In October of 2018 my life changed forever.
I wish I could give you more details as to what transpired on that date. If it were completely up to me I would gladly tell you the whole story. Until that's possible, however, I'll tell you what I can.
An accident occurred.
Not only was the accident itself traumatic, but the events that followed began to unravel into the worst nightmare of my life.
I am still in the midst of that nightmare.
In the last two years I have found myself not only attempting to heal from the trauma of the accident, but also from a course of ongoing and exhausting accusations, interrogations, and uncertainties. From the reality that within a matter of minutes my life had veered off one set of tracks and was, at that point, careening into a canyon... with a freezing river at the bottom... infested with flesh eating fish.
While the last two years has been the most challenging season I've ever navigated, I've been learning and improvising as I go. The river is still looming large, but within my fall I discovered I had a pair of wings. I've stretched them out and managed to catch just enough wind beneath them to keep me from becoming fish food.
It's been within this time that my vision for the future has completely changed. I've always loved to travel, but when some days feel like you're fighting just to catch a deep breath, the things you love become the things that keep you going. I realized that once this entire mess has finally been resolved, if possible, travel would become my life. Until then I've been a frequent weekend nomad, adventure junkie, and peak bagger.
I started this blog not only as a way to share the adventures I go on, but to express the process of learning to live again. I also created it in an effort to build a community of travelers and adventurers on their own healing journeys.
So, keep checking back. I'm currently focusing on exploring every corner of my home state, Oregon. From there I would love to travel the rest of the country and eventually, more of the world. Here's a list of the kind of things you can expect to find here at The Hotmess Hobo:
Adventuring keeps me sane. Not only will you find stories here, but practical advice for your own adventures. From anything to camping out of my car, hiking, trail running, campfire cooking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, peak bagging, waterfall hunting... if it's something you can do outside you may find a post on it here.
This is where you'll find information on trauma and healing. I am not a professional on this subject, I am only experienced on what I have gone through and the efforts I have made to heal. With this category I simply extend the hand of support for those doing the same.
Meet Hobo & Hank! The adventure junkie duo. I based these guys off of... well, me and my dog. You'll see pictures of my doggo Hank on the blog as well as on my Instagram account fairly frequently. He's been an essential part of my healing story and with Hobo & Hank I express not only what that healing occasionally looked like for me, but also what I wished it had looked like at times. In writing these little stories I strive to be honest and raw with the realities of trauma.
Last summer I converted my 2008 Honda CR-V into what I now call The Adventure Rig by building a platform for the back. Under this category explore the life of SUV camping including Adventure Rig tours as I continue to update and reorganize my layout.