Earlier this year, Briana DeSanctis awoke from a perplexing lucid dream.

In it, someone close to her was at the final stages of their life, and DeSanctis was aware that they were afraid of death. In response, DeSanctis felt compelled to take on the role of caretaker within the dream, ensuring that her loved one felt safe as they confronted their inevitable fate. 

As she reflected on the dream later, she came to a somber realization: The "loved one" in her dream wasn't a family member or friend, but was rather a symbol for herself and the meaningful journey she's been on since January 2022.

For the past two years, DeSanctis, a 40-year-old native of Farmington, Maine, has been on a trek across the United States on the American Discovery Trail. And as she approaches the Pacific Coast of California, she finds herself mourning, in a way, the impending end of an adventure that has quite literally taken her from one end of the country to the other – and that may help her make history.

The American Discovery Trail Society is not aware of another woman who has completed the journey solo, the group's President Eric Seaborg told USA TODAY.

"This life, the one I’ve been living for two years, this life of freedom in the midst of struggle, is almost finished," DeSanctis wrote on Jan. 20 in a column for the Daily Bulldog, the Maine news outlet where she has regularly documented her hike. "This life of mine is coming to an end. I feel like a part of me is dying. I’m simultaneously the guardian of my being; my welfare, happiness and stability."

A reflection of solitude, welcoming arms

DeSanctis' two-year expedition has been one of solitude as she completes a solo hike that began Jan. 1, 2022 on the Atlantic shores of Cape Henlopen, Delaware. But those long solitary stretches have also been punctuated by meaningful encounters with Americans from all walks of life who have offered food, water and even a warm place to stay for the night to a traveling stranger.

As she nears the end of an extraordinary 6,800 mile hike across 15 states and Washington, D.C., DeSanctis told USA TODAY that it'll be those memories that will stick with her the most when she integrates back into a regular life.

“Everyone that you meet takes you in and shows you a little part of their world,” DeSanctis said in a recent phone interview as she approached Rio Vista, CA. “Everybody that I've met has been really amazing.”

DeSanctis plans to walk into the waters of the Pacific Ocean on Feb. 10, signaling the official completion of the trail at its western terminus.

What is the American Discovery Trail?

When DeSanctis decided to tackle the American Discovery Trail, she was working in a metal shop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It had been seven years since she completed the more famous – and arguably less daunting – Appalachian Trail, and the lifelong outdoorsman decided she was in need of a new challenge. 

“I wanted to have a more solitary experience,” DeSanctis said. “When you are by yourself, you’re 'by yourself.' There aren’t always hikers around and the people you do meet don’t really understand what you’re doing.”

One of the longest trails in the nation, the ADT stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California. Along the way, adventurers come across an array of habitats and terrains – from its highest point at over 13,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, to mountains separated by arid valleys in Nevada.

A blend of backcountry wilderness and urban environments, the trail also wends through forests, grasslands and greenways.

And when DeSanctis says she is completing the ADT, she is really hiking the entire trail. The ADT splits into northern and southern trails Ohio and unifies again in Colorado, so along her journey, she flew back to Ohio to hike the other trail, too.

'Nothing short of amazing'

Though she scrimped and saved before setting out on the trail, DeSanctis, a journalist and public speaker, said she has also worked odd jobs along her trek to help pay her way when she has found herself in need of food and supplies.

Praising the mental toughness that DeSanctis displayed to complete such an arduous hike on her own, Seaborg of the American Discovery Trail Society lauded her as “nothing short of amazing.” 

"She’s been a wonderful and inspiring ambassador for the trail," Seaborg told USA TODAY, adding that DeSanctis took the time to speak remotely from the trail during one of the organization's membership meetings. "It’s hard to think of the superlatives to capture her accomplishment – breath-taking, incredible."

A church shelter and making lifelong friends

Days spent hiking through isolated, remote areas and nights spent camping alone in her tent beneath the stars have largely defined DeSanctis' coast-to-coast hike.

But she's also had occasion to regularly rely on the generosity and friendship of others.

When not camping on her own in the wilderness, DeSanctis has found herself sleeping in garages, backyards and even spare bedrooms thanks to the hospitality of many people she met along her journey. She acknowledged that she didn't have much to offer them in return, save for tales of her adventures and her genuine gratitude.

“I’ve made so many lifelong friends along my travels," DeSanctis said. “When you’re looking for positive experiences and you’re not afraid, they’re going to find you."

Early into her hike, she said she came across a pastor and his wife in West Virginia who offered her shelter and respite from the January cold at their church down the road. Volunteers with the American Discovery Trail have also offered their support along the way when needed, Seaborg said.

While hiking through snowy Nevada late last year, DeSanctis was approached by a couple in a vehicle who saw her tracks in the snow and followed them to ensure no one was in distress. The couple, who introduced themselves as Duane and Andrea Carnahan, offered DeSanctis some water and even a place to stay for a few days before she headed out again on the trail.

The three of them bonded, and though the Carnahans are already legally married, they extended an invitation to DeSanctis to attend their wedding ceremony in August.

"Our bond with Briana was almost like we were all long time friends that had been separated by distance," Duane told USA TODAY. "She is like family to us."

What's next for Briana DeSanctis?

The Carnahans are just two of the people with whom DeSanctis hopes to reconnect when she completes her cross-country trek.

After more than two years in the wilderness, she said she's not eager to settle back down right away, either. A steady job and a permanent place to call home aren't necessarily in DeSanctis' immediate future if she can manage it.

When she completes her journey, she instead hopes to do some public speaking to share her story in hopes of inspiring others, particularly young women and girls, to do difficult things. DeSanctis said she's also working on a memoir about her adventure.

And of course, she has a lot more hiking ahead of her.

“I can always hike more, there’s always another trail out there,” DeSanctis said. “It's such a freeing experience; you take in a lot more, you see a lot more than if you were just driving by."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]