There’s something about the word Wilderness that brings with it a sense of adventure. It makes me think of Aragorn, or Chuck Norris, or Indiana Jones. The feeling of danger lurking around every corner, with no way of knowing what will happen next.

I have recently returned from the wilderness, the Southern Nantahala Wilderness to be exact, where my brother, dad, and I spent the weekend backpacking on the AT. I haven’t been backpacking since freshman year, so it was really good to get back to the mountains for a little bit and enjoy, and stand in awe of, this part of creation.

A first for me on this trip was sharing a campfire and trail shelter with complete strangers. I think it’s cool how easy it is to meet people around a campfire that you might not even notice on the street.

So I may add more to this post later, but for now this is good. I will leave you with this piece of wilderness advice: If you ever get lost in the backcountry, remember this, the bark always grows on the outside of a tree.