Carrying a Pebble, Carrying Strength

Carrie’s Coast to Coast Adventure

When Military Wild member Carrie set her sights on walking across England, she wasn’t just chasing a bucket-list hike. She was carrying a pebble, a promise, and a reminder of what Military Wild is all about: finding strength, joy, and community in the great outdoors.

Her journey followed the legendary Wainwright Coast to Coast Walk, nearly 200 miles from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. It’s a trail of sweeping farmland, dramatic fells, boggy moors, and charming villages. A hike that demands grit but offers magic in return. And Carrie, with her humor, determination, and Military Wild spirit, embraced every step.

Map of Coast to Coast Walk

Carrie and Military Wild

Carrie isn’t new to adventure or to Military Wild. While stationed with her husband in Rota, Spain, she joined in on several hikes and activities with the group, finding both community and inspiration in the outdoors. A U.S. Air Force veteran herself, with a husband serving on active duty in the Navy, she now works as a contractor for the Army at MEPCOM. Adventure, resilience, and service have always been a part of her story.

Two hikers pose with trekking poles at the starting point of the Coast to Coast Walk in St. Bees, ready to embark on their scenic journey across England.

So has hiking. Carrie has trekked into the Grand Canyon on a three-day backpack, spent five days exploring Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante, four days in Grand Gulch, and even walked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The Coast to Coast was her next big challenge. It is longer, wetter, and filled with its own kind of English magic.

A Pebble and a Start

Tradition says you begin at St. Bees by dipping your boots in the Irish Sea and pocketing a pebble to carry across the country. Carrie did just that, grinning as she picked blackberries along the way. From the very start, she wove joy into the challenge.

And while Alfred Wainwright, who mapped the route, may not have known Carrie, he would have loved her determination. As she paused for lunch with a view of “this green and pleasant land,” she carried his spirit forward, ordinary people doing extraordinary walks.

A lone hiker traverses a rugged stone path through a moorland landscape, approaching ancient rock formations under a cloudy sky.

Wrong Turns and Right Attitudes

Day 2 brought the Lake District, where Carrie got her first taste of “fell walking.” In true trail fashion, she took a wrong turn and nearly fell into an actual lake. But instead of frustration, she laughed and kept going. That’s what makes Carrie’s story shine: she doesn’t just hike through difficulties, she embraces them with humor.

By Day 3, with weekend crowds of hikers and tricky descents into Grasmere, she had to focus on staying upright. Fewer photos, but more proof that sometimes success is measured by safe ankles and steady steps.

Rest, Reflection, and Resilience

Carrie admits that for her, the hardest part of big adventures often comes before the trail even begins. Choosing the number of days, booking places to stay, figuring out maps and navigation can all feel overwhelming. For this journey, she turned to a company called Walkers Britain, who arranged B&Bs, pubs, and inns, provided electronic guides and GPX files, and even shuttled her big bags each day so she only needed a day pack. With logistics smoothed out, she could focus on the trail itself. https://www.walkersbritain.co.uk/

Ancient stone cairns stand resolute on the moor, beneath a vibrant rainbow arching across a cloudy sky.

That proved invaluable when reality set in. By Day 5, a painful knee and a stubborn cold threatened to derail her trek. Instead of giving up, Carrie adapted. She cut her mileage by taking a ferry, leaned on her patient hiking partner, and used every tool she’d learned from past adventures. ACE wraps, topical anti-inflammatories, and even a small thermos of bone broth she carried along the way. With those strategies and support, she kept moving forward.

Sometimes resilience looks like powering through. Other times, it’s taking a hot bath, choosing rest, and recharging for tomorrow.

Mud, Rain, and the Unexpected

A woman enjoys a breezy day at the beach, smiling in her hooded jacket and sunglasses while holding up a small seashell. The vast expanse of the ocean and a clear, blue sky create a serene backdrop.

As the days wore on, Carrie’s journey became a blend of the magical and the miserable. She passed stone circles, Viking-era carvings in ancient churches, and rainbows stretching across the sky. Near the halfway mark on the Nine Standards Rigg, the weather turned from challenging to downright punishing. High winds whipped across the ridge, rain came in sideways, and the trail transformed into a quagmire of mud. Trail lore tells of a hiker who once had to be rescued after sinking waist-deep in those bogs. Carrie nearly added her own chapter to the legend when the muck tried to claim one of her shoes.

Thanks to paving stones that had been airlifted in by helicopter, and the welcome refuge of a hunting hut where hikers could dry out and swap stories, she pushed on. Miserable as it was, this stretch revealed the heart of the journey: grit, camaraderie, and the stubborn determination to keep moving forward, one muddy step at a time.

Finding Magic in the Middle

Through the Yorkshire Dales, the trail opened into wide, sweeping farmland and enchanting streams. Carrie reveled in the rhythm of it all—waking up in a cozy inn, walking all day through beautiful landscapes, meeting new people on the trail, and then arriving to warm food and rest each night. For her, that simple pattern was the best part of the trip.

A stone arch bridge gracefully spans a tranquil stream in a serene, lush countryside setting, surrounded by tall trees and abundant greenery.

Along the way, she made “trail friends,” sharing meals in pubs and even Italian restaurants, proving that community is one of the most sustaining parts of any adventure.

Then came the Moors: bleak, windswept, and heavy with atmosphere. Carrie joked that she half expected Mary Lennox, Jane Eyre, or Heathcliff to emerge from the mist. At one point, she even struck up a conversation with a grouse, though it didn’t seem very interested in chatting back.

A Soggy Ending and a Sunny Goodbye

The final day delivered relentless rain and a detour around peat fires. Yet in Whitby, Carrie stood among the Abbey ruins that inspired Dracula, linking her adventure with literature and history.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Carrie walked to the sea, released her pebble into the waves, and watched as it disappeared into the surf. From one coast to the other, she had carried it across miles of mud, mountains, rain, laughter, and friendship. The pebble now rests in the sea, but the strength and stories it represents remain with her.

Why Carrie Inspires Us

Carrie’s Coast to Coast trek is more than a travel story—it’s a reminder of what makes Military Wild special:

• Small traditions, like carrying a pebble, become powerful symbols.

• Wrong turns are best met with laughter.

• Adapting—whether with ferries, rest days, or hot tubs—doesn’t lessen strength; it proves it.

• Community sustains us, whether on the trail or in a new duty station.

• Every mile matters, not just the finish line.

Carrie’s favorite part was the rhythm of walking: breakfast, boots, and breathtaking miles that led to new faces and new stories each day. Her hardest moments came with a cold and knee pain, but she pressed through with patience, preparation, and partnership. And in the end, she proved what Military Wild members already know: adventure isn’t about perfection. It’s about perseverance, creativity, and joy.

Her journey across England reminds us that whether you’re on a trail, in a new duty station, or facing life’s everyday challenges, you carry more strength than you know.

So here’s to Carrie, and all Military Wild members who seek adventure. See you on the trail.