Returning to my Roots

So, I am setting out on another adventure, hopefully with success this time. The last few adventures have been riddled with physical issues leading to recovery of trying to fuel my body back to functioning. My husband convinced me to do overnight trips, while I work on figuring out the physical issues. What I have learned in those adventures is that I have a high responsibility and reliability drive. So, having a time constraint makes my adventures less successful and more physically demanding as I try to live up to the human machine I was after the AT. With all that being said, I am looking down the barrel at my new adventure...The North Country Scenic Trail! In 2011, I did trail work on the NCST near Baldwin, MI. Hanging out with runners in Colorado, I have learned and participated in the North Country Trail 50 run. Both of these in combination with growing up in the Manistee National Forest have fueled my desire to hike this 4800 mile trail that is still under construction and adding more distance. Currently, there have been a handful of people who have thru-hiked the entire trail in one season with many more segment hiking it over multiple years. Over 2 years ago, I posted about quitting my first nursing job to start a new position in an outpatient setting. I have since graduated from clinic RN to working as a research study nurse with Sarah Cannon Research Institute at the same clinic. It has always been my end goal to work as a research nurse; however, this position has come at a time when I am really in need of a good chunk of time in the woods to recover myself. So, it will be with some sadness that I will quit this position with hopes of potentially returning either to the clinic itself or to the research position upon completion of the NCST. At the same time, I may come to realize during my 6-8 months in the woods/on my own that I am not setup mentally to continue being a nurse let alone continue working as a research oncology nurse. With that said, my hope is to start sometime in 2020 on this journey. That means in the next 219 days, I have a lot of planning and learning to do as I prepare for my next adventure of redemption. As that journey starts, I will post the trials and tribulations of my adventures.