I’ve lived in New Mexico my whole life. \u00a0Minus a short field season in Illinois a couple summers ago, but I’m not sure two months really counts! \u00a0So I viewed this move to Oregon as kind of a big deal. \u00a0I wanted to make sure I took the time to do it right and get the most out of it. \u00a0The logical solution, of course, was to take two weeks to travel from Carlsbad, New Mexico to Lakeview, Oregon.<\/p>\n
I planned my trip in a way that I could spend a lot of time alone, but break that up with visits to important people in my life. \u00a0My route took me to as many state\/national parks and monuments as possible, all of which I had never visited before. \u00a0Thus, when I wasn’t stopped over in a town with old friends and family, every experience was new and most importantly, unfiltered by the presence of another. \u00a0It was just me, with myself for company.<\/p>\n
I departed Carlsbad on April 18th, excited by the unknown in front of me. \u00a0My vision quest, as my mother liked to call it, had begun. \u00a0My experiences alone afforded me opportunities for intense solitude, self reflection, and immersion in nature. \u00a0I was reminded of the beauty of my autonomy, and my relationship with nature was strengthened more than I could have anticipated. \u00a0My experiences with others, be they old friends, new friends, family, or strangers, reminded me of the beauty of closeness with other humans. \u00a0So much growth had been packed into those two weeks and I felt a renewed sense of being and belonging in the world. \u00a0When I arrived in Lakeview, over 2400 miles later, I felt anything but sad that my experience was over. \u00a0I was renewed, refreshed, and excited about the experience that lay ahead.<\/p>\n\n\t\t