
Then, in my early forties, things changed. It wasn’t a smooth, easy change. It was horribly painful and confusing. There were multiple major life changes that happened all fairly quickly and put me into a tailspin. My mother-in-law passed away and we moved back home to Ohio. I moved back to our small hometown while my husband lived and was stationed a few hours away, and along with that came a deployment. My oldest son left home to get married and join the Air Force. My middle son left home to join the Air Force. My youngest son came to those teen years where he was very independent and didn’t need me for much more than to be a cheering face at his soccer games.

Amy Austin
2019 AT Thru-hiker