Day 85: parting ways and setting new goals

i dropped Kylee back off at the airport and decided to stay one more night in Portland instead of heading back out to trail. The heat made it an easy decision with highs in the 115° for today and tomorrow. I spent the evening preparing my bag and finalizing what my next few months would look like.

Ready for a big update?

After much thought, I’ve decided to finish my hike at the conclusion of the PCT instead of continuing on the loop. This will have me finish mid-July at around 100ish days on trail with almost 3,000 miles. It feels right cutting my trip short, and here’s why:

This time in nature with the sole goal of walking everyday has gifted me clarity of thought into what I believe my life’s purpose is. I get most fulfillment when I am working with or investing in other people and relationships. While this hike has been epic and everything I’ve hoped it to be,, what I’ve come to appreciate is that it is a mostly solo ordeal and at the end, I’ll be left with a mostly arbitrary accomplishment. My intent for this journey -- challenging myself physically and mentally -- is being accomplished every day, and the specific goals, like hiking a 50 mile day and making it to the PCT terminus, are also being accomplished. 

I’ve spent time reflecting on whether hiking for another 3 months after I reach the end of the PCT is truly worth the investment of effort, time, and money, or if I would just continue because it was my original goal. 

After much deliberation, I am going to use that time and money to instead go after other bucket list items. I plan to get certified to teach yoga and to do some traveling internationally. Yoga, in particular, will allow me to teach others. Yoga changed my life, especially in helping me recover from my ruptured Achilles and in becoming more centered/present. I look forward to a future where I can share that same gift with others. 

I still have about 700 miles left on the PCT and am looking forward to enjoying every last day. I’ll also get a chance to finish the PCT with Sandman.