Hiker trying to be first female to do Discovery Trail solo

Mainer and through-hiker Briana DeSanctis is looking to be the first woman to make a cross-country trek of the American Discovery Trail. She began her journey Jan. 1 at Cape Henlopen State Park, at the eastern terminus of the 5,000-mile trail.

From Delaware, the trail heads east through Maryland and West Virginia into Ohio, where hikers have an option to take the northern or southern route. DeSanctis is taking the southern route, which goes through Kentucky, southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas before meeting back up with the northern route in Colorado. From Colorado, there’s one trail to the Pacific Ocean, where it ends at Limantour Beach in California.

Brushing the sand off her wet feet after stepping in the Atlantic Ocean to officially mark the beginning of her trip, DeSanctis was in good spirits.

“Who knows?” she said. “If I feel good when I’m done with this, maybe I’ll fly back to Ohio and hike the northern portion of the trail. I’d definitely be the first woman to do that.”

The hike is expected to take somewhere near a year, said DeSanctis.

“Maybe more. Maybe less,” she said.

Lacing up her boots, she said she expects to go through a dozen pairs during the hike.

“I’ve got bunions and I’ve got to wear comfortable shoes,” she said. “If this pair of boots makes it through the trip, I’ll personally deliver them back here.”

She wasn’t sure how much her hiking pack weighed, but she said it would be lighter by the end of the day after she had a couple of ‘cold ones.’

Having completed the Appalachian Trail, which is roughly 2,100 miles, DeSanctis, whose trail name is Rocky Mountain High, is an experienced through-hiker, which means she knows what she’s getting into. As an example, she was talking about how one young through-hiker recently got arrested. He’s a good kid, but he’s not very experienced in camping without being seen, she said.

A small group of people joined DeSanctis the morning she departed – her brother, who drove her from Maine; a cousin from Maine who recently moved to Harrington; a through-hiking friend of hers from Virginia; Delaware’s volunteer state coordinator for the trail; and a Lewes woman who hikes herself and is part of the community of hikers who support the folks making these long trips.

DeSanctis said she was primarily making the journey to raise awareness of the trail and would be happy to talk with classroom students about her adventure. She has a smartphone and is mailing a computer ahead to specific locations so she can document her hike in real time.

“Who knows; if I raise enough awareness, maybe there could be two dozen people a year who take the trail,” she said.

DeSanctis’ progress can be monitored on her Facebook page – Rocky Mountain High on the Discovery Trail. According to the Facebook page, as of the deadline for this story, she has made it into Maryland, which means she hiked through the snow and on the poorly plowed roads of western Sussex and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. 

DeSanctis can also be reached by phone at 603-534-8135 or by email, bree683@hotmail.com.