The 'beginning'

This is my attempt to chronicle all the hikes/traveling my family has done from this point onwards as well as detail what we can collectively remember from the last 11 years of hitting the trails. Bear w/ me as I crank the dial back, it's going to be a long journey due to other obligations in life (:

A little bit of my family:

Awkward, unconventional, unique. Family of four- talented dad, expressive mom, lovable-in-the-oblivious-way brother, & me.

Though I know people will eventually read this (AKA you), this blog is more for me to remember everything because after a while, trips unfortunately start to blend together. That's not to say that I don't hope you can find some use in our experiences!

A little re-hashing from another blog post (but a lot more in depth, I've underlined a few key phrases so you can skip ahead as necessary, it's wordy):

I was on the phone w/ one of my good friends recently & he asked me why I like to hike so much when taking walks is more or less the same thing. I think my answer both surprised him & me- I've always told everyone who's asked how much I love to hike but never thought about the reason behind it until that moment. So this was my answer: when I take walks, I do it as a way to discover the area. I take in the surrounding scenes, make mental notes, explore, & involve myself in what I see. On the other hand, hiking is completely different. It removes you from our busy world of technology (if you so choose, that is) & allows you immerse yourself in a few things. There are three components to my passion for this seemingly pointless hobby- nature, mental, & physical; all great for the soul. It's beautiful & breathtaking to see the Earth the way it was before landscaping & settling- hiking offers a window into this world. In addition, it takes all the distracting elements of the suburbs/city & throws them away. On the trail, you can hear the quiet, broken only by an occasional greeting to a passing hiker or bird calls in the distance. In regards to mental, if you allow yourself, it's one of the best opportunities to get in touch w/ yourself again. As said earlier, we are a society always plugged in to a system through our phones, laptops, mp3s, tablets, etc. constantly running around making & breaking plans on the fly. Not only that but if you're like me, I try to keep in touch w/ friends & usually end up stretching myself out a little too thin. On the trail, it's only me, unplugged from modernity. Phone on silent, mp3 left in the car, no distractions. It provides a great environment for reflection & thinking. I'm able to think about whatever I want for however long I want w/o feeling rushed or guilty that I'm not spending that time doing something else. In short, it allows me to re-center my emotions & priorities. Lastly, physical. You are the boss, it's not about the people in front, behind, or next, it's about pushing your own boundaries.

It wasn't all rainbows & butterflies when our family first started hiking. As a grumpy 10 year old forced on a trail by my parents I didn't see the point or the beauty to seemingly trivial walks on a path, 'trees are great. They're also in my backyard, wow.' However, at some point I started to see things differently & that's when my love for hiking began.

I will now refer you to the Great Block of Text above if you ask me why I bother to hike, thanks for reading/skimming!