After traveling from the East Coast to the West, We found ourselves somewhere in Eastern Oregon before Josh got the car stuck. After exhausting ourselves trying to push the car out and without any signal on our phones, we started to walk and ended up walking 8 miles. This is a picture of me stranded in the desert after I was broke, lost, and for some reason, I thought I was miserable. I was wrong. This is a picture of me making memories and having rad stories to tell while traveling around the United States with a good buddy of mine. Looking back at this photo makes me happy.

photo credit: @flynnpnw on Instagram

To watch the sunset from this spot is no easy task but the reward is worth the all-day hike! We watched the fog dance around the mountains as the colors came out to play. It was a breathtaking experience. Several miles up on Mt. Hood is the shelter made from rock that you can see in this photo which we called home for the night.

The following morning we decided to make the trek to see some glaciers. What we didn't know is that this would entail a 4-hour adventure of climbing over mountain ridges in severe winds and snow and climbing our way through knee to waist​ deep snow... Did I mention I was wearing Vans? Ughhh.

Was it worth it?

The answer is no. There isn't an adventure out there that is worth your safety. I should have told myself I wasn't prepared and turned back instead of risking it all. I'm fortunate to be alive and I'm well aware of that today.

Stay rad my friends,

-Thatcher