Every Adventure

So I won't say exactly where I live, because I'm eventually hoping this blog will find some readers and as flattering as it would be to have a total creepy stalker show up on my doorstop, I also think it would be terrifying. Anyway. What I will say, is that I live in a city. Not a huge city, not a tiny city, but a well-developed city that is (most unfortunately), lacking in lot of hiking trails that lead to beautiful, soaring vistas. The kind that are really popular with the Instagram crowd, y'know? We do have a few parks, one that goes through a pretty neat cypress swamp, but we're more of a beachy area than anything else. And while I do love the ocean and all the adventures it brings, I'm most at home in some old-growth forests, sweating up a trail and looking out over rolling hills and snowcapped mountain peaks. I'm originally from Seattle, and while I love my new home, I often daydream about being back and exploring everything the Cascades have to offer.

I'm currently sitting on my condo's little balcony, swaying gently in the breeze in my hammock that I've (somewhat sketchily) rigged up to the balcony rails. The light is coming across the deck, peeking between the plants of the little garden paradise I've created here. And I'm contemplating the meaning of the outdoors. I love to be outside. I love to feel the sun, the rain, the wind, the snow on my face. I love to smell the earth, the damp soils and the pine trees. I love to hear the roar of the brook. But as much as I love the outdoors, I also love what it makes me appreciate when I return from it. A hot shower at the end of the trip, my stove and my fridge, my air conditioning. I love the outdoors both for what it shows me while I'm there, and the gratitude I feel for my modern conveniences upon my return. As I sit here, I'm thinking on Instagram. I know that sounds silly, but keep reading. I am an Instagram fanatic. I don't post all that often, b

Hello Again!      As you can read, I did not die on my first solo backpack into the Great Unknown. I came, I saw, I walked out of the forest wiser, older, and much  smellier. And it was glorious. So artsy. Instagram is gonna love this one. #feet      I had a great time and hardly got freaked out by bears at all. Actually, after all the hooplah and the preparation, I'm a little disappointed I DIDN'T see a bear at this point. I did see plenty of signs of bear, including a big ol' pile of steaming bear poo (or scat, if you want to be all grown up about it). Also a bear came around the cabin I was staying at Friday night and gnawed on a bunch of coolers. So maybe that's enough bear for my first trip out anyway.      I ended up heading up to Shenandoah National Park and hiking the Beecher Ridge/Overrun Falls trail. It was wonderful. The total trip mileage was supposed to be 12 miles, but I added in a little extra on the Trace Trail, so it totaled about 14. In all,

"Journey?" You might be asking yourself. What does an 80's band have to do with hiking? Well sit back and let me show you... I have a new adventure picked for this weekend. I'm not going to say where or when, because I'm kind of paranoid about strangers knowing my plans, but I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get back. In the meantime, all I need to tell you are the following things: 1) This is the first time I'll be backpacking alone. 2) I am a *teensy* bit nervous. 3) There are supposedly a lot of bear sightings where I'm headed. Now, whenever I get worried about something, I have the same MO. Instead of just becoming generally nervous about everything, I hyper-focus on one particular thing to be freaked out about. In this case, it's not strange people, it's not snakes or ticks or Wendigo, it's not any normal fears like pooping in the woods or having to use the stove. Nope. It's bears. I am terrified of seeing a

Hello hello hello everyone! Welcome to the first entry of my new blog, Each New Adventure. I chose this title because I believe that with each new adventure in our lives, no matter how large or small, we learn a little something about ourselves and the world around us, and that's a concept I really dig. I'm not sure what this blog will be yet; I'm not claiming it'll be all about the outdoors, or travel, or really anything at all. But I do know that I will do my best to keep it interesting, and most importantly, honest. So thanks for joining me! -A.