I woke up today feeling hopeful. (TW) This last week has been one of the hardest after the unexpected death of my baby boi Boba, my cat of almost nine years. This loss really hit even harder after experiencing three sudden family deaths since Thanksgiving, losing my travel career to covid, and dealing with some crap in my personal life that I’m totally under-qualified to handle. Times are strange, but what has been my shining beacon of hope has been the PCT. Ever since my first thru of the Colorado Trail this past summer, I knew I had finally found where I belong. I loved it so much that only a couple of weeks after I finished, I went back and hiked it again. Within this incredible community I discovered a world that accepts everyone who shares the same insane passion for the wild. A world where one doesn’t have to be the most athletic, intelligent, attractive, wealthy, or popular to succeed in. A thru-hike is a “race” that everyone can win as long as they keep putting one foot in front of the other, and there’s always props for participation. I’ve searched all of my life for an escape, and what I found was a (not-so) secret door- The Great Outdoors. With every hike, I will be advocating and spreading awareness for my fellow communities of LGBTQIA+, BIPOC (Mexican immigrant, here!), mental health and substance use disorder, and endometriosis warriors. I truly welcome anyone who needs an ear, wants to share their story, or just needs a friendly face to connect with me. I hope that these connections we form and stories we write will change the world for the better. We need it now more than ever.
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