A born and raised PNW girl
Born in the PNW, I’ve lived all over the west coast and most recently, Tasmania, Australia. I grew up in a suburb near Seattle before moving to the Olympic Peninsula, and later, Portland, Oregon as a teenager. College took me to Northern California’s wine country, but I dropped out during my last semester (oops) and returned to Portland to work my dream job as a barista (this was very hip in 2015).
After a few years immersing myself in the coffee world, I started to feel restless. What I really wanted was to get more into the outdoors. While I’d been rock climbing and bouldering in some of Portland’s gyms, I wanted to try it outside. Granola girls in beautiful places were starting to trend on Instagram, and while I’m slightly ashamed to admit I started hiking as an adult for the ‘gram, it got me outside. My early 20s were spent bouncing between the climbing gym, scoping out happy hours, checking out cute cafes, and slowly but surely getting into hiking.
I loved sharing about all the local businesses and deals I came across with customers at the cafe and the adventures I’d had on my days off. Wait times may or may not have increased if I was on the register. But while I enjoyed exploring the city, I was finding that I felt the most fulfilled after days spent outside.
2018… The year things took a turn
In 2018, I joined Climb for Clean Air, an organization that trains climbers to summit PNW volcanoes while raising funds for the American Lung Association. That group completely changed my life. The training hikes taught me fitness and outdoor safety, and it was incredibly inspiring to be spending time with a group of people that were so passionate about helping others and conquering a goal. In June of 2018, I summited Mt. Hood in Oregon. That’s when I knew I could do hard things.
I quit my cafe job in Portland, fixed up an old CRV with my dad, and set off on a road trip across the U.S. and Canada, visiting national parks and trying all the coffee I could find. I returned back to Portland at the end of the year feeling more confident in myself and my ability to accomplish goals.
The trouble was, I was struggling to find work outside of hospitality without a degree. I returned to coffee shops while trying to figure out a different path. That’s when an old dream resurfaced: attending a small university in Australia, a dream I had given up in high school due to financial reasons. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the right next step for me.
Long story short, I racked up an atrocious international phone bill, and a few weeks later, I was a student in Australia. Despite all of my initial plans for the year, and against all the odds, it magically worked out.
Australia
I was due to finish my degree in June of 2020… and we all know what happened in 2020. I was officially stuck overseas. So I enrolled in a Master’s program, where I explored ethical marketing in the outdoor industry and how outdoor marketing narratives are shaped by culture (if you were curious).
While on the Central Coast of Australia, I spent a lot of time outdoors, but the experiences didn’t quite match up to what I’d been doing in the Pacific Northwest. The community along the coast viewed spending time in nature differently, which also taught me valuable lessons—but I missed long days in the alpine and pushing myself outside.
Feeling restless and longing for the wildness of forests and mountains, I followed the prompts of some friends to visit Tasmania, a little island off the south coast of mainland Australia. You’ll really like it, they told me. And they were right.
The 13 hour drive, 10 hour ferry ride, and another 4 hours of driving brought me to the place I would call home for the next three years. In Tasmania I found the most thoughtful, humble, and inspiring people I have ever known. The friendships I formed and the connection to the land made my time in Tasmania the happiest of my life. Whether it was searching for platypus in the local river, going on wild backpacking trips, or taking cold plunges in the Tasman Sea, every day was an adventure.
Back home in the PNW
But as time passed, I felt this big pull back home to the Pacific Northwest, to be closer to family for more than a few hectic weeks every year or so.
So I distributed houseplants to caring friends, stored my things in a friend’s garage, and took a duffel bag of gear and a suitcase of summer clothes to Bellingham, WA. I spent the long Washington summer days riding bikes, hiking the Cascades, and climbing in Squamish, mixed with frequent family dinners and game nights.
As the days began to get shorter and my flight back to Australia for a friend’s wedding was coming up, I was struggling to decide if I should go back for good or just a visit. Being near family or being in community is a constant dilemma. But a few weeks before I was meant to return, I got a call from the police. My dad was found dead.
Since then, I’ve been in limbo. Not knowing where feels like home or where life is headed, all while processing the insane grief of losing my dad in such a sudden and traumatic way.
But some things remain constant, and those are the things that consistently bring me joy. Spontaneous connections with people, a yummy cup of coffee, and playing outside are big highlights of my days. So, this blog is my way of sharing that joy with others. It’s a spot to hype up the places I love, a little spark of light in the darkness, and a space to dump all my random phone notes.
If you made it through my ADHD-induced ramble, thanks for sticking around. I hope you like what you find. 🙂