likely to dwell on negative thoughts about themselves. Additionally, the American Hiking Society says the body produces adrenaline to cope with danger, real or perceived. If the adrenaline isn’t released, it accumulates and can cause muscle tension and anxiety. Hiking is an accessible means of release.

Stone recalls a few summer mornings when she didn’t feel like getting out of bed to hit the trails, but the accountability of knowing the other girls expected her gave her momentum.

“Some mornings it was hard to get up and get going, but I’ve never regretted going on a hike. For me, hiking calms my anxiety. It gives me fresh air and open space to feel my emotions. It’s a type of meditation, especially when I’m experiencing hard feelings. Or, if I’m feeling down on myself, nothing makes me feel better than accomplishing a hike,” she said.

Embracing the Joy of Nature

Kathy Odvody’s earliest hiking memories are from family camping vacations to Cape Cod. The outdoor adventures continued as she and her husband raised their own kids in Nebraska. In 2001, they moved to Western North Carolina, where Odvody got involved with a local hiking club called Haywood Hikers. She hasn’t stopped hiking since.

“Hiking every Saturday year-round with the Haywood Hikers provided opportunities to meet people who also love the outdoors,” she said.

During one hike, Odvody met another female hiker who shared an interest in hiking the Appalachian Trail. Soon thereafter, the two of them began hiking sections of the AT. Other women joined them, and throughout the 16 years, 17 different women have joined her.

She met additional female hiking buddies through family and friends, online forums and blogs, and during hikes when staying in shelters. After finishing the AT one year apart, Odvody and another woman began backpacking the Mountains to Sea trail in North Carolina. Lately, Odvody has been organizing and leading female backpacking trips through a former Haywood County non-profit, Outdoor Mission Community, now Environmental Action Community.

“Nearly all of my long-distance hiking and backpacking experiences have been with women,” Odvody said. “It’s a wonderfully different dynamic to navigate and cooperate with nature and another kindred soul.”

Odvody says she loves being in the woods. The minute she gets on trail she lets go of obligations and to-do lists. She embraces the joy of nature. “Sights and sounds fill me up,” she said. “Simple things, like the texture and form of a rock or stump, the sound of a nearly fallen tree rubbing against another, how creek water bubbles over a rock.”

Like Jessi, Kathy sought solace in the woods during the pandemic. When COVID made the world feel uncertain, Odvody found peace in the assuredness of nature.

“I find hiking to be calming, simple and predictable, even though nature is also complex and unpredictable,” she said. “Wildflowers appear in the same creekside as the year before and the year before that, like old friends welcoming me. A simple dirt path cushions my feet and beckons me deeper, literally and figuratively.”

When asked about her favorite trails, Odvody couldn’t pick one or two. She said she loves all trails. She’s experienced with the AT but also enjoys the Mountains to Sea trail and the many trails within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pisgah Forest, and the Nantahala forest.

“One of the lovely surprises that happened to me one year when I was hiking the Appalachian Trail was running across beautifully scrolled haiku in the shelter notebooks,” Odvody said. “I finally caught up and discovered an older man was writing them. That inspired me ever since to write haiku, too, and I have had great fun toying with words in awe of the wilderness as it’s reflected in my emotions.”