About Me

Hi There,

Thanks for taking the time to explore my blog!

This blog started as the place where you can find the inside scoop on all of my backpacking adventures. These days I do more running than backpacking, I became an ultrarunning coach, and am beginning physical therapy school at the University of Montana in fall of 2026. Below is a little bit more about me and how I got to where I am today.

Ever since I was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania, I knew I wanted to walk from Georgia to Maine. I’m not sure that I even knew what the trail that follows the route was called. Only that it existed and I wanted to do it. When I was a hard working and poor college student in Ohio I realized that the cheapest way I could travel was backpacking but I had no gear or anyone to show me how. My childhood dream of walking a very far distance resurfaced and I suddenly became obsessed with learning how I could acquire all the gear, skills, and self confidence to actually go out and “do the thing”. Eventually I found myself standing at the Southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on Springer Mountain in Georgia. After my first week of backpacking, I knew that the Appalachian Trail would not be the last time I would go on a long hike.

Since the Appalachian Trail in 2019 I have been able to realize my dream of becoming a triple crowner by thru hiking the CDT in 2021 and the PCT in 2022. Between all of those adventures I have found myself skiing, working, and living in Colorado and Montana to support those goals financially. I appreciate all of those who have invested in following along my hiking adventures. Getting to share them on this platform has been one of my favorite parts.

More recently I have decided to pursue a couple of other life goals of mine which are to become a physical therapist, get a dog, and run a 100 mile race. I have been accepted into the University of Montana’s Class of 2029 DPT Cohort, have adopted a German shorthaired pointer puppy named Twig, have ran several ultra-marathons and have become a UESCA certified ultrarunning coach. You will find this blog to post more about training, coaching, race reports, and eventually reflections of being a physical therapy school student. Thanks for sticking around if you have been here since 2019. It had truly been a wild ride.

Happy Trails,

Deserrae “Early Bird” Potts