100-Mile Trail Challenge Profile: Allison Conklin

Full name: Allison Christine Conklin
Age: 32
Hometown: Effort, PA
How long you’ve been hiking: Since as long as I can remember.
Earliest memory of hiking or most memorable hiking experience: Bringing my son, who was about 2 months old, out to the Appalachian Trail (AT) at Mount Minsi with me. I realized then how much hiking meant to me to want to share it with my little guy.
Why you decided to take the 100-Mile Trail Challenge: I am out on the trail at least 2 times a week and would love to give back. There are so many things I love about it.
Some trails you plan to hike to meet this goal: Anywhere from Bake Oven Knob to the NJ/PA state line; Jim Thorpe (switchback); Bushkill Falls; Big Pocono, Jacobsburg, Hickory Run, Promised Land, and Tobyhanna State Parks; Lake Nockamixon; Trexler Nature Preserve; the Little Lehigh Parkway Trail; Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area; the D&L Trail; and anywhere else I can get to.
Your #1 favorite hiking trail in Pennsylvania, and why it’s your favorite: Mount Minsi. It helps me remember all the reasons why I love being out in nature—you get a little bit of everything on that part of the AT.
Who’s sponsoring you so far (friends, family, coworkers, hiking club, etc.): Friends, family, and coworkers.
How you heard about KTA or first got involved with KTA: Facebook.
Advice to new hikers: Enjoy the journey—they are all so special and different.
The one thing you’ll never hit the trail without: A flashlight.
Favorite nature/hiking quote (your own or someone else’s): “Memories made in the mountains stay in our hearts forever.”