“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”

- John Muir

As a kid I always loved being outdoors. Staring at the sky for hours would unleash my creativity and imagination. Playing in the creek behind our house gave me a great sense of adventure. And climbing the tallest trees provided a place to escape the world. Days spent outside were always rewarding and over the years and I've missed that feeling. So my love for hiking is not unexpected.

When you disconnect from the comforts of being inside it has a way of enriching your soul. It awakens your spirit in ways you can't imagine.

Hiking is life. But it could be death.

"It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

Sir Edmund Hillary

When Donetta and I started our traveling lifestyle, being outdoors again would have to be a part of the journey. Driving by such majestic scenery on the road is not enough -- it must be fully experienced. So we bought some expensive hiking boots, grabbed my survival pack, and just started walking.

Since we're newbies, we don't know much about hiking in the wilderness. There are great resources and books to peruse to help guide us, but I also believe there's value in conquering our fears by just doing. A friend once told me we could read everything we wanted about traveling full-time, but we'd never understand it until we actually did it.

Our love for hiking is helping us grow mentally and physically.

Choosing a path and walking into the woods is scary. You don't know what lies ahead on the trail or in the forest. There could be an insurmountable elevation to climb or hungry black bear having a bad day. Yet traversing into the unknown is where your mind and body become one. You start to realize your life is really insignificant against the magnitude of nature. It is here where you begin to change, inside and out.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

- Henry David Thoreau

It might seem foolish to just go for it, but facing danger or the unknown makes us stronger. When we focus on overcoming the challenges set in front of us, we become more confident and more alive. We accept the totality of it all and that is freeing. Hiking has become a spiritual and healing part of our lives. Being in the woods will transform you.

The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Our love for hiking grows every day, along with our insatiable thirst for new adventures. And for the first time in a very long time, I have rediscovered a peacefulness I thought would never return. Can taking a road less traveled make a difference? It absolutely can!!

Selling everything to travel and taking a minimalistic approach to life has been one of the best decisions we've ever made together. It's been so freeing to let go of all we have known to experience new people and places. Hiking has elevated the joy we encounter every single day.

Sometimes you have to venture into the unknown to find happiness. Remember ... not all who wander are lost.

"To travel, to experience and learn: that is to live."

Tenzing Norgay