Meet Nikki
Mom
Trail Name: Hot Shower
Hello! I’m Canary (Evye), and this is my German Shepherd, Circles (Button).
I’m 23 (very recently with a birthday!)
I’m child number 2 out of us 15, though oldest daughter, and oldest child on trail.
Being one of the oldest, I’m part of the lucky half born in Texas Raised in west Texas most of my childhood (Paint Rock, TX to be exact. Fun Fact: the population when I lived there was 256!), Grayson and I usually spent our time riding bikes around town, fishing at the local river, or attending his chicken business. He ran the whole thing, I was just in charge of cleaning the eggs () and rescuing the chickens that got themselves stuck in tight spots that Grayson couldn’t fit in to save them
Coming into adulthood in Northern NC/Southern VA, I began to adopt a hobby for vehicle mechanics and a passion for welding. While helping run the family coffee shop, I also managed to attend our local community college and pursue my passion for welding, and also worked part
time at Advance Auto Parts eventually becoming a manager. After the coffee shop closed, I worked for Grayson in the family woodworking business he created that was now flourishing. In 2021 two fingers were severed unexpectedly in a bad car accident, which halted all of welding endeavors for about a year. The closure of Grayson’s business soon followed. I filled my time with more work as a manager at Advance Auto Parts and eventually picked up a second job in 2022 at Virginia International Raceway working the go kart track. That was so much fun, I got our little brother “Three States” (Grant, 18) working at the VIR go kart track this summer while we’re on trail!
Fun fact about me:
I have 9 fingers!
​
Though the wreck I had in 2021 was pretty grueling, I was fortunate enough to have minimal injuries on my non dominate hand. I rolled my 1988 Ford Ranger 2 1/2 times, had 2 dogs in the truck with me, and the only damage (aside from a totaled truck) was on my left hand, lots of bruises, and a couple of scratches on the dogs. But all is well now, and I bet y’all would’ve never known I was missing a finger had I not just told you
Another fun fact: there’s an even amount of feet (32) between the bunch of us, but an odd amount of fingers (159)
Get to know my dog, Circles!
​
After being raised with many German Shepherd rescues my entire life, I decided I wanted to take on the endeavor of a German Shepherd puppy, adopting her at 7 weeks old. As a family, we know the breed well and knew we wanted an element of protection on trail.And boy, is she just that!She is my year and a half old, full blood German Shepherd. She is very much a working breed, and loves her job and her people with a fiery passion. She does her job well.Lots of people stay worried (which, we do greatly appreciate the love and concern!) for her from the horror stories of other dogs hiking through the north, with owners who just didn’t take the right precautions in prepping their pup for their hike. Where Circles has the advantage of truly being bred for this adventure, most dogs could absolutely do the same thing she’s doing with the right paw prep, exercise and diet. Just like humans, she develops trail legs we well! The best answer I can give; she’s doing better than I am! I keep a nightly paw check routine and I can safely say her paws are doing better than my own feet with shoes on I haven’t put booties on her the whole trail, with expectations of using them in at least Pennsylvania, and she still didn’t need them. The first hiccups we had with her paws was early Virginia, which I took care of it with Neosporin and she’s been golden since. I don’t make her carry any weight she doesn’t have to. With the support of Smoky Bear and our van, I am fortunate enough to have to carry minimal dog food. And when the time comes for the Whites and the 100 Mile Wilderness, I am fortunate enough to have siblings who love her just as much as I do, and willing to help me carry extended days worth of food.
Though she may not carry anything other than her love for her pack (of humans), I began putting paw wax on her in northern NY just as preparation for the Whites. 1700 miles and lots of rock scrambles deep, she’s still going strong. Solid paws, solid bones, solid attitude. Her vet and our check ins throughout our hike have confirmed this! She is a bouncy, happy and healthy puppy, ready for another possible future through hike!
One thing on my bucket list is to see the Northern Lights. Not a crazy aspiration but easily obtainable I think. I also have a rain check for a backpacking trip in the Canadian Rocky Mountains with my mom and a best friend of many years (love you, Dean ), so that has to be done be it bucket list or not Traveling is in my midst!
​
​
​
​
Something that makes me smile…it’s hard to choose just one thing. There’s so many reasons to smile. I tend to be an observer so anything from watching my siblings grow and interact with each other or Smoky Bear, to the tree tops moving in the wind, flourishing critters in healthy water sources. All the different types of plants and mushrooms. Trail magic! Getting to the top of the mountain after a hard push. Circles progressing The tramily Circles and I have grown to become a part of Getting to witness general kindness from Mother Nature and humans in my everyday life, especially out here on trail. Moss! Oh my goodness the moss. Also rocks. Freakin’ love rocks. Not really the PA kind, but I can appreciate them too. The sun rising each morning! The list goes on and on. Everything is beautiful when you look at it with appreciation.
If I could go anywhere in the world, even from when I was a kid and obsessed with Greek Mythology, I still to this day hope to visit Greece. But I’d like to visit a lot more than that. So Greece first, then we’ll see where the wind (and my finances) take me!I tend to have a habit of collecting super tiny objects, as well as pottery. Tiny objects being normal things, but super duper small they make me so happy. Like tiny mushrooms in the forest. Omg. (I don’t collect those, but I sure do appreciate them) I also tend to collect Brown Drip pottery. The real stuff is kind of hard to find, but every so often you can get a good score in an antique or thrift store.
Currently my favorite sweet treat is Rice Krispies or M&M’s. It’s always been M&M’s, but the trail kinda changed my thinking to M&M’s being a special treat since they’re heavy, and the Rice Krispies being a perfect sweet tooth cure since they’re lightweight and easy to packAs far as someone who I’m inspired by…I’ve never really molded my own life and success after another human, as I’ve just wanted to create my own. Life and general peace and happiness inspires me the most. Seeing what life can be made into in both the current moment and the future. Making life a beautiful and exciting place to be in, it leaves me more excited for the rest of what’s to come. I think it’s okay to have a human who inspires you, but I think I find mine most in my surroundings. Watching other humans in day to day lives. Watching Circles become better each day. And truthfully, she may be the most of my inspiration. Because if I don’t flourish, she doesn’t flourish. And if I want her to be the best dog she can be, I have to be solid within myself so she can do the same.
The best piece of advice I can give: live and let live. Make your life something you can’t stop smiling about. Quit worrying about everybody else’s. Because that is all up to you in yourself, and it is absolutely possible.
