Nicole Antoinette recently released a trail journal of her 2017 thru-hike of the Arizona Trail called “How to Be Alone.” And that’s what we met up to talk about on a trail near Boston: how her first thru-hike came to be, how she persevered, and why she decided to add to the trail journal canon. While quitting can indeed be a kindness, Nicole solo hiked all 800 rugged miles of the Arizona Trail. And it all started when she was over 30,000 feet up in the air, reading a book on a plane.