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By Janel Gazelle Posted on

The Joys of Hitchhiking

Once upon a time, before Uber and Lyft, there was a FREE method of car-sharing based solely on trust, kindness and curiosity. Hitchhiking isn’t for everyone, but it’s taught me one of the most important lessons of my life—that you can choose rational caution over irrational fear when making decisions and taking risks.

pct northern terminus
By Janel Gazelle Posted on

The Pros and Cons of Flip-Flopping

2,100 miles down, 500 to go! Flip-flopping (a.k.a. hiking a long trail in large, non-contiguous sections) is a style of thruhiking that really works for me because I like doing things my own way. However, flip-flopping does have its drawbacks…

By Janel Gazelle Posted on

A Second Chance at Mount Whitney

Back in May, after walking almost 800 miles north on the PCT from the Mexico border, I got to the base of Mount Whitney during a snowstorm. Realizing that a Whitney ascent wasn’t going to happen for me then, I sat in my tent and cried. The next day, I bailed out of the High Sierra, vowing that I would come back to do the John Muir Trail section (which extends from Yosemite to Mount Whitney) in the summer. I was determined to finish hiking my home state atop Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. The mountain had evaded me once but it was going to happen, dammit…

By Janel Gazelle Posted on

The Worst Day of the Rest of Your Life

When you’re working towards a big goal, you will inevitably experience trials and tribulations. Life doesn’t always go your way—and that’s a good thing. If it did, you wouldn’t innovate and grow. You wouldn’t appreciate the little victories nearly as much. So this is just a reminder that whatever you’re struggling with right now on your path is part of a bigger story. Zoom out and take a deep breath. You’ll make it through.

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