City Slicker to Mountain Man
Now I know it must be hard for you guys to believe, but I was not always this super good-looking outdoorsman. In fact, up until about 4 years ago, I was just a super good-looking city slicker! I was never going hiking, and definitely not revolving my vacations or free time around it. My idea of a vacation was partying!!! I wanted to go to Miami, New Orleans, or Las Vegas I was trying to live it up. Now not to say there is anything wrong with that or that I have stopped partying because that is definitely not the case. But If you told me that the for next four years, almost all of my vacations would revolve around hiking and backcountry camping with zero alcohol involved, I would say SIKE!
Then I met my good buddy Joe…. This guy is a crazy backpacking, cycling, granola bar eating nut, who I met while I was in grad school. I remember he would always go on these multi day backpacking trips to gorgeous locations across the US. He would show me some of the amazing pictures from the places he hiked and I was floored. The images he showed me did not look real. My life up until then consisted of living in long island, NY and NYC not exactly the wilderness. So when I saw the places that Joe was going I said I want to give one of these vacations a shot! I went on my first road trip backpacking through the southwestern United States, since then I was hooked.
There are so many things that I love about hiking. The exercise, hanging out with friends, and the views, oh god, the views are the most beautiful things you will ever see. But perhaps the most incredible gift hiking has given me was healing.
Especially being from a high-strung environment like NYC, I am constantly being pulled in a million different directions. That is why it is rejuvenating to go on the trail and forget everything. I am not mindlessly scrolling Instagram, rushing to catch the next train, or worrying about not having plans for the weekend. I am just in the moment. The things you think are problems in real life are not actual issues on the trail. The trail does not care how much money is in your bank account, your Instagram followers, or how you look. Everyone is treated the same. To get to point A to point B, you need to hike the same mileage and climb the same elevation.
I learned to appreciate the difficulty of hiking and enjoy the incredible views you encounter on your journey. I start to love the simple things. Like sitting down on a log for a break, eating a hot meal after a long day of trekking, or having shelter after hiking in the rain for HOURS! Then when I return to everyday life, I can try to live as I live on the trail. No, I will not be pitching a tent on park ave anytime soon, although that would be hilarious. But I will be acknowledging that there will be difficulty in the day-to-day, but it is handling the difficulty and appreciating what you have that will make your life beautiful.
Being in nature is where I feel my happiest, and I am sure that goes for many of you! Please take a look at our National Park Guides to help inspire and plan your next outdoor adventure. If you are new to backpacking and hiking I highly recommend you give it a shot! I know it can be overwhelming to undertake a trek or even just go camping without having doing something like that before but hey that’s where we can help. Just head over to our outdoors for beginners section for some articles to get you started and you have any questions please feel free to reachout at contact us. Happy travels and do not forget to wonderfarr!!!
