Finishing the CDT

Start Date at Canadian Border

June 16, 2021

End Date at Mexican Border

November 20, 2021

My first tattoo was a composition by my mom of my two homes - the mountains and the ocean framed by a @ripe lyric that says

“until you face your fear, how can you hope to grow, to find joy in the wild unknown”

This hike has been that, every single day.

On growth

Processing and articulating my evolution and epiphanies throughout this hike is an ongoing process. The trail gifts us rocky nuggets of experience, memories, wisdom, and new dimensions of ourselves that we have to sand and polish into gems off trail

I am still sanding and becoming.

The epilogue of this hike is gratitude; gratitude for the gems of the trail and gratitude for you

With your encouragement for inspiration I was able to forge new strengths and confront my weaknesses. Thank you for reflecting back to me my best when I felt my worst.

On joy

I hope that by actualizing my unconventional dreams I have encouraged the best parts of you as well - the part that clings to the dreams they said are impractical, the part that loves fearlessly, the part that doesn’t need approval to claim joy.

Among many things, this hike taught me to stop listening to people who don’t know me but have opinions about what I should be doing with my life and time.

When we stop giving power to voices that don’t have our best interest at heart we also begin to shed the shame we internalized for who we are.

This is only the first of four sections of the Great Western Loop. I am 3000/ 7000 miles completed so I am asking that if you can, please donate $30 to the

️ link in my bio ️to celebrate and help me reach my goal of raising $7000 for the Trevor Project.