I always hated the blog posts and Youtube channels that started with something like, “sorry that I haven’t posted recently, I have had so much going on and neglected the blog or channel.” So here I am, after not posting in several months, and I am not going to apologize for not posting, because I have been out here living some amazing adventures! I believe I left off somewhere around the time that I was in Los Angeles, working on a contract as a medic. I spent several months out there, exploring the Southern California area and getting to know some amazing people and truly wonderful and dedicated nurses, EMT’s,medics, doctors, physician assistants, lab techs, xray techs and a whole motley crew of renegades and pirates also known as medical “professionals”. I found myself eating some of the best food I ever experienced in my life, sitting on some of the most amazing beaches, photographing absolutely majestic mountain scenes, and driving along the coast through well known areas like; Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Hollywood and a countless list of other badass spots! Oh, and I guess there was also quite a bit of patient care that went on in parking lots, covered by tents, in conditions that would make refugee camps looks nice (been there I know) but more on that later, for now the happiness of travel. There was several tearful goodbyes when I found this contract ending, just like my last, and I found that I had formed bonds with people in just several months that would be stronger than the bonds I formed over years with others. I equate this back to the power of traveling new places and being outside of your comfort zone! I left knowing that I made life longs friends learned about myself and, always a plus, I had saved enough money to explore the world some and chase some dreams and that’s exactly what I planned on doing!

Rather than driving straight back to Ohio, I wanted to finish the ‘good ol’ fashion road trip’ I had started when I took Route 66 out west for the contract in Los Angeles. So, I headed north, along the California coast on California 101 known for it’s awesome surf spots and sunswept beaches. I found myself weaving through small towns and finding beautiful sunsets up to San Francisco (or San Fran because it pisses off a friend named Aram if he reads this), where I met up with an old friend from high School. Haley and I spent the day catching up from 10 years ago. I found it crazy that we were walking around San Francisco together after last seeing each other in Ohio years and years ago! It just highlights one of the reasons I love to travel, you never know where you may run back into an old friend! Anyway I continued north along the coast visiting Fort Ord, an abandoned Army base turn civilian town where my mother grew up, and walked along the bike trail that led to the old ammunition bunkers. While exploring these bunkers I found that you could easily climb down to the beach below, and a few minutes later I found myself walking on a completed deserted beach without another human in sight. I remember feeling something I can only describe as peace. This is a feeling I would continue to find over the last year of travel but this is where I truly first remember this feeling. Anyway, after my own recreation of the religious “Footsteps” poem I made it back to the car, thankful for the experience I had just had, and again continued north. Ultimately, on this leg, I would travel through the Redwood Forest, and some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen, up to points along the Oregon coast, and finally found myself in the loud bustling city of Seattle.

In Seattle you are constantly being towered over by Mount Rainer. At 14,410 feet tall, it’s definitely a presence in the city! Maybe this adds to why everyone seems like they are in a rush in the city, I don’t know! What I do know is, I have driven all over the country, from New York to LA, and places like Miami and Atlanta, but I was never cut off more than I was here! I visited the Market (I find myself always starting out in a new city in a market or something equivalent because you can get a real read of the city!) Anyway, after this, I walked around the city and met up with my old friend, Omar from the Indiana, Camp Atterbury days! He took me to a super cool Afghan restaurant, and the showed me Snoqualmie Falls, which were absolutely breathtaking! We ate lunch and I continued East now, along US highway 2, also known as the Great Northern Route, which parallelled an old railroad bed that connected the northeast with the northwestern United States. It is now the northernmost highway in the US! I crossed through Washington State and into Idaho, then Montana, and North Dakota. Here you drive past majority of the United States Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Fleet, and it was a crazy sobering moment to realize that if humans caused a rapid “end of the world” event it would most likely begin right here! I explored some bunkers and relics from the cold war that reiterated this fact and while driving, I found myself wondering what I would do next. During this time my mind always, somehow, wondered back to hiking the Appalachian Trail.

After several weeks of road tripping, and several months of living in hotels, I found myself back home in Youngstown, Ohio. I also found myself immediately falling back into the same patterns of emotions and habits. My depression quickly swept back in and I was plagued with feelings of sadness and loneliness! I didn’t last but a few weeks back at home, and I soon packed my apartment, put all my belongings in storage, and hit the road…. again… another win for running away from my problems, last minute, with no plan, but who am I to bash what works right now? I also registered for a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail on the ATC’s website, and told myself that if I didn’t find another contact for work, by the time I made it to Georgia; I would be starting the AT again on April 20th. (sidenote: You don’t have to register your hike with the ATC but it does help cut down on crowding and was super easy.) On my way south, I found myself back in Columbus, Indiana (Yes, this is west of Ohio, but ultimately I would be heading south). This is where I had worked with the Afghan Refugees, and spent the evening sitting at the hotel bar in the hotel where I lived for those several months. I thought about all the happiness I knew when I was working on the camp, and the amazing people I met there. I compared this time to the loneliness I felt now, and realized that this life of travel I have been living, and honestly life as whole, is very cyclical. You have some of your highest highs and lowest lows, and everyone of these cycles builds you up a bit more. I went to bed that night knowing a new adventure was on the horizon, but was just unsure of what it was. The next morning I continued heading south. This time I ended up at the highpoint of Arkansas, another state I also wanted to check off the “visited” list. Signal Hill, on Mount Magazine, was pretty empty when I got there, fogged had rolled in and made for a very erie feel to the old hotel and the rock scrambles out to the ledges around the park. I got my picture with the peak sign and booked an AirBnB in town. The next day I had even bigger plans. I was going to drive to Mississippi just to try a Bar-b-que joint that was recommended by some friends. I have no shame admitting food drives a lot of my adventures, and “The Shed” as its known, right off of Interstate 10; would not let me down! It was amazing!! (definitely check it out if you ever get the chance!!) After this stop, I drove into several thunderstorms, one of which apparently produced a tornado that I drove close enough to to watch the trees bend across the road. However, during all this excitement I decided that I didn’t want to pursue another contract….. I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail or at least try to anyway. 2194.3 Miles sounded unthinkable, but hell, I would give it my best shot.

I spent the next few weeks with my family catching up on life, and filling them in on my plans to hike from Georgia to Maine. On the foot patch that would lead through amazing places, Starting at Springer Mountain, then the Smoky Mountain National Park, Shenandoah National Park, White Mountain National Forest, and ultimately, Mount Katahdin Maine. I also spent a lot of time trying to stomp out any doubt I had about my abilities to do the hike. Finally, the time came for me to catch the shuttle to Atlanta then take the train to North Springs Georgia, where I would meet another shuttle driver to take me to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the AT. Now, I assure you I have a novel’s worth of writing about the AT. It was the hardest most rewarding life changing and fondest time I have ever had. To condense it into this post alone will not even do it justice…if I am able to do it justice at all. So, I will write individual post about my time on the trail but for now where am I at? Well I’m in Antarctica at McMurdo Station. How did I end up here? Well lets just say there’s plenty of material for future posts!!