So, after my failed attempt at thru-hiking the North Country Scenic trail (NCT/NCNST) in 2021, I decided this year to try a road trip with one of my best friends, my dog. The idea arose slightly last year, when my college roommate mentioned doing a "friends tour," when I was not able to complete the NCT. At the time, I was too broken and embarrassed to tour the country explaining to friends how big a failure my hype was for the trail and my abilities. The idea stayed with me though, and I added to it the need to finish the spoon collection I started as a child, and for which my grandfather built me not 1 but 2 spoon racks to hold them all. Thus, I have created an itinerary and I'm heading out to catch states that I have not visited before or that I have not spent much time in at all. Not all states will be visited in this first trip, but I hope to make these trips a semi-regular thing, and this blog is where I will post my stories as I travel across the country exploring all there is to see and meeting people from all walks of life.
The first adventure collects the following states Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada. I did toy with adding Arizona and New Mexico, but those will be visited at another time...maybe a winter adventure for those states. With it being a spring adventure, packing will have to be strategic in what I bring. At the start of the idea, I thought..."oooh! I'm going to need cross-country skis as I head close enough to touch the Canadian border, and my paddle board as I cruise the California coast, a bike for checking out adventures in Oregon or Washington, a kayak for paddling the great salt lake (I'm not sure that's allowed, but it would be neat), and whatever other crazy activity." Then, I remembered the dog aspect. My 8yr old dog is trained but not fully obedient...so, riding a bike with him attached to me is just setting up a disaster scene; trying to get him to stay still on the paddle board will have us in the water constantly; him tied around my waist as I cross country ski will certainly find me in a weird tangled mess of comic style snowball; and although the kayak might work, purchasing one takes a lot of research and figuring things out. So, we will just be exploring by car and foot, unless we happen upon a dog friendly way to explore using other means.
I'm excited to get going, and share my adventures here with those interested in our country from the perspective of a dog and his human.
