Starting a New Adventure

I know I haven't been very good at checking in the last couple months. It's been truly liberating shutting my phone off and avoiding Facebook. Australia has been an amazing journey for me. More than anything I've enjoyed wondering, and being lost. One of the moments that stands out most was my first night on my Great North Walk hike. It was the first time I'd slept in the bush. As I laid there alone in my tent listening to the calls of foreign creatures it dawned on me that there wasn't a single person in the whole world that knew where I was. At first this frightened me because I didn't entirely know where I was. But after a few deep breaths I realized how lucky I was to be in that moment. We all have moments in life that make us feel big. However, I've come to realize that the truly defining ones are the moments that make us feel small. In the morning I woke up on a cliff overlook of the Berrowa Creek Valley to tropical birds flying overhead and the most beautiful sunrise. Later on in my hike I got heat exhaustion, also alone and without cell phone reception. Another truly defining experience. This trip has helped me realize a few things. I was born hungry. And in trying to satiate that hunger I've seen amazing places and met wonderful people. The problem with being hungry, however, is the constant feeling of needing more. I'm not sure if I'll ever make this hunger go away. But I'm also not sure if I want to. I've learned to trust myself. That I can do anything I want and that the things we think we need are usually the first things we realize have no importance to us. Especially when we carry our possessions on our back. I started my travels 7 years ago and as I near 30 I am nothing but excited about the journeys to come. I've decided not to stay the whole year in Australia as planned. It's a lovely country full of friendly people and exotic creatures but I'm still hungry. I've seen some beautiful places here (and learned the places we go will always remind us a bit of the places we've been). Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, The Blue Mountains, The Hunter Valley, Haliday Point, I lived in my tent in a hippy colony in Byron Bay, I've hiked, I've camped, I've sang to strangers on street corners and in train stations. This week I'm headed up to Tamworth, Brisbane and The Gold Coast. In two weeks I start my next adventure through Canada up the Alaskan highway to America's last frontier. I said goodbye to someone who was very important to me last winter and in dealing with the grief I've realized that through loss there is gain. The loss has helped push me to go places (like Alaska) that I've always wanted to see but have put off every year telling myself "I'll do it next summer." This winter I went as far south as I've ever been and this summer I want to see the far north.I can't wait to see my family in California on my way and give that baby with the sweetest smile the biggest kiss. I'll see you soon Subaru, it's time for another adventure!