At the young age of 26, Diana Corzine has already conquered mountains…literally.
Back in 2019, she took on and completed the challenge of walking the Appalachian Trail.
While at Plant City High School, her teacher explained his journey on the trail being both struggling and rewarding.
That story sparked something inside her and she entertained the idea of experiencing it herself.
“From that conversation…it planted a seed in me, and I wanted to do it someday,” said Corzine. “I really enjoy to be challenged. I think it really motivates me.”
But it wasn’t until after she graduated college that she began to seriously contemplate the idea.
In making plans, she timed her departure for the summer, in what would become a five-month journey.
The Appalachian Trail spans over 2,100 miles across 14 states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.
The pathway runs across various mountains that all make up the whole Appalachian Mountain range.
After flying from Florida to her starting point in Maine, she began walking down the east coast to her destination – Georgia.
She initially had several family members accompany her on the route. However, she hiked solo for the majority of it – guided by a map.
“A key part of the experience for me was just understanding…whenever I was by myself, I wasn’t ever alone,” explained Corzine. “Everyone that I told about my trip, they were constantly supporting me. If they weren’t physically with me, they were with me.”
At times she had to wait until reaching high altitudes to receive decent cell phone reception and talk with her family.
In the meantime, she had much of nature to keep her company. Aside from the birds she spotted other animals such as moose and deer.
And then there were other hikers too.
“I met all kinds of people of all different walks of life,” said Corzine. “That was one of my favorite experiences. It takes you from strangers to family.”
She said that the weather was comfortable for the most part, but there were days when that wasn’t the case. At times she had to deal with low temperatures and heavy rain.
In one instance, “it was four miles I hiked and then had to stop because I was probably experiencing pre-hypothermia.”
Then there were mornings when she had to thaw out her water in order to make breakfast.
Her backpack was only filled with the bare essentials, such as clothes, a tent, and of course food. She had to discipline herself in conserving her meals, especially when she wasn’t near a town with a local diner. Some things she had on hand were ramen noodles, oats and tuna.
Although, she made sure to bring along junk food to splurge on, stating that, “Snickers became like a food group to me.” And when she did go into a town to eat, she knew which restaurants to treat herself to.
“Chinese buffets were the best because it was all-you-could-eat and that was perfect for hiker hunger,” stated Corzine.
Although she had trained ahead of time by running a marathon, it was her state of mind that also needed to be disciplined.
“It’s mostly a mental exercise more than anything,” she explained. “It’s how strong you can be mentally, not physically.”
Corzine recounted her brief moments of discouragement while going through extreme weather and a long endurance. Although many miles away, her loved ones still inspired her to persevere.
Before she left on her journey, Corzine’s sister recorded messages on her phone so that when times got tough, she could listen to those reassuring words and push forward.
She recalled that, “I was standing on a mountain at one point and realized all of the songs that talk about the peaks and the valleys – I was experiencing that. I felt the full range of emotions on the trail.”
When her five-month journey came to an end in November 2019, her family was already in Georgia waiting to pick her up.
Corzine described her drive back to Florida as strange and surreal. She had spent almost half a year on foot and now she was using a car as transportation.
“I was excited to be done but it was also a really hard transition too, in a lot of ways,” she explained. “It was such an intense experience that was suddenly over.”
She went on to say that she does miss the simplicity and quietness that came with being out in nature.
One thing Corzine said she had her fair share of was tuna and hasn’t eaten it since returning home.
It’s been two years since her adventure came to a close, but hasn’t ruled out the idea of hiking another trail.
“The really big thing that I learned was how far you can go one step at a time,” she said toward aspiring youth. “Find out whatever is your trail.”
She noted that everyone has a challenging Appalachian Trail in their life and that too can be conquered.