Poughkeepsie native Alexis Holzmann completes a 2,200-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail

It sounded to her parents almost like the drive home from a lengthy play date, their daughter and her friends excitedly discussing the adventure and regaling everyone with details of their most memorable experiences.

Soon enough, from the backseat was heard, “I could really go for some McDonald’s right now!”

A bacon cheeseburger, fries and Sprite were part of Alexis Holzmann’s reintroduction two weeks ago to what she called “the other world.”

The Poughkeepsie native couldn’t remember the last time she had consumed fast food but that Quarter Pounder, given the circumstances, “tasted amazing.”

“My body was so depleted,” the 28-year-old said. “I could've eaten anything and enjoyed it.”

This was, in fact, a happy meal.

Because Holzmann had spent the previous six months essentially removed from civilization, surviving mostly on Snickers and Clif bars, and pushing herself to the limits while traveling more than 2,200 miles on foot.

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For half the year, the Arlington High School graduate trekked through the woods and up the mountains, waded through water and plodded over rugged terrain. She endured all the elements and faced the dangers of nature along a course far more grueling than she had imagined.

But on Aug. 30, the flow of tears was interrupted only by laughter and incredulous gasps, as she gazed down through the fog from atop Mount Katahdin.

“It was such a surreal feeling,” Holzmann said of fulfilling a longtime goal. “I was just emotional and filled with gratitude for this journey and the people I’d met. In that moment, I’m thinking, ‘How did I get here?’ And then you say to yourself, ‘Well, you walked.’”

And climbed and swam and ran and fell and hobbled. And persisted.

Holzmann joined the list of about 20,000 people who have completed the famous Appalachian Trail, hiking continuously from Georgia to Maine.

“I thought at first she was crazy to try it, but this is unbelievable,” Jaclyn Holzmann said, becoming joyfully tearful as she spoke about her older sister. “We shared a room as kids, and I remember her saying back then how she wanted to do this. You don’t think much of it, not knowing if it would ever happen. But seeing her make it a reality, I’m incredibly proud.”

Alexis set out last year to take on the challenge, leaving her job as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn to allow the time needed to prepare and to have the spring and summer off to, well, travel.

She communicated with relatives and friends throughout the trek, using her phone when cellular signal and battery life allowed. Still, it was a “huge relief” when Alice and Art Holzmann reunited with their daughter at Baxter State Park.

Alexis had lost about 10 pounds and there was severe knee soreness, but she otherwise was healthy and high-spirited.

“My husband and I screamed,” Alice Holzmann recalled. “She came running toward us with a huge smile. It was one thing to speak to her, but that feeling hugging her after this was something we’ll never forget. You worried. ‘Does she have enough food? Is she safe? Will a bear eat her?’”

She wasn’t entirely serious about the bear... Oh, only about 75%.

Alexis did encounter several snakes, and a few bears, and navigated through the deluge of storms that soaked the east coast this summer. She also persevered through a frightening ankle injury in April that resulted in an emergency room visit and threatened to nix the journey.

The final, taxing stretch of the hike includes a portion called the “Hundred-Mile Wilderness,” running through remote areas without access to outsiders.

The Holzmanns carried to Maine some baked goods, customized T-shirts and party favors for Alexis and a group of hiking partners who became close friends. They held a celebratory picnic in the park and spent that evening at a hotel before heading back to Poughkeepsie.

Alexis now is on the road again, heading back toward The South. In a car this time!

She had promised a hiking partner from Georgia to drive him home if they made it to the northeast. She’s making stops along the way to visit relatives and thank some of the locals — “trail angels” — who assisted them during the schlep.

“As we’re driving, we’re seeing a lot of the mountains we climbed,” Alexis said with a laugh. “You’re looking at places you walked and saying, ‘Remember how it took a week to get from here to there?’ That perspective really gives me a scale of how far I traveled.”

Views from the finish line

A little farther distance, of course, but it was a bit like Rocky running up the museum steps, the feeling of absolute exhilaration and accomplishment that came over Alexis when she touched the sign at the summit of Mount Katahdin, marking the end point of the Trail.

She and a quartet of partners woke up early that day, eager to get done the final miles and hopeful of avoiding the forecasted rain.

Alexis was given the nickname “Rocket” for her speed and high-octane style. She anticipated the final 500 miles being the most difficult, but the wind and precipitation slowed them considerably, the hikers often slogging through mud and uneven ground.

Nevertheless, her group shaved almost an hour off its ETA on Aug. 30, reaching the summit in two hours, 54 minutes.

The smiles were wide when they arrived just before 10:30 a.m., cameras snapping and everyone excitedly capturing the scene of their triumph before a picturesque background.

Alexis was among nine people, from what initially was a 13-person group, who eventually completed the course. That was remarkable, her father said. Only about 20% of those who attempt it succeed, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Injuries, illness and even family emergencies forced some to abort.

“I’ve had moments in life that were as exciting, but nothing that required as much of my heart and mind, that I could be so proud of,” Alexis said. “It’s rare for an adult to have six months with a singular focus, putting everything you have into it. Finishing it felt incredible.”

This endeavor began March 5 in Georgia, walking as many as 30 miles a day and traveling through parts of 14 states. Art Holzmann, himself an avid hiker, accompanied her for the first week. He wanted to know that his daughter’s surroundings — the course and the people — were safe.

“I felt it when I was there that she was in good company,” said Holzmann, who was bestowed the nickname “Pyro” and later “Rocket Dad.” “They were so helpful and protective of each other, it was extraordinary. She was very fortunate to have this group.”

They reached the Hudson Valley in July, taking a brief detour to celebrate Independence Day with Alexis’ family in Poughkeepsie. The Holzmanns provided shelter and aid to several hikers during the thunderstorms, eventually bonding with some strangers.

Alice Holzmann teaches at George Fischer Middle School in Carmel and her students tracked Alexis’ progress during the spring. When the school year began earlier this month, a common question asked in her classroom was, “Did she finish!?”

Back to the “other” world

Alexis was a three-sport athlete at Arlington and hiking, she said, stemmed from her love of nature and the rustic setting near her home. Before long, as the distances of her walks extended, birthed was the idea of traversing the Appalachian Trail. It seemed farfetched to some, but she and her dad later walked portions of it, and they were drawn to its test of endurance and mettle.

“We’re beyond proud of her,” Art Holzmann said. “Seeing her accomplish this, it was really exciting. Her mom was crying, she was so happy.”

Alexis still was “on a high” a week after returning home, the fatigue assuaged by her joy and the wave of congratulatory visits.

But, she also still is gradually adjusting to her normal life, having lived in the woods and gone months without the familiar comforts. “Parts of it, like seeing friends again, are like putting on a comfy sweater,” Alexis said. But it took nearly a week before she used a computer or watched Netflix.

She’ll begin applying for jobs this fall and the hope, she said, is to teach in the Hudson Valley. Somewhere closer to home; closer to nature.

The Trail extended what she believed were her physical boundaries, necessity eliciting proof she was capable of more than she knew. But, she said, it also has influenced her overall outlook.

“One of the ironies is, you have this monumental task, and you want to be consistent and hurry,” she said. “But the conditions would sometimes force you to slow down, and in that time, you find yourself enjoying the creeks and appreciating the beauty of what’s around you. And, really, that’s life.”

That, “Rocket Mom” said, is an “inner peace” she believes her daughter has found.

During the most difficult parts of the journey, Alexis said, she told herself she would “never do anything like this again.” Ah, but the afterglow of success...

She next is looking to take on shorter routes, including the 335-mile Pinhoti Trail, as soon as next year. She and her hiking partners joked about reuniting in a few years to embark on the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail.

They weren’t entirely kidding about that... Oh, only about 5%.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Alexis Holzmann completed a six-month hike of famous Appalachian Trail