For Elizabethton Police Officer Sarah Ellison-Dingus, hiking is more than just a hobby; it is a passion that keeps pulling her back to the trails.
Her love for the outdoors can be traced back to when she a little girl living here in Tennessee. Ellison-Dingus remembers visiting her grandmother, who was always outside when she visited.
“I was always outside with her, whenever we were at her house,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed being outside.”
Ellison-Dingus, who has specialized in police dog handling since 2000, took her first overnight hiking trip when she was living in Maryland. It was during this trip that hiking started to take its hold on her heart and the Appalachian Trail first caught her attention. Shortly after the trip, Ellison-Dingus went into the military, and when she got out, she moved back to Tennessee, where the AT would make another appearance in her life.
“I was working in the Roan Mountain area and Hampton for the Carter County Sheriff’s Department at the time,” she said. “I started running into some through hikers on the Appalachian Trail and became more interested in it. (After) I realized how much of the AT runs through Carter County, … I started reading books on it.”
In the spring of 2006, Ellison-Dingus went on her first overnight trip on the Appalachian Trail. It was a special trip not only because it was her first on the AT, but because she had also brought along a special friend, her first police dog, Kabor. When she looks back on the trip, Ellison-Dingus, who is now a very experienced hiker, realizes she was a little unprepared for her first trip.
“I thought I was pretty well-prepared, but as the years have gone by, I realized there were some things I probably didn’t do exactly right,” she said. “But all-in-all, it went well.”
Since that first overnight, Ellison-Dingus has been section hiking the AT. So far, she has accumulated 420 miles of the approximate 2,200 miles the trail runs. Ellison-Dingus takes two hiking trips a year — one in the spring and one in the fall. This spring, she plans on making her way from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Harper’s Ferry, W.Va., and in the fall she looks forward to doing a section hike from the start of the trail in Georgia.
In 2009, the avid hiker made her way west and embarked on a six-day hike through the stunning Glacier National Park in Montana. Over the course of the trip, she recorded 56 miles of trekking through the landscape filled with milky-blue lakes and tall peaks. And, even though such a long hike can take its toll on the body, once you have the hiking fever, you can’t wait to do it again, she said.
“It’s very hard to explain,” she said. “It’s pretty hard while you are doing it, and there are a lot of great things about it. And when you get home and you are recuperated, its like the only you want to do is get back out there and be apart of it again.”
In 2013, Ellison-Dingus traversed another long stretch of land as she made a 72-mile journey through the Great Smoky Mountains over the course of 5 1/2 days.
Over her many years of hiking, Ellison-Dingus has gained a lot of knowledge of the activity. One crucial piece advice: Always make sure the items you take on the trip weigh a total no more than 30 pounds.
“That is everything,” she said. “That is all of the stuff that you have. The pack I have weighs about 3 pounds. The tent I carry about two and a half pounds. Then the sleeping bag I carry is just about a pound and a half to 2 pounds.”
Also, never forget to bring the “big three”: “You have your backpack, and your sleeping system, and your tent,” she said.
Another important item to have is a water filtration system. Over the last few years, water filtration has evolved from handheld pumps to easy-to-carry systems, she said.
According to Ellison-Dingus, with sections of the Appalachia Trail running through Carter County, locals who want to get into hiking live in the perfect area to get started. Since the AT crosses many roads in the area, Ellison said park a vehicle near one crossing, drive to another crossing and then hike from there to the other car. Most anyone can take part in hiking, she said.
“I would say that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are or your ability lever,” she said. “There are so many stories about people that have hiked the Appalachian Trail. People that are blind and people that have handicaps still get out there and do it. It doesn’t matter what your ability is. Just go out and try it. Its just a way to enjoy nature. And, to find out really what you are made of.”
The Appalachian Trail is a special place, Ellison said. She came to that realization during a trip back in 2013 up in Ice Water Springs. During the trip, Ellison remembers having to hike past a shelter she planned on staying in due to it being closed due to bear activity and travel 22 miles to the Ice Water Springs Shelter in the Smoky Mountains. Once she arrived at the shelter, she was tired and wet. Inside she encountered a father and a son, who had things most backpackers wouldn’t, such as chairs and appetizing steaks. From talking to the two, Ellison learned that the father, who was in his 70s and the son, make a pilgrimage every year to the shelter. It was the one thing they shared together, their love for the trail. By the way, the two were kind enough to let Ellison have some steak and potatoes.
“It’s very neat to see the people from all the different walks of life there on the trail,” she said. “Its like everyone gets along. It doesn’t matter who you are. You have something in common and that is the Appalachian Trail.”