Subdued :: ME

This season of my life is strange, but not necessarily in a bad way. My partner works weekend hours, and a lot of my friends have small children, which makes it difficult for them to just take off for a weekend/week/whatever. That has resulted in a lot more solo trips. A lot more SUV camping at KOA’s and hiking without the doggo, as I’m often meeting up to mountain bike on the way home from where ever I’ve roamed, and therefore cannot bring her.

I don’t mind the solitude. I’ve listened to a lot of audio books, and often, I’m so tired from shooting at all hours, I crash once I’m back to my campground anyway.

So why do I bring this up? Why is it important enough to blog about?

Well, American society hammers it into little girls’ brains that solo travel is not safe. That our lives, and our choices, come with a bunch of restrictions. That some things are just out of our reach and, *shrug* that’s just the way it is, right??

WRONG.

Don’t get me wrong, on these solo trips, there are always lingering doubts. I never set up a tent. Rather, I always sleep in a locked SUV, a la #vanlife. And speaking of cars, what if mine breaks down and I don’t have cell service? What if a bear attacks? What if, what if, what if?

But then that little devil on the other shoulder speaks up. What if I don’t live my life to the fullest? What if I spend my days waiting on others only to end up with a bunch of regrets about things I didn’t try? What if, instead, I just travel with all of the safety measures in place — plans left with loved ones, bear bells and spray, sat phones for truly remote places, carefully weighing if a cliff/beach with rogue waves/etc is really the smartest spot to be shooting — and see the world while I’m still fit and able to do so?

This shot is from solo trip to Maine. The sky was flat and moody, but the sound of the waves on the cliffs and having the place to myself for a few hours was so damn beautiful. ❤