I’m trying to put into words how I got to this point. It’s strange to think of how far back you have to go and the little decisions that make a huge impact down the road. I’ve always been a bit of a wanderer having lived in OH, FL, ID, and CT. It was a 6,600 mile road trip out west (2015) with my photographer friend Matt Shiffler that really inspired me to get into the outdoors and travel.
That trip changed my life and in 2017 I moved to Teton Valley, Idaho and began to push my boundaries and explore. My roommate, Julie, was a backcountry ranger and took me out of my comfort zone by taking me on backpacking trips high into the mountains. She had taught me to face my fears and do things I’d never imagine doing.
Within 6 months of moving west to the Tetons, I’d lose my father to chronic health issues at 60 years young. He was always a huge supporter of my travels and photography and that hit hard. Nature and the mountains have always been a source of peace. It was out west where I began to declutter my life and take summers off to refresh from another school year…jumping in the Subaru to explore all over the west and Canada. Along the way, I met so many friends who loved nature, and lived what some would call an “alternative lifestyle” and opened my eyes to a new perspective.
2020 happened and I wound up back east with family rethinking what my priorities and goals would be. Travel had become impossible. I had taken a gamble on myself to trade a place I loved in the Tetons for the opportunity to explore the world internationally. The move back east allowed me to continue teaching, doing photography and running, while saving for trips.
In the summer of 2022, I bought a one way ticket to Europe with the ambitions of hiking the El Camino de Santiago across Spain, having never traveled alone except for some road trips in the Subaru. The 890 kilometer walk set me again in a new direction with a sense of freedom and accomplishment. The walk introduced me to many lifelong friends from all over the world. I’d never been much of a city person but the post-camino amigos decided to go explore Portugal and Mallorca and taught me their ways to navigate the city.
I returned home to the States with even more of a drive to see new places. I was beginning to feel like a kid again, craving new experiences, learning new cultures, and eating new food. In the summer of 2023, I once again bought a one way ticket to Europe, but this time to get an inside look at countries like Poland, Norway, and Germany from friends I had met the prior summer. I spent 65 days across 9 countries and was officially hooked on travel.
I had pondered a change in education with special education having a particularly high burnout rate. After 15 years it seemed time for a recess, if you will. In the fall of returning from an amazing adventure, things came to an abrupt halt with the tragic loss of my brother-in-law, Matt Tullis. He had been an inspiration as a childhood survivor of cancer turned 3 time marathon runner, published author, and journalism professor. In his honor, I ran the Akron Marathon with his two brothers last fall. A race he once watched from his hospital bed, overlooking the finish line, as a teenager spending two years battling leukemia.
On his arm, Matt had tattooed “Stories can save us” , a quote from one of his favorite books by Tim O’ Brien in “The Things They Carried”. He had first hand experience of how to live having overcome the odds against cancer at a young age. It can be interpreted in many ways, but to me his story gave me direction and inspired me to chase my dreams in this instant as life can be taken away at any point.
So here I am. Taking a year off from teaching, to make the world my playground, learning and traveling, growing and photographing its natural beauty. I hope you enjoy the journey as I share my experiences attempting to soak in all 7 continents on this new adventure. There are bound to be many ups and downs but it will be a journey nonetheless.