When I last posted
on Backpacks and Barbells nearly three years ago, I was coming off a
backpacking trip around Europe that inspired the original creation of this
blog. I was on a high of independence and perspective that only an experience
like that can provide. I was fulfilled. I was also completely unprepared for how much would change and how fast the next years
would pass. I was always told that life goes faster as you get older, but
yesterday was my 31st birthday. I mean what?!
I recently took the
longest trip since the Europe extravaganza and decided while climbing 9 miles out of
the Grand Canyon that it was worthy of a Backpacks and Barbells revival. The 2018 road trip took us through Arches National
Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, Zion National Park and Bryce
Canyon National Park. I admittedly saw more National Parks on this trip than I
have in my previous thirty years, and there is a peacefulness and vastness that
only leaves me craving more.
We tent camped for all but two nights of the 11-day trip and quickly realized why we were generally one of the only tents in the campgrounds. The desert is sandy! Sand, wind, and a tent basically mean dirty; and with no showers at 2/3 campgrounds, we pretty much stayed that way. Thank the lord for dry shampoo and baby wipes. In entirety, we hiked 74 miles and close to 15,000 ft of elevation with our longest day being the Rim to River to Rim trail in the Grand Canyon. 7.5 miles down the South Kaibab Trail and 9.5 miles up the Bright Angel Trail. We started the day at 5 am and made the final climb out of the canyon at 2 pm, and apart from the last mile and a half, it felt like we had the whole Grand Canyon to ourselves. We walked nearly in silence, me about 50 ft behind him. Both in our own space wrapped in the vastness of this world wonder.
When we arrived in
Zion, Marc decided that we should do Observation Point as opposed to the more
popular Angel's Landing. Observation Point is a less trafficked route and a
harder climb, and with a shared distaste for large crowds ruining nature (only
slightly kidding), I was on board for skipping the famous route. Little did I know he had other reasons for the summit of the quieter ridge. It was on top of Observation Point that this
amazing man asked me to marry him.
Marc and I started dating last summer after a friend dropped out of his planned trip to Canada, and I got to be the last-minute replacement. Turns out a week in Banff was a pretty good way to kick things off :) We share a love for
fitness, an eagerness for travel, a passion for hard work, and an appreciation
for the simple life. We both run at life at full speed with high career and
family goals and like many couples our days are a dance of shared
responsibilities, late nights at the
office, celebrated successes, disagreements, and burpees. What makes me feel most secure, though, is knowing that we are both all in on the communication, commitment, and sacrifice
required to ensure we get where we want to go individually and together. A life where one plus one is greater than two.
The last decade has
been wild ride. I've traveled to 19 countries and lived at 14 different addresses in 4 different states. I earned a degree in Industrial
Engineering and have worked for three amazing companies in Walt Disney World,
JB Hunt, and Credera. I found
sport in Crossfit and had the opportunity to work my way from the very bottom to
the pinnacle of competition, competing at 5 Regional championships and being a
part of the 2016 28th fittest team with Backcountry Black. But much like the
Grand Canyon was carved by billions of years of pressure and erosion, the
success is only half the story. There were times where I felt lonely,
lost, and unsure of myself. I've battled the old demons of an eating disorder that gripped my younger self. Years passed where
I drank too much and partied too hard. I made a lot of bad decisions, took risks that didn't pay off, and did a few of the right things with wrong and selfish motives. I've been on both sides of lost love and bear the accompanying scars
of guilt and heartache. This life is up and down, back and forth, a strong mix of good and bad. Learning to roll with punches, have grace for my mistakes, and do my best to approach each day with honesty, humility, kindness, and strength has been the marker of this chapter.
I spent my first twenty years chasing the Perfect 10 only to realize in the next ten
that imperfection is the true fruit of this world. Life is raw, emotional, painful, joyous, messy, and beautifully beautifully imperfect. New
beginnings indeed.
Until next time -
AMD
*Proposal photo cred to the random couple that had as much idea about what was to come as I did. Once they realized what was happening, they went above and beyond to capture the moment. People are awesome.
