Almost three weeks ago, I ended my 2 and a half week road trip to California. I hiked my way through Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite, and it was (by far) one of the most strenuous, yet rewarding, things I’ve ever done in my life. 

I can’t even begin to express how much this trip meant to me, or how it made me feel like nothing else existed. When you find yourself out in the wild, it becomes just you against nature. There’s no social media (or society for that matter) and it’s just you and the trails. You and the storms. You and the mountains. You and your biggest fears. 

It became all about survival. I didn’t realize this until after getting back, but living was the only goal; the only fight. & at times, it seemed like the hardest battle I had ever fought. But I’m here now. I made it out & am beyond stoked to go out and do it again. Explore more. Discover more. Live more.

Going into this post, I thought I knew what I was going to talk about, but I couldn’t even begin to tell you the thrills I felt even if I scanned in every page of my journal. It’s all about the journey and the experience. The change within. The freedom that comes with walking until you can’t anymore. 
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I met a man along the trail who joked that one should never look up to the sky while wearing sunglasses and using a walking stick, or you will forever be known as “Ray Charles of the Trail.” These are the people and memories that make everything worth its while. They are the ones you fall in love with and yearn to become. They are the reason I will continue to wander and get lost. They are the trails. And the mountains. And the seas.