Hike #26 The Blair Witch Project: Fear, Forests & the Fierce Path Forward
Day 3 | July 26, 2025 | Hiking with Katie | 12.91 miles, 2,006 ft ascent, 2,323 ft descent | Route 40 to Gathland State Park
Today’s Appalachian Trail section was a solid wall of 100-degree heat. We were on alert for thunderstorms the whole way, but thankfully, the sky held long enough for us to get through it.
What made this stretch especially memorable was the view overlooking Burkittsville, Maryland, the eerie little town immortalized in The Blair Witch Project. A story about hikers lost in the woods, haunted by fear, both real and imagined.
It felt like the perfect metaphor.
Because fear? I know it well.
Fear Isn’t Always Fiction
My journey didn’t start in a corner office or on a speaking stage. It started behind a cherry wood front desk as a receptionist. I typed like hell just to get noticed, in a world that told me “success” wasn’t for women like me.
When I asked for a shot at being a recruiter, I was told I didn’t have “the right skills.” What he really meant was: I didn’t look the part. That I might fail. That I might embarrass him. I was afraid, afraid he might be right. But I didn’t stop there. I went home, read every book they said the “smart guys” read, wrote a pitch, and came back swinging. He still said no.
But I kept going. I moved forward. I kept learning. I kept fighting until I found a tiny window of opportunity and jumped as fast I could through it, confident and determined.
And eventually? I found commercial real estate, learned as much as I could and then started my own firm, becoming CEO.
The Woods Can’t Haunt You If You Keep Walking
Walking through the woods today, with crumbling war monuments behind us and Blair Witch lore below was a reminder: fear can feel real. Our brains don’t always know the difference between a threat and a story we’ve told ourselves.
Whether it’s a job we’re not sure we’re qualified for, a company we’re scared to start, or a future we can’t yet see clearly we all face our own “haunted woods.”
But you don’t have to be haunted by the past. You have to be driven by the future.
Fear only wins if you stop walking.
Along the Way
Today we met so many great people on the trail, including a sweet pup named Miles, hiking alongside two couples, one from Erie, the other originally from McKeesport. It reminded me of just how small and connected our world can be, even on the longest, most daunting paths.
We also passed through Civil War battlefields, a stark contrast to the fictional horror stories associated with Burkittsville. These were real sites of courage, fear, and the decision to press on, regardless of the cost. It made me think: we’re all walking through battlefields in our own lives, trying to hold the line between who we are and who we’re becoming.
(Quick sidebar: every single park bathroom was closed due to funding cuts, which felt like its own horror movie in this heat.)
Final Thoughts from the Overlook
I stood at the overlook today, sweaty, tired, but proud and looked down at the town below. The same hills that looked like a setting for fear were actually just trees, just stories, just terrain. What you make of them is up to you.
Whether you’re on a trail or in a boardroom, fear is part of the journey, but it’s not the destination.
Keep walking.