Are you seeking security or adventure?
Adventure. Always. I’m not here for the safest route. I’m here for the one that makes me feel something. I live in Ohio, and while I haven’t explored every inch of Hocking Hills, I go there a lot. It’s familiar in a way that still surprises me. The cliffs and trails change every time. Their appearance depends on the season, the weather, or the way I showed up that day.
I’ve stood under waterfalls in Michigan, North Carolina, and all across Ohio. I’ve seen a lot in West Virginia too. I’m chasing the sound that drowns everything else out. Just today, I hiked out to a bridge in Saluda, North Carolina? To take a photo. It wasn’t long, extreme, or even all that remote. But it still gave me that feeling I’m always after: the “you had to be there” moment. That’s the shit adventure I crave. The quiet, personal, and absolutely necessary. There were also a lot of gems and crystals around this bridge. Score x2!
I’ve added, North Carolina, to the list just this week. Two days ago, I climbed a fire tower alone. I watched the trees stretch out like they had something to say. There’s clarity I only find on the trail. The best is always on hikes with waterfalls and views, the kind that make you work for it. The kind where your legs burn. Your back aches. But it’s all worth it when the trail opens up. There’s nothing but space in front of you.
I dream about hiking to the base of Half Dome. I want to see the desert waves in Arizona. I want to be swallowed up in the fog and forests of the Pacific Northwest (around Seattle and Portland.) I want to take the lesser-known routes too. The trail that passes under the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. The guided hike through Black Water Falls with the swinging bridges.
Security is stillness. Adventure is movement. It doesn’t have to be chaos but, it has to be ahead. Sometimes that means turning off the main road. Sometimes it means stopping just to look. I don’t know exactly where I’m headed, but I do know I want to keep moving. Not for the thrill, but for the truth I only ever find out there.
