PNW

We left the town after a great week. It wasn’t easy after making so many friends in such a good community. We drove to Hood River, OR to kayak the truss with friends from last summer. It was awesome to be back hanging out with old friends in the place that I intend to live in the near future.

                For a few days we would wake up early, paddle the Truss, and find ways to waste our time the rest of the day. Every night we’d find new ways to set up our hammocks to sleep under the stars. Some friends we met in Idaho came paddle with us for a few days. It was fun to show them down the rivers that I know after they had shown me down their local runs.

                After many good days of kayaking Sam I and headed north to the Olympic Coast. We backpacked in through some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in the country. As I arrived I put my feet in the water and felt a calm sense of accomplishment as I achieved my vision of starting the summer swimming in the Atlantic and driving all the way to the opposite ocean. I hung my hammock up on some large driftwood trees that had floated in from the sea. We had no sense of time as the sky was so hazy we couldn’t see the sun. This was the last big trip that Sam and I made together on this trip. We both became absorbed in thoughts of our experiences. I reflected on all the opposing forces of change that has shaped me into who I am.

                The community of dirtbag kayakers living in their cars traveling around the country is a special one. Rather than living in congested cities, these kayakers choose to chase the wild of living the river lifestyle. When you embraces this lifestyle, the road becomes your home. There are a few havens scattered across the country where these paddlers will congregate. The places to go are dictated by the water levels. Many of the friends I have met on this trip I have only known for only a few weeks, yet I feel like I’ve known many of them for years. When you share the river with someone your friendship grows quickly as you spend your days enjoying the best of times together all while knowing that it won’t last. I feel like I’m in between two worlds right now. I have lived my whole previous life so differently from this and I have left it behind. For now this is my life and this community is my new family. As I continue to move forward I will have to walk a fine line between these two worlds as both are extremely important to me.

                Sam and I exchanged goodbyes as I dropped him off at Portland Airport. As I drove away I felt a new determination to achieve everything that I’ve ever dreamed of. I am truly on my own now and I couldn’t be more excited. There is nothing stopping me from following the path in life that I have dreamed of. I feel full of confidence that I can do anything and be anything that I put my mind to.

Pacific Northwest