Shilletha Curtis - Trail name “Dragonsky” is 30 years old and is from New Jersey, USA.
She is an established writer and hiker and is inspiring to be the second Black woman to achieve the Triple Crown of hiking (The AT, PCT, CTD).
She recently completed the Appalachian Trail and is preparing for the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).
She graduated from Rutgers in 2014 and has worked in the social work and veterinary field for years.
She is currently working as a freelance writer and is working on her book.
Listen to Shilletha on the Tough Girl Podcast as she shares more about her life, her passion for hiking and spending time in the outdoors.
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Show notes
Growing up in New Jersey, USA
Graduating in 2014 with a degree in social work
Getting into writing since Covid
What her younger years were like
Having a passion for reading
Never being exposed to hiking
Her journey of getting into the outdoors
Getting into hiking in 2020
Hearing about the Appalachian Trail for the first time
Getting obsessed with the AT and making the decision to thru-hike it
Living from paycheck to paycheck
Figuring out how to pay for the hike
Joining AT Facebook Groups…
Asking about her safety
Dealing with racism and threats
Being supported/sponsored by the Appalachian Trail Conservatory (ATC)
Using the GoFundMe platform to raise funds for her hike
Safety while on the trail
Needing people at certain points for safety
Not being excited while on the trail and just being scared
Being a triple minority and always having to look and check behind her back at all times
Journalling and writing while out in the woods
Being exhausted
Having a strategy for hiking the AT
The Matrix World
Listening to her body
Wanting to experience freedom while hiking
Starting the trail in February….
Dealing with the cold weather
Her trail name and where it came from
Connecting with a trail family
Her summit day on October 5th 2021
Cover your poop!
Loving the rock scrambling and feeling empowered and happy
Feeling proud of herself
Biggest lessons learned from the experience of spending 9 months on the trail
The power of being present
Learning how to live and what freedom means
Wanting to live life how she wants to
Sharing her journey and how people can follow along
Working on new writing projects
The significance of 29.5
Chasing the seasons
Top pieces of advice for Black women who want to take on a challenge like hiking the Appalachian Trail
Words to live your life by
Why she’s going to keep on hiking
Social Media
Instagram: @I_Am_Dragonsky
Blog post - Not Just Another Hiker June 12, 2020
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