Juliana Moves

Last week my dad and I went to Breckenridge, CO for a few days. I have time off between jobs and was craving an adventure. Although we weren’t there long, it was so refreshing and beautiful… and my legs are decently fatigued! We both summited our first 14ers at Quandary Peak, hiked a glorious portion of the Colorado Trail, waltzed around the cute little downtown, and generally enjoyed the views. Frankly, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Back in the day, Patrick and I spent most of our vacations at state or national parks. There was a good reason for this! It was pretty easy to drive to many national parks from Texas, even if it took most of the drive to simply leave the state, camping is very cheap and we were very broke, and we were used to the roughing it lifestyle of no showers and freezing in a tent and eating Ricearoni with canned chili. 

My memories of our various Southwest road trips are so good. They weren’t always perfect; see: our flat tire in the middle of nowhere in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. But they were always a great time. 

My little trip to Colorado reminded me just how soothing nature is to me. I think anyone who has read my blog knows that I spend plenty of time outside, and much of it on trails in George Washington National Forest! I’m not exactly nature-starved. And yet, it feels different to make an intentional trip into nature. It’s not like I am totally checked out during my trail running in Virginia, but sometimes it becomes routine and it is easy to lose sight of the grandiosity of the woods. 

There’s just something about being out there that I absolutely love. Maybe it’s a reminder that the world is so much bigger than our individual experiences or that, even with all the chaos around us, the world continues to be beautiful. I’m not sure I can put it into the right words, truthfully. 

All I know is that I walked away feeling inspired to seek out that beauty and sensation again. Personally, it inspires me to work towards fitness to be able to explore and adventure outside without doubting my abilities. It motivates me to consider what’s really important to me and to allocate my time and money accordingly. It reminds me that experiencing the outdoors has nothing to do with the right aesthetic and everything to do with the right mindset and enthusiasm. And it energizes me to ensure our public lands stay protected.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a Colorado skeptic. I love red rocks and the desert, so Utah has always been more appealing to me. Nonetheless, I had a wonderful time. 

I hope that you may feel similarly about being outdoors. If not, I hope you find the courage to explore and seek out this sensation. 

Maybe you even feel so inclined to help take action to protect public lands! You can do that really easily here.

May your week be full of adventure and beauty, even in your own backyard!

Love,

JN

P.S. I’m realizing just how long I’ve had that Shenandoah hat and red Osprey backpack! They’ve both traveled quite a bit since 2018. A good reminder that you don’t have to have the coolest new gear to be outside.