Road Trip: The Beginning

Today I packed my bags...and it felt GREAT! Packing is rarely portrayed as a "fun" experience, but honestly, today I really enjoyed it.

The last few weeks I have been living a bit in the shadow of the road trip to come, only feeling the ambiguity, not the freedom. Today while packing, I really started to feel free.

After packing everything I needed for a few months in a car, I feel light and useful, not weighed down by a mountain of material possessions (which I have left in my parents home in suburbia - where excess clothing, gear, and keepsakes belong).

Packing also brought a smile to my face because as I picked up each object, I could almost see myself putting it to use somewhere along the journey. My bowl and spoon reminded me of all the hot morning oatmeal and haphazard but satisfying dinners to come. My sleeping bag helped me imagine the quiet places I will lay my head to sleep, and the glorious sunrises over awe-inspiring lands that will soon be my morning wake up call.

By the time it came to my climbing gear, I was giddy with anticipation; visualizing the striking faces, intricate caves and sheer valley walls of the West, that I will soon have the extreme pleasure of scaling!

Tonight I will say my goodbyes to the family and friends here in VA, but it will hardly be a somber experience knowing all the new friends and family that I will soon be travelling amongst!

If you are out there reading this, drop me an email or a line and maybe I will be coming through your area!

Stay Tuned

Accurately depicting my excitement for the open road: an image of my last travelling partner, Kilian. I know he is sitting around in Heidelberg a little jealous right now ; )

Again, I would like to thank everyone for all the moral/physical/monetary support! Without your belief in me I might have caved to the traditional post-college job/career seeking mindset...how glad I am to be hitting the road instead of the desk!

Next post, from the road!

#vanlife #roadtrip #sojourner #wordofmouth