Life Through Adventures
This page is a collection of wanderings, across winding roads, wild landscapes, and quiet spaces that changed me in ways I never expected. Each journey holds more than just miles; it carries lessons, memories, and moments that stirred something deep within.
These aren’t just travel stories. They’re soul chapters.
They’re about what it means to leave, to arrive, to get lost, to come home, over and over again.
If you’ve ever felt the pull to explore, to heal on the move, or to find pieces of yourself in unfamiliar places… you’re in good company.
The picture to the left is my camera tripod. This is the stud I take almost everywhere with me and mount my camera to the top of, to capture the beauty of life in such a unique way. Unfiltered raw beauty with my old camera sat up on top. As you scroll through and read these adventures and have pictures as visuals, this is the tripod that has traveled along the way. This baby has hiked lots of mountains, and walked many beaches, he weighs in at an extra 5 pounds. Would I like to get another tripod, that is much lighter and more compact? Yes. But this keeps me on my feet, and adds more of a challenge along each and every trail, for something so beautiful to be captured in such a crisp.
As I soared over the mountain tops I was so reminded of what it felt to be filled with an intense sense of “AWE” I was overfilled with the beauty around me. I was reminded in such a profound way that there is a creator who created it all so beautifully, and perfectly. As I zipped down that line, I was filled with immense gratitude to be able to be apart of creation. This life is so beautiful. So SO beautiful! Get out and live, explore and take it all in! It’s healing and beyond worth it. Stop living under a rock.
As I soared over the mountain tops I was so reminded of what it felt to be filled with an intense sense of “AWE” I was overfilled with the beauty around me. I was reminded in such a profound way that there is a creator who created it all so beautifully, and perfectly. As I zipped down that line, I was filled with immense gratitude to be able to be apart of creation. This life is so beautiful. So SO beautiful! Get out and live, explore and take it all in! It’s healing and beyond worth it. Stop living under a rock.
Badlands - As the skies got dark and the thunder rolled, my phone calls out, the sirens go. Wind gusts exceeding 80 mph and golf size hail, flooding awaits as I take shelter, clenching onto what I own. I get nestled up into my car preparing for the storm, It starts to pour, but only for a split of the night. It quickly passed, no excessively strong winds, no hail, just major teardrops from the sky. As I go back out I feel the moisture on my skin, and it clung to the clay, which then stuck to me, a mess I’ve never seen. A mess I wont forget. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the news made it sound. But a time I wont forget where I was glad to be around.
Black Elks Peak, prior to this I hiked 7 miles in the Badlands because the day before was 110 and rising. That meant no hiking for me. So in the early morning I packed up camp and hiked as much as I could before the sun rose to be uncomfortable just once again. I headed for the Black Hills where I would then hike another 8 miles throughout that day. I was not prepared to hike as much as I did and I definitely pushed myself up that mountain faster than I should have. I felt pretty exhausted when I made it to the bottom to where I would then swim in Sylvan Lake. Hiking Black Elks Peak was a beautiful thing to witness and I will most definitely be hiking it again. From the flush greens, to the hills and rocks, beautiful views and big horn sheep on the trail, it truly was beautiful.
Sylvan Lake - You saved my sanity for a bit. You brought me pure joy. As I made it down to the trailhead, I was in so much need for a swim. I needed to cool off, and I definitely needed a shower. Just minutes to spare before a massive storm I was able to take a dip! I think my facial expressions could tell it all.
I usually don’t pick small hikes to do, but this one was a must with the temp being 107 this day. It was in the Badlands, called The Notch Trail. It was 1.5 miles round trip. Honestly the only reason I did this hike was for the rope ladder going up. My picture of it isn’t that great, but still worth sharing. I would definitely recommend doing this hike hot temps or not!
Badlands, August, 2024, This storm was INTENSE to say the least. The weather station called for 70+ mph winds, golf ball size hail and extreme rain. While most none of that happened, it was still an adventure in the back of my Crosstrek. Stepping out of my vehicle after the storm was wild with the amount of clay that was turned into mud. It stuck so bad, and made the biggest mess. There were people stuck for a while until the ground dried. I would’ve been better off going barefoot and rinsing my feet with water, than to try and wear my shoes. It was all over the place. I have little footprints on my engine from kitty, a friend I met on the road that got underneath my car during a storm. Little paws to remind me of this adventurous day.
Elizabethton, TN, As the sun ran further away from earth is what it seemed, I was sitting in my car sweaty, overheated and exhausted from passing through 5 states over the course of 13 hours. It was hot, and honestly quite uncomfortable. The humidity was intense that day. I needed to relax and get a shower bad. I found this beautiful swimming hole to do just that, and for the first time ever I was actually COLD from the water. It must have been an overflowing amount of heat that made that type of impact happen to my body. I grew up swimming in Lake Superior, there’s not water that can touch me. But this. Did just the trick. It was a steep hike down, and in the middle of so much flush greenery. It felt so magical. So connecting. So refreshing. So grounded. So needed!
Grandpa, Grandma, and I planted these 5 years ago, and today they stand 4 feet high. The first few years we didn’t see anything, but that just goes to show that growth still happens even when you don’t see it right away. It may take years but it will be SO beautiful.
Sometimes while foraging all you find is a dried up crusty old lil morel. Sometimes in life things don’t go the way you’ve expected. But both are okay. Life goes on man!
Here in Wisconsin it can most definitely get a little chilly. So while traveling states over, it’s natural to step out of the vehicle and go “Oh wow! Feel that heat!” Another thing about Wisconsin is, we don’t really have anything that will hurt you. Especially snakes. So I knew I was out of Wisco when I saw this sign at the South Dakota Welcome Center. They weren't kidding either, as the person ahead of me saw one soaking up the sun. Even just two states over its crazy how different the culture, and climate is.