It started as a contemplation, and evolved into an entirely new way of living in the world. In 2015, I bought a backpack, filled it with hiking clothes and maps, and headed to Spain to walk the famous Camino de Santiago. My time on trail not only took me through some of the most stunning terrain in the Spanish countryside but also woke within me an irresistible passion to walk the world. As I concluded my journey in the town of Santiago de Compostela, something significant had shifted within me. I had been called by the music of the mountains in a distant land and was now ready to continue my journey of discovering the vast, beautiful world.

I have spent the subsequent years walking the trails of some of the most magnificent mountains on this earth. My journeys have taken me as far south as Antarctica, as far north as Alaska, and as far east as Japan. Each trail has held its own distinct beauty, presented unique challenges, and offered precise (and sometimes painful) lessons about who I want to be in my life and in the world. Through the hardships I have faced, the splendor I have seen, and the people I have met, I have grown in ways previously unimaginable to me, and continue that growth every time my feet touch trail. 

I wrote the book While I Walk as a reflection on the glorious benefits (and definite challenges) of what it means to travel solo throughout the world. But it’s also an invitation. My hope is that other people — especially women — will read my words and feel emboldened to grab a pair of hiking boots, board a plane, and experience what is waiting for them at the intersection of adventure and wonder.