Get Out There.

I gotta get out of here!

Back in 2021, I got a feeling that I needed to leave. A feeling that I knew wouldn’t let me be. I was born and raised in small town Indiana and before I got the travel bug, I spent my time hiking every inch of the midwest. But after the pandemic in 2020, something in me changed. I knew that I was meant for more and once that happened, there was no going back. I applied for a job in Bryce Canyon National Park, and got accepted.
After making my decision, my family and I wanted to go on one last trip, so we decided to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.

We arrived on a Friday in April. The weather was moody, just like the overhanging feeling of goodbye we all felt. I’ve lived within an hour of my parents for the last 26 years, and we all knew this was going to be a difficult transition. But I think we also knew that this move was going to bring something good for all of us, we just couldn’t put our finger down on what. Looking back now, leaving brought closer in a way that is hard to describe. I’ve always had a relationship with my family, but moving so far away made me realize how truly important my dad is to me. And how much my mom cares about me, even if I didn’t see it before. We stayed in my dads camper together, hiking during the day and sitting next to the fire at night.

Our second day was uneventful, just like we all wanted. We found the most popular trails and tried to soak in all the beauty the park had to offer. There were waterfalls, enormous trees, and all kinds of flowers. I fell more in love with the park each mile we walked. I knew the terrain of the West was very different than Ohio, but I had no idea at the time how different. The lush greenery in Hocking Hills is a sanctuary for me now and I can’t explain the feeling I get when dreaming about the midwest; except it’s my home.

Going To California (by Led Zeppelin)

Olivia and I have been close friends for years and when we went on this trip, I had been living across the country for two years. We decided to meet in central California for a reunion; we are both travel lovers and neither of us had been to the area. We intended to leave all our worries behind for a week, and find all of the cute animals that live in Central California. We went a couple of months after the holidays, and needed to relieve our stress. Our plan we to simply indulge ourselves in the beauty of all the parks in the area and kayak with the otters. In this photo, we are at Pfeiffer Big Sur state park, watching the seals play on the shoreline. We both lived in states that have brutal winters, so we were soaking in the sun every moment we could.

 Next on our list was traveling highway 1 to see Big Sur. This is Bigsby Bridge, a famous area for photography. We drove across the coast for hours, stopping whenever we wanted, listening to good music, and sharing even better company. The smell of salt water filled our lungs, and without realizing it we were making memories we would never forget. The highway was closed after about 60 miles, so we found a waterfall to hike to and turned back. I’ll never forget the feeling of relief I had when we drove through the forests of central California, wondering what types of species called the magnificent area home.

One of our must-see adventures was finding old-growth Coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). We went to The Forest of Niscene Marks State Park and found more than we could have ever imagined. The trees were massive, creating an oasis in the middle of a small town. We found banana slugs everywhere, babbling brooks creating an incredible background noise, and got to hug some of the biggest trees we’ll ever witness! We talked about our dreams and aspirations while walking through one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I was so impressed by the silence these types of stands bring. It was like we were miles away from society, yet the park was in the middle of a bustling neighborhood.

We wanted to understand some of the culture in the area, so we stopped in Santa Cruz and found an amazing beach. The clouds were rolling in over the mountains while the surf crashed onto the rocky beach. Olivia and I only get to see each other once a year, so we tried to catch up as much as we could on this trip. On this particular day, I only remember smiles, laughter, and being grateful that I had someone to travel with me. There were seals playing in the surf and bathing in the sun nearby.

Our last stop of the trip was Monterey Bay. We kayaked through a slough, where seals and otters sunbathed all around us. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, as we got to see some of the most amazing wildlife right next to our kayaks. We also stopped at the aquarium and had dinner on the pier, planning the next time we could have a trip as fantastic as this one. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is rated as one of the best in the country, and it did not disappoint!

Australia Time

During my time at Utah State University, I heard about a study abroad program that peaked my interest. One of my favorite professors was leading it, and it was on a tiny island I had never heard of off the coast of Australia. I immediately decided I needed to go; I had no idea how I would be able to pay for it or how I could take that much time off work, but I was going to try!

This trip was to a tiny island off the coast of Australia, called Heron Island. I had only left the U.S. twice, so this was a big endeavor to think about, but I sure was willing to try! The class was all about studying the Great Barrier Reef and all its inhabitants, so this was RIGHT up my alley. The more I learned about the trip, the more excited I got. 

A few weeks after my initial application, I found out I got it! On top of getting accepted into the program, I also received the travel reward that paid for my flights through the University. Holy cow, this was getting real. I applied to scholarships with no luck, and met with a financial advisor. She told me I could receive some of my financial aid early, and BAM. It was a done deal. I was going to Australia, it was all paid for, and now all I had to do was get on the plane.

When the time came, I got to the Salt Lake City airport and met my travel buddy, Alice. The flight was long, but uneventful and Alice and I had a week in Sydney before the class began. We stayed in a hotel on the Southern end of the city and tried to pack in as many adventures as we could. We walked through the city, went to the botanical gardens, and took ferries to National Parks within an hour of our hotel. 

Our time in Sydney flew by and it was time to meet up with the rest of our class. We stayed at a dingy little hostel before climbing aboard our last flight to the coast. I met everyone I’d be living with for the next few weeks, and was grateful how kind everyone was. I was definitely one of the oldest people in the class, but I’ve gotten used to that while being at USU. The next morning, we all climbed on a huge boat, and settled in for a 3 hour trip across the ocean. After one of the most nauseating few hours of my life, we saw a tiny island in the distance; it was Heron Island! 

We had made it. It did not seem real to me until that very moment. I was going to study the Great Barrier Reef for the next two weeks of my life. If you would have told me 5 years ago I’d be in Australia studying species I’d only dreamed of seeing, I would have laughed in your face. But here I was. The island was beautiful. There were different species of birds and plants everywhere; I was in heaven. 

The next day we got fitted into our wetsuits and snorkel gear and began our studies. I had never even snorkeled before, so this was all very new and exciting! After the first dive, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I could tell this trip would change me forever, and in the best way possible. We were able to dive three times a day; morning, afternoon, and evening. I tried to go on as many dives as I could, but I also made sure to take time in this once in a life time experience to slow down. I am usually a workaholic and don’t know when to let myself breathe, so I made a promise to use this trip as a reset; I deserve to take evenings to do things I enjoy like reading or hiking. I do not have to go 1,000 miles a minute to be successful and I tend to forget that most days.

The time on the island flew by. In the mornings, we’d wake up early to snorkel through the Reef, eat breakfast, go to class, and have tea time. We had time for studying before our afternoon snorkel and lunch. Then we’d get ready for class again, snorkel one last time, and go to dinner. We also had 3-4 deep water dives, where we’d take a small boat out into deeper waters and dive in different types of environments. I got to witness so many different species, I couldn’t even begin to name them all. One of my favorite things to see was the sea turtles. They were around in almost every dive, but I never got tired of seeing them meander through the waters. 

I read 5 books on that trip, more than I usually read in a year. I did yoga most days, stayed off social media, and just focused on the present. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy. I made it a priority to take care of myself and I am so grateful I was given the opportunity to do so. I try to incorporate what I learned on the island, but that is much harder to practice now that I’ve been back in the states for a year and a half. It’s easier to focus on the important aspects of life when they are staring you right in the face, rather than being in the constant stresses of everyday life. But I know I am a changed person after this trip. It made me realize how tiny we really are and how important it is to take care of each other. I’m not just talking about humans taking care of other humans, I’m talking about humans taking care of the trees, the sea turtles, the sea slugs; everything. We need to strive to do our best to do what is right for others just as much as we do for ourselves.

Road To Nowhere!

I have no idea what I’m doing!

I am currently graduating with my Forest Ecology degree with absolutely no idea where I’m going next. I have been applying to jobs, but because of a number of ongoing hurdles, I have not landed anything yet. So the world is my oyster? ( insert stressful laugh here) On the brighter side of things, I did get accepted into graduate school (Woohoo!). I am continuing my education at Utah State University by getting my Master’s of Natural Resources, and all of my classes are online. So while I have a structured plan, I actually have no idea what’s going on. 

Many most likely think of a pilgrimage as a grand, physical journey to a holy land, but my next chapter is shaping up to be a more internal and immediate kind of quest. I have my destination—the Master’s of NR program —but the actual pilgrimage is the time between now and then, the unforgiving and wandering path of finding where I will be next and what kind of work I will be doing. 

All of these “ongoing hurdles” I’ve been trying to overcome have turned out to be my own pilgrimage trails. They are the stretches of uncertainty and rough terrain on my personalized map. My own journey is full of trials but honestly, it has all been worth it. I have found out things about myself I never would have, traveled to places I would have never seen, and met some of the most important parts of my life.

I think the most ironic part of my path and quest is that I have had a structured, detailed plan my whole time at USU until now. I now don’t know where I’ll be living in 30 days, what kind of work I’ll find, or who I’ll meet next.  My stomach is full of butterflies, but in a good way! I know the Universe will guide me in whatever way I need to go and I believe in myself. I’ve recently read, “The Alchemist” and the storyline of that book has made me realize how important it is to trust the process of my pilgrimage and find my own “Personal Legend.”