I began sharing my personal essays during my southbound thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer of 2019, just after I graduated from the University of Virginia. After hiking 2,650 miles from Canada to Mexico, I was transformed. I joined a traveling trails crew in the Sonoran Desert as a member of Arizona Conservation Corps in partnership with the National Park Service. My conservation endeavors piqued an interest in wildland firefighting and natural disaster response, so I joined AmeriCorps St. Louis’ Emergency Response Team, which allowed me to serve all over the country. In 2021, I joined a wildland fire module in the Colorado Rockies with the US Forest Service. My devotion to trails, climate justice, and the stewardship of public lands has led down some remarkable paths.