Help KatWoman Empower Abuse Survivors on the AT

Hi, I’m Kat, also known as “KatWoman Hikes” on various social media platforms. I have been honored to receive a partial scholarship towards a thru-hike of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail from the non-profit organization “One More Day on the Appalachian Trail.” This beautiful organization provides scholarships and partial scholarships to people who have overcome tremendous hardships in their life. I am hiking to raise awareness for, and to give inspiration to, people who have survived severe child abuse and intimate partner violence. (Full description from the OMDOTAT website is below).

To that end, I am asking for your help. This isn’t “my” hike… this is OUR hike… a hike to spread encouragement, hope and love to people coming from dark places. The scholarship gives me approximately three months on trail if I’m very austere (and I will be!). However, it does not provide for expense back home (phone, pet food bills, car insurance, etc.), which works out to about $300 a month… or $1,800 over the course of a six-month thru-hike. It also does not take into account emergency equipment replacement or repair, injury/illness that may require time off trail longer than 24 hours, and so forth. The scholarship also only covers about three months… typically a full thru-hike is six months.

My goal is to hike the entire trail, to show trauma survivors it’s not too late to dream, and achieve those dreams, and no matter what our abusers and the thoughts in our heads tell us, we CAN do hard things, and great things.

ALL FUNDS OVER AND ABOVE THE COST OF MY HIKE WILL BE DONATED TO CHARITY, to wit:

1. Circle of Hope in Cornelia, Georgia. This group provides very real and tangible help to abused women. While I never utilized their services myself, I know people who have. Please look them up… they save lives and do incredible, literally life-saving work.

2. One More Day on the Appalachian Trail. This organization changes lives by allowing recipients to fulfill a dream they otherwise might not have been able to. The Trail is magical, and its impact on lives is PROFOUND. I speak from experience as a section hiker… the Trail and her people are magic and powerfully healing. So, I absolutely MUST give back to this beautiful organization.

Any help you can give will be so very appreciated. You can follow my journey on YouTube, and Facebook, and TikTok under the name “KatWoman Hikes.” I’m not just hiking for myself… I’m hiking for all of us.

Never Forget: You are worthy; you are enough; and you are loved.

#LiveLoveHike

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Kat Bell, a survivor of severe child abuse and multiple adult domestic violence situations, has overcome immense challenges to create a beautiful life for herself. As a 51-year-old paralegal who has lost almost 100lbs and regained her health through hiking and DDP Yoga, Kat’s passion for the Appalachian Trail has been a driving force in her life for the past five years. Prior to age 47, she hadn’t hiked a day in her life, but since 2021, she has been an avid hiker and Trail Angel. Having section hiked the first 167 miles of the trail one weekend at a time, she has set her sights on completing the entire 2181 miles of the AT. Kat’s dream is to thru-hike from Springer to Mt. Katahdin to show other abuse survivors that it is possible to thrive and achieve their dreams, no matter their past traumas.

Kat’s deep love for the Appalachian Trail and her desire to inspire others through her journey have led her to apply for a scholarship from One More Day on the AT. “I want to one day hike the entire Appalachian Trail not just for myself, but to show ALL abuse survivors that you CAN develop CONFIDENCE, self-worth, and the ability to do hard things and achieve your dreams… even if your whole life people told you that you are nothing and nobody. Even if the voice in your head calls you an imposter. Even if you think people look at you as too fat, too thin, too weak…”

Through this hike, she will be sharing her story and spreading hope and encouragement along the way. Kat aims to inspire others to believe in themselves and pursue their own dreams, no matter the obstacles they may encounter.