The story of
Jesse Cody, depression,
& a 9,000 mile walk

1

My left hand was handcuffed to the hospital bed. The shame coursing through my body was more painful than the needle being woven through my flesh. “I don’t want to go to jail,” I whimpered. “Maybe you should have considered that before you punched your hand through your girlfriend’s window,” he retorted, rightfully.

I didn't end up in prison, but I did end up in mental purgatory.

3

"I found my way to the Appalachian Trail because I had lost the will to live."

Years earlier, a friend had given me the Bill Bryson novel A Walk in the Woods to read, and it had made an impression on me. Something in me called to give it another read. After a few chapters, it dawned on me: I needed to go for a walk. A long walk. I needed to reckon with my inner turmoil. I needed to reprogram the voices in my head.

4

“It was that walk that saved my life."

The desire to hike the AT wasn’t some spiritual epiphany that arose from deep within my psyche. It wasn’t some crazy idea I came up with just to spice things up. I found my way to the Appalachian Trail because I needed to feel that life was worth living. Because at that point, I had lost the will to live.

5

“Every challenge I overcame deepened my will to live."

The trail threw everything it had at me from the start. I began the journey in March, as a freezing rain fell. At night, my tent did little to insulate me when the temperature dropped below freezing. The straight climbs made my back and knees scream. The trail would cut me some slack when I earned it, not when I asked for it.

6

“Hiking through the wilderness didn't cure me. But it did save me.”

It didn’t erase the dark thoughts that had been taunting me. Rather it empowered me to honestly confront them and showed me that I had something to live for, that I was part of something bigger than myself. Hiking gave me a sense of purpose, along with a deep reverence for Mother Nature.

7

“From that once in a lifetime experience, came a once in a lifetime idea."

It's called Hike The Good Hike.

Hike the Good Hike is an ongoing project whose mission is "To lend a helping hand and improve the lives of those experiencing mental health challenges: one person, one authentic conversation, and one "hike" at a time."