On my way... (on the plane to Fort Lauderdale)

Well today begins what I hope to be a great adventure.  Nearly 10 months ago I quit my job, not because of poor pay or bad hours, but because the way I saw my life unfolding.  There is a saying, ‘the more money you have, the less likely you’ll be to take risks.’  I saw myself being that guy with a corner office, big house, hot wife, yet filled with regret, a lot of, ‘I wish I had done that,’ and looking enviously at a younger me, envious of a different person and different life when anything was possible.

It’s not that I don’t want those things, I loved dropping $100 at the bars without the fear that I might not be able to eat the next day, but I realized that if ever I were to make the move that I wanted, it had to be now.

So after working in marketing for 3 years, at a large corporate America company, I quit my job to pursue a different life.  Ten months ago and a journey on the John Muir Trail began that story, and today it continues.

On Tuesday January 24, 2012, I said goodbye to an amazing girl, tons of great friends, my family, and all the amenities that I used to take for granted, and I got on a plane alone, with just a backpack and my thoughts, and off I went….

Not long into the first day, I think things finally set in, that I was going to be alone for much of the next 4 months.  That is a strange feeling, it feels like quitting my job, breaking up with a girlfriend, and heading off to college, all rolled into one.  I’m scared, excited, sad, nervous...  I just feel funny. 

My plans thus far:

• Spend 5 weeks in Colombia living on the beach, exploring, and learning Spanish
• Fly to Buenos Aires and spend about a month exploring the city, Argentina, and Uruguay
• Work my way back across the continent over several weeks, to Peru, Machu Picchu, and the surrounding areas