Not All Who Wander Are Lost...

The beginning...a pretty good place to start. I should lead off by saying, nay, warning you that I am/was probably the last person in the world anyone would think to be starting a blog. I still have a dumb phone and have been on, what some may call, a mini-crusade against our over dependence on technology. "Now having said that" (Inside joke), if we could keep this between you and me (if anyone is actually reading this), I'd appreciate that!

Alright enough of that...lets get down to brass tacks. What is this blog, or as I like to call it, My Virtual Tome (*cough...weirdo...cough),  all about? Well, starting next summer I hope to embark on a year's long journey, traversing the American roadways and calling port at each of the continental National Parks (sorry Hawaii, American Samoa, Virgin Islands $$), and I hope to use this forum as a way to chronicle my quest. From Washington D.C. to the Gates of the Arctic and everything in between. Testing myself across all forms of physical terrain this great country has to offer; from hiking in the Shenandoah, canyoneering in the...Canyonlands, kayaking the Kenai Fjords, rock climbing in Yosemite, skiing down the Rockies, rafting through Big Bend, ice climbing in Glacier Bay, SCUBA diving off Biscayne, mountaineering to the top of Mt. Ranier, and of course backpacking through the endless Wilderness in untamed America...(etc). Alone, with nothing but my Jeep (the Kodiak), my gear, and my intuition...

This past year I have been exposed to both the "limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind," and while it may seem I am running away from society, I like to view it as more of a return to nature. That being said, I cannot wait to meet the characters I will inevitably run into on this quest. I might share a campsite with a complete stranger for a whole week, or hike 5 miles with another, or even spend the day climbing with a group...no matter how long our paths are crossed, these would-be strangers will have a lasting impact on how this story is told...for better or for worse.

Also, I have recently grown more and more disappointed by what is "expected" of us and would like to re-write that definition for myself. We are getting too soft and settling for the easy way out of everything. Anyway...I don't want to get too preachy....but GO OUTSIDE...EXPLORE... GET LOST...PUSH YOURSELF!

I'm sure I am leaving out a lot  but I consider this a living document and will always update accordingly. I suppose that what these "blogs" are for anyway.

I'll wrap things up here. Once I get a proper camera I will be taking an inventory of all my adventure gear and post it here...so stay tuned! Meanwhile...take a look at the current course I have laid out for this adventure. Comments and critiques are all welcome. BUT remember! Its not about the destination...its how you get there...