Leaving it All Behind
Parked up in the Smokies
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” - Muhammad Ali
Well, I’m pretty fucking terrified. Just a few days ago, I stuffed everything I could think of into my hastily furnished minivan, and hit the road. Why did I do that? Simple, I’d never live with myself if I didn’t. I drove, and drove, and drove, for almost four days, before stopping to visit some family in New Mexico, where I am now. I plan to do this for four months. Crazy right? Get used to it.
For months leading up to this trip, everyone who found out what I was doing asked me one question. “Where are you going?” And my answer was always the same. “West.” Cliche, I know, but that’s who I am. Truthfully, I didn’t know how to explain what this trip really meant for me, and didn’t want to get too deep on them for no reason.
I’ve felt a void in myself since graduating high school in 2023. I tried to fill that void with relationships, and when that stopped working, I felt lost. For many months I struggled to find myself a direction in life, turning to weed instead. Ironically, it was the desire to find more beautiful smoke spots that opened my eyes to the outdoors and pulled me out of the rut I was sinking into. I know, you’ve probably heard this a hundred times from assholes who think they’re the shit because they go on a walk in the woods sometimes, but I’M DIFFERENT.
Throughout 2024, I spent more and more of my time taking on more challenging hikes, especially up in New Hampshire. It was throughout that time that I realized just how badly I needed this in my life, and I decided to make my long-time dream of taking a van across the U.S a reality. I spent months researching, saving, but mostly dreaming, as one does. In early 2025, I bought Rhonda, a 2010 Honda Odyssey with 175,000 miles, and began taking her up on winter trips to New Hampshire, getting more excited with every passing day about what the summer would hold.
After finishing up my stint at community college in May, I dived into the van, enlisting the help of many unwilling family members, friends, and coworkers. In just 2 short weeks she was ready(ish), and just 12 hours after putting the last pieces on, I hit the road. It didn’t feel real until the first morning, when I opened my bedroom door to the beautiful sight of a Walmart in Virginia. And that leaves us here, getting ready to hit the road again towards Cali with a Mt. Whitney summit on my birthday.
To anyone that’s supported me in this journey, I owe everything to you. I’m leaving a lot of people behind on this journey, and it truly means the world to me how much encouragement I’ve received for this trip. I haven’t even started yet and my life has already completely flipped on it’s head. Money will come back, but the time won’t. If you have a dream, don’t let anybody, especially yourself, convince you otherwise. If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen, and you’ll have only yourself to thank.
Sorry to keep it short and sweet this time. To a summer of unemployment and taking photos of mountains and shit.
