Hello everyone! I know it’s been a while since I last posted on the blog. As many of you have noticed, I have stepped away from blogging and long distance hiking indefinitely. I took some time to settle in here at home (Portland, OR) before posting this epilogue to a very important chapter in my life.
Atop Old Snowy Mountain in Goat Rocks Wilderness along the PCT in Washington.
In May, I returned from Nepal with a somewhat unexpected answer to the question: “What’s next!?” If you haven’t read this article yet, it’s worth reading (or re-reading) to fully appreciate everything that I will try to explain in this closing post. In short, of all the places in the world I have the freedom to roam, I want to be HOME in the Pacific Northwest!
Some of you followed my adventures last summer via my public Instagram feed. This is where I have been most active in sharing publicly and where I will primarily share my travels in the future. You’ll notice pretty quickly that I’ve gone in a surprising direction that some would consider retrograde. I went from long distance backpacking to shorter trips, much less distance, more day hikes, car camping, lounging in a hammock, and owning a camp chair for the first time in my life . It was glorious, ha!
I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, some context. The main point I made in my last article is that I view life as the ultimate ride. The last 8 years of long distance hiking and blogging are just one part of a much larger journey called life. Although many know me from long-distance hiking and I appreciate the rare and unique time I have spent on long trails, it does not define me.
As the name of my trail “Wired” suggests, I have always lived a life that burns the candle at both ends; work hard and play hard. I just never knew any other way. Two summers ago, I traveled solo to the mountains of France. I began to feel a change in myself, wanting to backslide a little. I was moving toward being more gentle with myself and giving myself more time to relax without feeling unworthy. I started stopping earlier at the end of my hiking days and slept in every morning. Then, overall as the days went by, I pushed less. In the past, doing this made me anxious or nervous. For the first time, taking it slow felt surprisingly good, and I allowed myself that space. Maybe I finally got the wiring out of my system!
From that trip, I returned home to Portland last year having discovered a new sense of lightness that was truly quite remarkable to me. I was fully aware of it and didn’t want to lose it, but things were already in motion for my difficult trip to Nepal and my regular 60+ hour work weeks (which allow me to take months off) d substitute teaching and childcare. …not exactly a relaxing plan. Shortly after returning, I made a new friend named Julie at a hiking seminar. Like me, Julie moved to the Pacific Northwest after spending her life in Illinois, had worked in education in the Chicago area, loved watching shows (ha!), and also focused about moving from an overworked lifestyle to one that allows for more quality, relaxed time… especially time spent outdoors.
We had a good influence on each other. We held each other accountable to not overwork and spend more relaxed time both indoors and outdoors (to clear up the misconception, hiking is quite tiring). It was surprisingly refreshing and fun. Over time, we realized that we had both found our life partner in each other. In fact, it was that simple. Like a final puzzle piece to complete everything, this fits perfectly. Pretty awesome!
Yes, Julie’s adorableness factor is ridiculous 🙂
McKenzie River, Oregon
I reluctantly left Portland in the spring and exercised in Nepal. Naturally, I just wasn’t interested in being away from home. Regardless of meeting Julie, my motivations and goals have changed over the past few years. As life goes on, things evolve and I am simply delighted to “be” for the first time in my life. This may seem a bit retrospective, but I’m really excited to have a quiet 40-hour work week and not work weekends for the first time ever. For me, it’s my personal pre-retirement. It’s so nice!
Of course, you should never say never, but I’m not planning future trips or multi-month blogs. There are no plans to do any long-distance hiking or turn Julie into a long-distance backpacker. I might still do shorter and longer hikes if I ever catch the bug, but I really doubt I’ll blog about it. For now, I’m really enjoying local day hikes, shorter backpacking trips, and car camping. This is all as exciting and new to me as hiking would be to others. There are so many things to do for traditional hiking and backpacking that the possibilities are endless.
We are certainly planning a life together, much of which will be spent outside. It doesn’t have to be a hike, and I actually prefer it not to be. I went there and did that. We found something of our own in more conventional outdoor experiences. Some might scoff at this idea and wonder how I could enjoy being in more traditional, busy areas after a hike. In reality, it’s not about escaping people, but rather enjoying nature in our own bubble of contentment.
Mount Jefferson Desert, Oregon
I do not want to neglect or minimize the importance of the last 8 years. We all embarked on this journey together with no idea where it would take us. Look how far we’ve come! Those of you who have been there since the beginning know that there was a lot more to it than just hiking for me. The course and the blog have given me a lot, but above all, I feel that it has allowed me to appreciate the details that make up the whole; these little moments, views and crossings that can seem light or insignificant. It doesn’t have to be a grand view or an epic mountain peak to have impact, value and a memorable moment. In fact, it’s the quieter, simpler ones that I cherish the most. The trail brought me this, and with it, a lot of lightness, peace and HAPPINESS.
It has been a privilege to have preserved such a memorable account of these years on the blog, and to also see it as a resource for others. The ripple effects of sharing the journey are something I will never be able to fully understand. This is quite astonishing and I am fully aware of it. It has been a special place for all of us and I know a source of inspiration and hope for many. I know this goodbye is bittersweet. I encourage those of you who are interested to continue following the journey which I will occasionally share via Instagram. Farewell and good luck to all for your future travels. Thanks for being part of mine 🙂
