# @sjmagmedia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CbBevOJMfGn
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/143238-sjmagmedia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/f596344790.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-03-13T00:00:57.000+00:00

## Caption

Four years out of college, Alyssa Lukridge (@goldi_luks) was living according to her plan. She had a rewarding career as an oncology nurse, had a great apartment in the city and a wide circle of friends. And yet…the Moorestown native was restless.

What exactly was missing? She couldn’t say. And although Lukridge had never so much as taken a serious hike, she set out to backpack the entirety of the Appalachian Trail.

Two weeks into her adventure, the world was on lockdown. She turned back just 111 miles into the 2,190-mile trail.

Having quit her job at a time when nurses were in high demand, Lukridge realized she could go anywhere with her skills, so she decided to find a job where she could do the most good. She spent 2 months working in a New York City hospital slammed with Covid patients, then she decided on a whim to take a 6-month nursing job in Seattle to ride out the rest of the pandemic.

It was almost a year later, she returned to the trail with both a renewed appreciation for the opportunity and with a seed planted that she wasn’t done living on the West Coast.

Meeting fellow hikers, sleeping under the stars and spending long hours in her head while trekking really did solve her malaise. After spending a few months at home in Moorestown, Lukridge returned to a nursing job in Seattle last month – something she never considered doing before the pandemic.

“When I first applied for my Washington state nursing license, it was nothing more than a leap of faith,” she says. “My time on the trail made me realize I have unfinished business here. I’m more comfortable doing something outside my comfort zone.”

Alyssa’s story is just one of many SJ natives in desperate need of a reset after these last 2 pandemic-ridden years. Head to our Link in Bio to read more stories like hers!
#southjersey #newjersey #hiking #appalachiantrail #justsaysj #nature #southjerseyadventures

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 52
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- **Comments:** 2

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SJ Magazine | @Justsaysj | https://gondola.cc/Justsaysj | Magazine |
| Elyse Notarianni | @ElyseNotarianni | https://gondola.cc/ElyseNotarianni | Social Media Manager |

## Tags

justsaysj, nature, southjersey, hiking, southjerseyadventures, appalachiantrail, newjersey

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