A powerful and uplifting memoir by a woman who decides to confront the roots of her childhood traumas by hiking the Appalachian Trail.
After losing her job during the coronavirus pandemic, Shilletha Curtis was depressed, riddled with self-doubt, and yearning for something bigger when she met a hiker who introduced her to the Appalachian Trail. At first the idea of hiking 2,193 miles seemed impossible, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the forest was calling to her—an invisible yet powerful spiritual invitation to the wild. In 2021, Shilletha embarked on the daunting goal to hike the Appalachian Trail in its entirety.
A long-distance hike presents many potential hazards—the arduous terrain, unpredictable weather, and, of course, safety concerns. As a Black queer woman, Shilletha looked to the Appalachian Trail hiking community for support and found herself sometimes ostracized from the predominantly white space both online and on the trails. But she's no stranger to climbing mountains in her life. After a lifelong struggle with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD, Shilletha was determined to not only confront the roots of her childhood traumas, but also to change the narrative about hiking while Black. Pack light is the triumphant story of a woman’s determination to prove that the Great Outdoors belongs to everyone.
Shilletha “Dragonsky” Curtis was born in Newark, New Jersey and spent much of her time growing up on the Jersey Shore. Shilletha received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2014 and spent a summer abroad in Beijing, China (2012) to further her Mandarin speaking skills and then traveled to Romania (2013) to do an internship at an orphanage in Cluj-Napoca. Helping people has always been her passion, but she eventually found that she had a profound love for animals and eventually the outdoors. She trained as a Veterinary Technician in 2016 in Austin, Texas and practiced for two years. She lost her job due to the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. Like many, with a new outlook on life, Shilletha decided to pursue hiking, beginning with the Appalachian Trail. One day, her dream is to finish The Triple Crown, which is the highest honor, in hiking, completing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide. Her journey to complete continues though in every way--she's already won.
A powerful and uplifting memoir by a woman who decides to confront the roots of her childhood traumas by hiking the Appalachian Trail.
After losing her job during the coronavirus pandemic, Shilletha Curtis was depressed, riddled with self-doubt, and yearning for something bigger when she met a hiker who introduced her to the Appalachian Trail. At first the idea of hiking 2,193 miles seemed impossible, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the forest was calling to her—an invisible yet powerful spiritual invitation to the wild. In 2021, Shilletha embarked on the daunting goal to hike the Appalachian Trail in its entirety.
A long-distance hike presents many potential hazards—the arduous terrain, unpredictable weather, and, of course, safety concerns. As a Black queer woman, Shilletha looked to the Appalachian Trail hiking community for support and found herself sometimes ostracized from the predominantly white space both online and on the trails. But she's no stranger to climbing mountains in her life. After a lifelong struggle with treatment-resistant depression and PTSD, Shilletha was determined to not only confront the roots of her childhood traumas, but also to change the narrative about hiking while Black. Pack light is the triumphant story of a woman’s determination to prove that the Great Outdoors belongs to everyone.
Author
Shilletha “Dragonsky” Curtis was born in Newark, New Jersey and spent much of her time growing up on the Jersey Shore. Shilletha received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2014 and spent a summer abroad in Beijing, China (2012) to further her Mandarin speaking skills and then traveled to Romania (2013) to do an internship at an orphanage in Cluj-Napoca. Helping people has always been her passion, but she eventually found that she had a profound love for animals and eventually the outdoors. She trained as a Veterinary Technician in 2016 in Austin, Texas and practiced for two years. She lost her job due to the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020. Like many, with a new outlook on life, Shilletha decided to pursue hiking, beginning with the Appalachian Trail. One day, her dream is to finish The Triple Crown, which is the highest honor, in hiking, completing the Appalachian, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide. Her journey to complete continues though in every way--she's already won.
