Reflections from our 1st LeConte27

1st and 2nd summit

Our 1st LeConte27 was a huge success! Although we did not achieve our hiking goal because of parental intervention due to severe weather advisory in the LeConte area, we hiked 4 of the 5 trails to Mt. LeConte for a total of 30 miles in 23 hours. We were disappointed that we did not reach our goal of hiking all five trails in under 27 hours, but after stepping back and looking at what we did achieve, we were reminded of the true purpose of our mission: to raise awareness of the human trafficking industry and funds for Missio Link's efforts in Romania. We were not hiking for us, we were hiking for the 27 million worldwide victims of HT. Although it was a serious cause, we had an amazing time! It was so great hiking with one purpose with great friends and great friends in spirit. Below are some of our highlights from the trip:
Minta:

Best part: going on a physical journey to a very sacred place to address an important issue (HT)—adding new significance to Mt. LeConte. That was the place where I first pondered purpose at 10 years old, have worked out some of my toughest moments, praised God, restored friendships, spent my 16th birthday, etc. Going on a journey is a very important piece of how I effect change in my own life and in the world around me—walking for victims adds so much more value than just thinking about it.

Biggest surprise: simply how much support we received. I have been more than slightly jaded by being in college and just understanding a culture of selfishness that I often get swept into. I was fascinated by the sheer magnitude of the support—financially but also with people simply committing to hike with and for us—that we received and more importantly that which was transferred to our friends in Romania. I feel like we were biting our nails wondering if this thing would work at all right up to the hike, and then the donations started pouring in.

selfie on the Boulevard trail

Favorite trail: I’ve always been a big fan of the Boulevard simply because it represents my favorite kind of trail stretch: walking a ridgeline. I love ridge walks because you can really understand and connect with the anatomy of the mountain (plus get views on both sides). This particular walk on the boulevard wasn’t good for views, but was full of excitement because it was our first trail. On this trip, I might have enjoyed Alum Cave the most. We hiked it in the dark, which I have never done on this particular trail before. It was fun to watch my friends experience night hiking for the first time and explore the world that comes out after the sun goes down.

Before our planned third
summit by Rainbow Falls.
Because of parental intervention
due to dangerous weather conditions
moving in, we had to stop our hike
at this point.

Hardest part: Not finishing the hiking challenge. I’m the world’s best at finishing what I start and the world’s worst at dealing with it when my dreams don’t fully come to fruition. I was really disappointed that we had to stop even though our legs and hearts were ready to knock the rest out. However, I feel pretty sure that we’ll knock it out eventually. More than anything, not completing the hiking challenge helped highlight the magnitude of the fundraising challenge and how much more important that was than cranking out miles.

Best quote: pssssssssssss….the sound Austin always made when Taylor (now known as Potty) would pee for the 14th time on the trail



Taylor:
Before I reflect on my experience of LeConte27, I just wanted to give a personal thanks to everyone who supported us and our mission! We wanted to make this a community effort and it became one because of you. This has been a common dream/goal between Minta and me for a long time, and it was great finally being able to achieve it. LeConte27 has been so well received and has raised so much awareness for HT and funds for MLI and we attribute that to you.

Our personality Snickers provided to us by our moms.

Minta was "complainer" (justifiably, she claims), Austin

was "rebellious" (I think it was the man-bun), and I was

"forgetful" (I was going to argue against my label, but I 

forgot what I was going to say).

Best part: The group effort had to be the best part. We were a team! And, might I add, a good-looking one too! Pokey's in Maryville helped us design the COOLEST shirts. Everyone who saw us knew we were on a mission, and we were! When we came down from our first summit by Trillium Gap, we met our parents for our first "pit stop". It was so intense and epic. In a very crowded parking area, we were rushing around changing packs and being asked if we needed water or food. Everyone was watching us, and we were definitely playing up to that. It was as if cameras were filming us, and, in fact, Minta compared it to something from The Amazing Race. As a team, we got to know so much more about each other and became so much closer. I was so happy that Austin, Minta's brother, joined us for our whole trek, and that Morgan, a childhood and newly reunited family friend, and my dad joined us for our two trails (14 miles) in the dark.

sporting our team "gear" before hiking up Alum

Biggest Surprise: The biggest surprise would be that this actually happened. We had already delayed our hike twice and were worried about weather conditions. We had also compromised our original plan of hiking all of the trails in 24 hours in favor of our parents plea for 27 hours (to tie into the 27 million victims of HT) because of sparse daylight in winter. However, on our first day, the weather was beautiful. We can only attribute that to God. We prayed this whole month for good conditions and God blessed us with them. It truly shows the power of prayer and how God was behind our mission. I was also surprised of how capable I was of this mission. Not only the hiking 30 miles, but also planning and setting a goal and following through of it. We were truly capable of achieving our dream. The mountains, once again, reminded me that I, and every other human being, has purpose.

before our first leg up
Boulevard

Favorite Trail: Unlike Minta, I did not have experience with any of the trails to Mt. LeConte besides Alum Cave, which I hiked nearly three years ago and during the day. All the trails we hiked were a new and awesome experience for me, but if I had to pick my favorite leg of the journey, it would be Boulevard. Although hiking on Alum Cave trail in the pitch blackness of night was phenomenal (Alum Cave looks like the moon at night), Boulevard had a very epic feel to it unrivaled by any other trail. Maybe it was because it was our first leg, but we had so much energy and momentum. Their was a feeling of adventure in the air, which was partly heightened by the fog covering the ridge and trail that resembled landscapes from Middle-earth and Hogwarts.

These young girls' courage, faith, and positivity
gave us strength and reaffirmation during our mission

Hardest Part: I agree with Minta. Having to end our journey one leg short of our dream was a huge bummer. However, the overwhelming support we and our mission received really reminded us of why we were out hiking. When we were unexpectedly stopped before our last ascent, we reacted in a way towards our loving and caring parents anyone would expect. I understood why we could not finish our hike but was very disappointed that we couldn't achieve our dream and what we told people we would do. However, being isolated from civilization for nearly 24 hours, we were not able to see the support outpouring for us on social media. One post really hit me. My mom showed me this picture to the right. MLI shared this picture of the young girls from Deborah House cheering us on. Deborah House is a safe house in Romania that houses girls who are victims of abuse and/or trafficking. As part of MLI's ministry, they provide social services, the gospel, and the sense of unconditional love that comes from being part of a family to these girls. Seeing this picture and remembering all their faces really reminded me of why I started this mission in the first place. I realized that it did not matter that we didn't hike all five trails. We made a difference, and thus achieved our most important goal.

Best Quote: There are many memorable quotes from our hike, most were said by Minta. She's really funny, but also she has unrivaled determination that reminds me of one of my favorite TV show characters , Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. After descending Trillium Gap trail, we were driving through Gatlinburg from its trailhead to Alum Cave's when we got stuck in typical pedestrian induced traffic. It was around 5:00 pm, 30 minutes before dark, so, wanting to take advantage of as much daylight as we could, we were rushed to get to the trailhead. After a large crowd cleared we started to make hard left turn. Before driving through the intersection, a group of unruly pedestrians walked right in front of us which forced my dad to slam on his brakes. Minta, with her window down, responded by yelling at them, "We're trying to stop human trafficking!" Half kidding, half serious, this action was very "Knopeish" to me and tickled me for the rest of the ride. The unintended and rather lame pun just added to the effect.



Thank you to everyone who has supported or donated to our mission and thank you to everyone who hiked on the 27th in recognition of the victims of HT. With I'd like to thank our parents as well for their diligent efforts to make our mission happen. This mission was truly made possible because of them but especially because of God. He provided amazing conditions for our first day and development of our mission. This might have been our first LeConte27, but it is certainly not our last. We plan to accomplish our original mission (all 5 trails in 24 hours) this coming summer. We will keep hiking and fighting to see the end of human trafficking! With your help we have raised an estimated total of $2,200 for Missio Link International, and we are still taking donations if you would still like to help our mission! Please join us! Anyone can make a difference!

Happy Hiking..

-Potty and Blueberry