I stopped dead in my tracks, mouth agape. I looked down and over at the immense gullies, scree fields, and where the snow once stood as a gate for the summit. I was speechless (actually, I had a few words, but for my more conservative readers I will keep them to myself) I stood motionless. …
Chasing Dopamine
I slide the still warm freshly printed driver’s license in the excuse of a wallet that promptly goes into the pocket of my knee worn through jeans. It didn’t take long for my first “road trip” at 16 years old to a beach that was 3 hours away, just because. Then, a …
Outdoor Guilt.
“I should go for a walk, no that’s dumb, go for a quick hike… I wonder if I could summit something before sundown…. Shelby, it’s 5 in the evening. Jeez, you’re so lazy you haven’t done anything outside all weekend…I’m just so tired…wait a god damn minute! I skied for like 2 …
The Original BLM
"May I go to the bathroom?" This was my ticket, my ticket to freedom. Did I use my hall pass to go to the nearest bathroom at school? No, of course not. I took my own little adventure, I hopped gates and fences to walk along the flower beds to eventually slink my little self …
Shelby, Daughter of Stoke and Bringer of Laughter!
Recently, I’ve found myself reading a lot of Norse mythology. That’s a normal thing most young 25-year-old women spend their nights reading right? I’ve been watering my daily thoughts with harrowing war tales and down right metal creation stories. I’m also very bad at keeping things to myself, so of course those thoughts oozed out …
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Is It Worth it?
I roll over and the smell of my own armpits wakes me up before my 5:30am alarm does. Slowly, I lower myself from the top bunk without waking my 4 other roommates. I slip into my now baggy, oil stained, Carhartts and synch down the NRS cam strap that I’ve been using as a belt. …
Badass or Baby?
"God, why was I being such a baby?!" "That move was so big and scary!" "I should have flashed* that "Don't let me 'take'* so much next time" My climbing partner just nods in compliance as I untie because he knows, no matter what he says it won't change the way I felt about that …
Extrovert’s Survival Guide to Solo Road Trips
Have you ever left a conversation with someone and felt drained, entertained, but drained of your energy? You likely had an interaction with a parasitic alien species that feeds off the energy of others. Commonly known as an extrovert. If you kept an extrovert in a group of people and slowly added a person every …
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“Strangers”
I have a controversial opinion: I LOVE people! Extrovert? I don’t know you tell me. (Stay tuned for the next blog) Below I’ve compiled a few short stories of the amazing humans I’ve connected with since being on the road. Some are short and easy, while others are longer and more intimate. I’ve broken them …
Levels of Happiness According to a Traveling Millennial
Growing up I spent most of my time running around barefoot, loitering, playing sports, and exploring the enchanted forests that surrounded my house. Disclaimer; those were actually drug invested swampy sections of trees that broke up the constant line of houses in the suburbs of Florida. We didn't have cell phones and social media apps …
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