AUTHOR'S NOTE EDIT: 3/20/2020
The trip I'll be highlighting came at a major point in my life; it was the summer of 2017, and I had made the decision to leave my employer to start my business at year's end. Basically, I wanted to wrap my head around everything, and backpacking is my way of clearing the mind.
This 'e-book' is the first time I did anything like this; considering the lack of experience (limited ability), the writing was mainly to practice for what I had planned on the horizon. So, the trip was my very first step on a wild journey that I'm still navigating.
I'm big on self-improvement, and I like to leave the original text/photos to see how I've progressed. Business, writing, or otherwise, beginning a new phase or anything involving change is difficult; while uncomfortable, my mindset has always been, 'you gotta start somewhere.'
Enjoy!
AA
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Original Post:
In August of 2017, I embarked on my first solo backpacking trip and did it in two of America’s most iconic landscapes: Glacier and Yellowstone National Park. This picture was taken at a bluegrass festival in the Tetons, which was on the final day of a life-changing experience. During the seven days prior and throughout the 2,600 miles of driving I had some pretty wild experiences. I attended a real Native American powwow at their reservation just south of the Canadian border, howled with the wolves deep in the Glacier backcountry, relaxed in my own natural hot spring at the base of the, ‘Grand Canyon of Yellowstone’ and smoked a joint with a band backstage before they went on to headline in Missoula.
The writings that follow are meant to provide a detailed “show and tell” account of my entire journey, which tested me both physically and mentally. In May of 2016, I purchased a camera and it changed my life. That’s where the “show” part comes into play on this adventure that I’m about to take you on. Throughout the entire book, I incorporate photos which were all shot by yours truly and in the exact order in which they were taken. I have no prior photography or writing background, but when I combined those with my love for the great outdoors, they quickly turned from a casual hobby to my biggest passion.
Since both photography and writing are new, self-taught hobbies, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback! As you'll see, some chapters are short with a lot of pictures and others are long with more text. The writing is still being proofed/edited but for now, let's get on the road and head into the wild!