Carolyn (she/her) is a harm reduction worker, advocate, and activist from Ontario, Canada. She has been in recovery for 9 years and has dedicated most of those years to being of service to others who are struggling with their own substance use challenges or who are looking to explore recovery for themselves. Her own addiction story includes years of homelessness, social isolation, trauma, substance use-related health complications, and multiple overdoses/drug poisonings. She also mourns the loss of too many beloved friends to overdose and other drug-related deaths, who passed before getting to experience the freedom of recovery.
Today, Carolyn feels deep in her soul an obligation to not squander this second chance at life that she has been given. Thru-hiking the AT is the next step in her own healing journey. It has been a dream of hers since the age of 16, a dream that never materialized due to the onset of her addiction at age 18. Part of her recovery has been about reconnecting with her backpacking roots, and she has experienced many profound moments of joy, peace, and healing on the trails. This next big dream of hiking the AT is a gift she can give to her lost younger self, and an opportunity to live big and beautifully in honor of her friends who no longer can. “This thru-hike represents a full-circle moment in my recovery, and I am eternally grateful that life has led me here to this day and this dream. Shine on, everyone, there is so much beauty in the world and we are part of it.”
