It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”-Ursula K. Leguin

My life has been crazy for the past 4 years and it's only speeding up from here. I feel like I've not been very good about keeping people in the loop of what is going on in my life apart from my facebook profile. I regret that my communication skills are lacking and I don't talk with my friends and family as often as I'd like. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to write a note or pick up the phone to call an old friend, just to be distracted by work or school or whatever else I'm doing in my life.

This blog is an attempt to keep you involved in my life and share the exciting adventures that I'm having with you. It's also an attempt to keep my thoughts straight and keep tabs on myself as I anticipate that this next year will fly by, much like the last 4 have. This is a first for me, so we'll see how this goes. Bear with me!

Tonight was my last Outdoor Programs Trip Leader Meeting. Outdoor Programs has been a huge part of shaping who I've become during my time in college. I've been part of OP since -5 days into college (Yeah, the math adds up I promise. I went on a pre-orientation trip with OP to kick off my time at Redlands and it only got better from there!) OP has taken me to the Sierra (many times), Tahoe, Mammoth, Moab, the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree (more times than I can count), Idyllwild (again, a lot),  Channel Islands National Park, Catalina, Mexico and I'm sure many other places that I can't come up with off the top of my head.

It's been a platform to gain skills in leadership and the technical aspects of wilderness recreation. It's also been my home away from home. All of my close friends are OP trip leaders and going on to another adventure without them is daunting. I will miss OP more than any other part of college and without the opportunities I've been given there, my college career would be empty. I'd like to give a big shout out to all of you who have made so many memories with me and the adventures together don't end here!

In 41 days I take off on my biggest adventure yet. I'm moving to Alaska for the summer to be a backcountry ranger in Klondike Goldrush National Park. I'll be living 12.4 miles in on the Chilkoot Trail and my main responsibilities will be patrolling, permit regulation, wildlife management, search and rescue, public education, maintenance girl and whatever else they throw at me. My tours of duty will be 8 days in the backcountry with 6 days off in between. I will be patrolling alone, but apparently some of my duty days overlap with the other rangers so hopefully I won't get too lonely. I cannot express to you how excited I am about this opportunity. I've already done about as much research on the park as possible and I just got my Chilkoot Trail History book in the mail today and I can't seem to put it down. I've also got my gear shopping list lined up and it looks like I may be forced to take a few trips to REI. Man, life's rough.

If you had told me 4 years ago that I, a girl from the hills of East Tennessee, would be moving up to Alaska to be a backcountry ranger I would have told you that you were crazy. It's funny how life leads us down such unexpected roads.

After I finish my time in Alaska, I will be moving back down South to attend Northern Arizona's Park Ranger Training Program where I will get my federal law enforcement commission so I can work as a law enforcement ranger for the Park Service. (Just for reference, I graduate from college on May 28, move to Alaska on May 29. I finish my job in Alaska on September 3 and I start academy on September 7. These moves are going to be crazier than usual!).

Assuming I graduate from academy, I am planning on moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, for next Winter. I fell in love with the Canyons resort when I lived there last year and I'd love to go back and patrol for them this year.

So that's the game plan as it stands now. Obviously things change and I'm always open to new opportunities, so we'll just have to see what curve balls life throws at me. Now you also understand why I need to start writing down my experiences. In all the craziness that's about to happen, I need to write down my thoughts so I can try to begin to remember what all I was doing and learning through this exciting time.

I want to close with a big thank you to all my friends and family who have walked with me on this journey and who have challenged me to grow in so many different ways. I owe everything I have to you. I have been beyond blessed to have your support and there is no way I could have gotten here without you. A big thanks to my Mom and Dad for allowing me to dream huge (not allowing me to settle for big!) and then doing whatever needed to be done to make my dreams come true.  You've also always been there to catch me when I have one of those, not so rare, moments when I learn by falling hard (in one way or another) and helping me put the pieces back together.

As I travel further away from all of you, know that I'm keeping you close in my heart!

Peace, Love and Chow! (OP reference for all of you who are confused and think I've lost my mind)
Liz

Standing on top of the Cathedral Peak in Yosemite last Summer after an unexpectedly long day that included doing a rescue on my day off. I was a little beyond loopy, hungry and tired at this point!