Bed, Bugs, & Beyond

18 days. 220 miles. 3 national parks. 47,000 feet of elevation gain. 45 lb backpacks. 2 stinky brothers. 1 adventure of a lifetime. Last summer, I came up with the brilliant idea of hiking the entire John Muir Trail (JMT) in one fell swoop.  Growing up just an hour and a half from Yosemite National Park, I got a little desensitized to the easily accessible, natural beauty and never fully appreciated it until I began to experience it on my own accord (as opposed to being forced by my parents). I got my first taste of backpacking during my freshman year of college and was instantly hooked.  On a few short wilderness trips in Yosemite and Kings Canyon last summer, I found out about the JMT from other hikers on the trail. It became kind of a distant challenge that I knew I was capable of rising to if I really put my mind to it.  However, going alone seemed a little out of my league, so I started looking for a hiking partner.  Little did I know that my se...

Believe me, if I could write this blog entirely with words beginning in "B" I would.  But then you wouldn't want to read any of it and that kind of defeats the purpose.  In fact, you probably aren't yet convinced that you should read my blog at all, regardless of my obsession with alliteration.  So, here's the pitch: This is my blog about my upcoming year as a student missionary to Bolivia. The primary purpose of my blog is to update the important people in my life about how things are going and what I've been up to.  (As for those of you who aren't important to me... just kidding, the fact that you've made it this far is proof that I couldn't have ever made it here without you--yes all of you.)  Additionally, I want to make this a place where I can share my stories and experiences with you all and explain what I have learned in the process.  I understand that my audience is multi-generational so I am going to do my best to include content that i...