Today we’d like to introduce you to Briana DeSanctis.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
On November 6, 1983, I was shot out into this world with a full head of hair and a sense of adventure that still runs wild alongside me today. I grew up in Maine and spent most of my childhood playing outdoors. My parents took me camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and exploring, which quickly became my life’s foundation. After college, I spent some time adventuring in Colorado and California, and years later, upon returning to Maine, I began hiking much more frequently. After completing over 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Maine on my days off from work, I decided that I needed to tackle this trail in its entirety as a thru-hike. I returned to my job the next day with a large smile and gave my “few months” notice, and before I knew it, it was March 5, 2015, and I was dropped off at Amicalola Falls in north Georgia to begin hiking back to Maine. I finished the 2198.2-mile Appalachian trail on September 17, and from there, my thirst for adventure only grew. I traveled around the country, from Vermont to Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, up through New Mexico back to Colorado and all the states. I hitchhiked out to Ellsworth, Maine, backpacked part of the Downeast Sunrise trail in a blizzard, and continued my frigid trek to the Bold Coast trail in Cutler overlooking the rocky coastline and Canadian shores. I trekked through remote, pristine territory in Olympic National Park. I canoed 60 miles of the Green River in Utah. I backpacked through the Wasatch range in knee-deep snow, hiked the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, jumped head first into my fear of heights on Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park, and spent many sub-zero winter overnights in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. One could confidently say that the Appalachian trail was my first love, but I was ready to take on something much larger, wilder, and more solitary. I was a changed human, and I knew that from then on, I would spend the rest of my life thriving differently than many others. Hiking the 6,800+ miles of the American Discovery Trail sounded like a great trail to test all my limits and push myself much further than any endurance I tackled on the AT or possibly ALL of my adventures up to this point. The ADT is more than three times the length of the Appalachian Trail. I spent the time leading up to this trek for every adventure: working, saving, researching, and planning. This thru-hike should take over a year for me to complete based on personal statistics. Being such a new and little-known trail, I began researching a record that could be set. I soon found one. Anyone can be the fastest, oldest, or youngest hiker to complete this trail, but I’ll be the first, and nobody can ever beat that record. However, quite a few women have hiked coast to coast on the American Discovery Trail. None have completed the entire official backpacking route as a thru-hike but push carts on alternate road walks or use the American Discovery Trail where it is convenient and then make their route as they go. Many have hiked with a partner or pet, but I am a solo hiker. After asking American Discovery Trail coordinators if I would be the first solo female to complete the entire official trail route, the reply was, “Definitely.” I’m a journalist and public speaker while I’m walking across America. I’ve been speaking in communities to people from all different backgrounds. I love teaching others the positive benefits of a trek like mine and giving individuals a new sense of inspiration and empowerment. My trek involves a lot of alone time but also requires me constantly speak with other people and sometimes appear on the news. It’s so important for me to show others what it is really like. Many people don’t ever leave their state, but there’s a big world out here, and I want to show it to them through my eyes and encourage them to try seeing it for themselves.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
The struggles have been real! I began hiking the American Discovery Trail on New Year’s Day, 2022; by Groundhog Day, I had to get off the trail due to an injury that took almost a month to heal. I’ve been in temperatures below zero many days and nights. And now I’m dealing with a record heatwave in the Midwest. The fun never ends out here, and there is no in-between. Sometimes I am bushwhacking and battling ticks, thorns, and blowdowns: other times, my gear malfunctions or breaks. Shoes blow out. Storms appear out of nowhere. I’m a journalist, and I’m also a writer. My laptop has been traveling with me in the mail and was recently lost through the postal system, which has been a hit to my business, making things more difficult as I try to progress while tracking it down before it completely disappears. These situations force me to adapt and thrive through struggle, which is very important for survival.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve been passionate about writing for as long as I could hold a pencil. I’m working on my first book, a personal and gritty account of this walk across America. It encompasses everything I can’t or should not mention in the newspaper or other publications, as well as the feelings and struggles I endured and am enduring along the way. A journey of these proportions was something on which I didn’t want to waste opportunities to share and speak to others. Upon emailing my press release to a local Maine newspaper, I received a response I wasn’t expecting. “This is fabulous; would you be interested in writing a column for our paper?”
That was one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever gotten. My column, ‘America on Two Feet,’ is published monthly in the Daily Bulldog, an online Maine publication; I occasionally write articles for a hiking website called The Trek, conducting interview pieces, self-reflection, etc. Perhaps the newest and most engaging passion of mine has become public speaking. I have given organized presentations with gear setup and a slideshow to large and small audiences alike. I’m proud of tackling my former nerves while talking to large groups, and I think that because I am so ardent about sharing my journey with others, the importance of my delivery pushes the fear away. I am totally at ease and also excited. From the complete presentation package to specified talks about popular issues I deal with and learn from, I never tire of sharing these important bits with men, women, and youth. I’ll be the first woman to complete the official route of the entire American Discovery Trail. You won’t hear anything quite like this anywhere else.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
One of my biggest social realizations is how others want to connect to be a part of my journey. I accept cash donations and online donations through my Venmo and Cashapp accounts. Please call or send me an email regarding booking for presentations and appearances. If you are interested in a collaboration or sponsorship, please email me.
Pricing:
- American Discovery Trail: Full Presentation with Gear and Slideshow
- Go it Alone- a Talk about Safety as a Solo Hiker
- Gear Talk: What I’m Packing and Why
- Body Talk: staying healthy while thru-hiking
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @brianadesanctis
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/rockygoeshiking
- Other: Www.venmo.com/briana-desanctis
Image Credits
Kevin Dingman Briana DeSanctis
