Meredith Kurtz
Favorite Beverage: Ice Water
Sunrise or Sunset: Sunrise
Non-Outdoor Hobby: Cooking
Favorite Trail Snack: Pocket Pizza
Favorite Season: Fall
Thru-Hikes: AT, CDT, & Colorado Trail
Post Trip Meal: A Big, Fat Burrito Smothered in Queso with a Modelo
Guilty Pleasure: Laugh Track Comedies
Book Recommendation: Into the Wild
Three Words to Describe You: Passionate, Curious, & Goofy
“My dad is obsessed with skiing. It's in our family. He had me on skis at eighteen months old. I remember specifically, they were little Mickey Mouse skis. I had these tiny, little red boots. Looking back I’m like, ‘Where did you even find those? Who made those?’ I think it was just always a very positive and exciting experience in my childhood.”
“I really got into the outdoors in college. On the weekends I’d go into the Blue Ridge Mountains which was like forty-five minutes away. That's where I finally found out that I liked hiking and it wasn’t just a stressful thing. I went backpacking for the first time in the Shenandoah’s and was like, ‘Sold.’ You know? It just kinda spiraled from there. That’s where I found the AT, it runs through the Shenendoah’s. I was like, ‘Wow, that seems like a cool thing. I want to do it one day.’ And then, as soon as I graduated college, I hiked the AT. I guess that’s where I found out that nature was so important to me and my lifestyle.
I don’t even remember what sparked it or why. There were these pretty rock outcropping photos I’d seen, and I was like, ‘Ooh, that looks fun.’ Me and my friend went on one hike to that spot and I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually really fun,’ I had a really hard time convincing people to go on the weekends with me, after nights of drinking and partying. I would just go by myself, every Sunday morning. It was the perfect thing to recharge me for the week and just kinda set the stage for the day and finishing up my homework.”
“When I started the AT, I was so nervous. And, I didn’t even know what I was nervous about. Right? Because it’s just so unknown. I think the thing that got me through was just being, ‘Ok, finish today. Just hike today.’ And then, if you just keep saying that every day, eventually you're there five months later. I was just so nervous to be alone because I didn’t know when I’d meet people or how that works. I would stop at every water source because I was like, ‘What if there’s not a water source?’ My first day took so long, I remember that. I only did ten miles and I was like, ‘Ok, I’m good.’ I got to the first shelter. I set up my tent, ate a stick of cheese, and passed the fuck out. Didn’t do anything else. And, I needed it. It was great. I didn’t talk to anyone. Eventually, somehow the nerves just turn into routine and then you don’t even notice.”
“AlI I wanted to do was be a ski bum liftie for a season after I finished the AT. That’s what I did. I moved out to Colorado and was only going to do it for one winter. I’m still here doing it because it’s pretty addicting and I think this sounds a little cliche but it’s this passion that never seems to burn out for me. It’s still exciting and fun and I might as well just keep chasing it until it burns out.
I think it started as something that I did for fun, but it kinda fueled me. I was using that as my coping mechanism to deal with the stresses of school and it was my time to decompress and be away from it all. Then I was like, ‘Why couldn't I just make that my life? Why does that have to be on the backburner and something I have to do in a few hours a day? I could just do this all the time.’”
“I’m always looking for that bigger line and steeper thing or the thing to jump off of. But, in a more general concept, I feel I’m more into ‘How can I challenge myself more? How can I scare myself a little bit?’ In Colorado, you are able to ski all these lines and you just stare at them all day. So I have this ginormous list of things that don’t even necessarily have names, that I’ve named myself. Eventually, I’ll get this done. It becomes a waiting game. I finally just did Terminal Cancer in Nevada and that was on my list for seven years. It’s just timing and like, ‘When can I fit it in?’ and ‘When are the conditions right?’ That’s been something that’s been hard for me, the patience behind trying to tag these lines. Because you want them immediately and you want them all the time. But, it’s a waiting game.”
“I feel like it brings you back to the roots of who we are as people. You’re kinda just out there alone and surviving. Right? Versus living, which is pretty unique in this day and age. Not everyone gets to experience what that feels like. I think it can be very humbling, which is important. You’re not in charge of your life at that point. Mother nature is and the elements are. You just have to be more in tune with your surroundings. I think we lose that in our day-to-day life a little bit, with all the noise and stimulus. That’s why I go there. It’s very quieting. Right? It kinda suppresses those inner monologues that never stop when I’m in society that are like, ‘I need to be doing this or this and these are my responsibilities.’ When I’m out there, it’s just me and the elements and listening to the wind and watching the snowfall. It’s calming in that sense.”
“The Continental Divide Trail was a burly one. It was four months and it’s some rugged terrain and I was alone. Not just alone, but really, really alone. I’m really proud of myself for that one because I was pretty miserable. That was in my transitional period in my mind where I was like ‘Why do I keep doing shit alone? It’s not as fun.’ But, I was doing it so I was like, ’Well, I gotta finish.’ I just realized that now I prioritize doing things and sharing experiences more with people, but in my younger days I was very just gung-ho about proving myself and my independence, that I could do all these things. But, now I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I know I can do them.’ I’d rather have more fun while doing them.”
“I spend a lot of time alone. Let’s just put that out there. I’m alone a lot. So maybe I’m sacrificing meaningful time with others because I’m so focused on accomplishing goals that I’ve set for myself.
It’s the moments where I find complete peace in being alone that keep me out there. If I did a big adventure and I’m set up in a beautiful camp spot and I’m watching the sunset and I’m just like, ‘Yeah, this is why I do it.’ Twenty minutes later I’m like, ‘Oh, crap. I’m super alone and it’s dark out now.’ But, that sunset time feels like it’s enough to carry me through until the next sunset. It just seems like those little moments of pure bliss are enough. So you just keep wanting that and you just keep doing it over and over again. You seek that feeling over and over again.”
“With backpacking, I find inner strength. You know? I’ve put up with some shit. Right? Been through some stuff. It allows me to take that and bring it into my day-to-day stresses and I’m like, ‘Ok, I can handle this, because I’ve handled that.’ It also acts as my coping mechanism. When I’m at work getting screamed at by a customer for no reason, I kinda just zone off and I think about that day I skied fat pow and I’m like, ‘It’s all worth it. I’m doing this for a reason.’ I think it gets me through the day-to-day monotony because it’s something to look forward to.”
