Happy Hiking A TrekThru Depression

Emily Leonard told herself life was great-she had a loving and supportive husband, they were financially stable, her kids loved her, , she had wonderful friends, she was active in church and community, her health was great, she enjoyed her hobbies, and she'd had the opportunity to achieve the exceptional goal of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail-twice. 

If life was so wonderful, why did she feel like she was hiking through dark and stormy terrain? Hiking the AT taught her to embrace the yuck, but her life's path was taking her through much more than yuck-Emily was in a whirlwind of confusion, pain, and emotional strife. She began to withdraw, overeat, sleep a lot, complain, and cry all the time. Life's trail was leading her into unfamiliar and miserable territory, with no white blazes to guide her, no guidebook to tell her what to expect, and no promise of joy on the horizon.

She was losing herself, losing the person she knew herself to be. When she at last reached the point that she knew she could no longer hold onto life by her own will and power, she cried out for help¿

And found she carried far too much weight in her backpack of life. Emily needed to change the gear she thru-hiked life with. And discovered that, regardless of how she felt, she had never been hiking alone.

This is more than her trek through depression-it's an invitation to keep hiking no matter the hardships with gear tips for the trail she has already walked.