Скачать или смотреть One Last Hike Before the Road Trip Home to Alaska

Still at Point Reyes National Seashore, I had time for one last hike. I still wasn't sure if this was to be my last hike before setting my course back toward home in Alaska, but I let that question drift to the back of my mind as I stepped onto this coastal California trail.

The trail meanders along this narrow peninsula, proving views of the dramatic coastline below. The sounds of the ocean, the wind, the salt in the air, the fog, the openness of the sky--it all became a flowing experience that just kept giving.

Tule Elk are protected here in this area and, as I soon found out, very unconcerned with my presence. Every now and then, they would appear a little agitated with my proximity, but all I had to do to put them at ease again is squat down on the path and hold still a while. They would watch me a while, and then they'd return to their grazing. Something about these beautiful creature moving gracefully with the drifting fog was intriguing to me.

The sun drew low in the sky as I made my return trip back to where my vehicle was parked. I had been trying to hold close to the flowing movement that I've been following throughout this trip so far, and as I reached my vehicle, I felt that flowing sensation point me toward home. It would still be several more days of traveling to reach Alaska, but the return trip began that evening.

By the time I reached my home in Alaska, I had been gone for 22 days and had driven over 9500 miles. This trip was simple. I wanted it that way from the beginning. There was nothing ground breaking about my destinations or the daily events, but the moments I experienced were just what I needed. It's been about 5 months since I returned, and I'm still reflecting over the experience. The simplicity of it, the ability to wander free, the constant contact with nature...it all combined in a way that has left me with a lot to think about. I'm going to try to write about some of this in a longer form than these little video descriptions. I might bind it up for good measure, and for any of you that would be interested, but mostly, I want to write about it as a way of further reflecting on some of those significant moments.