ABOUT ME

Hi. I’m Paty (trail name: Sisu). If you’re on this page, you’re probably curious about who I am and I why I started this blog. So let’s jump right in…

I spent my 20s and 30s serving in the U.S. Army. That experience introduced me to international travel and provided me with a pretty unconventional life. But it had some downsides too. The biggest one is that I didn’t have the opportunity to truly get out and explore the world on my own terms.

Toward the end of my military career, I started spending more of my time out in nature, and longing for the days when I’d have the opportunity to take on some amazing trips.

As an avid hiker and trail runner, I already spent much of my free time outdoors. Then one weekend, I ventured onto the Barr Trail and up to the summit of Pike’s Peak in Colorado. This 25-mile roundtrip hike up to 14,000+ feet elevation energized me like nothing else.

Soon I was looking for bigger challenges to fill my adventure fix! In 2016, I booked a trip to Africa to trek up to Mt. Kilimanjaro’s summit at 19,340 feet. 

Then in 2017, my best friend and I fastpacked the Grand Canyon from the South Rim to North Rim and back again in just two days! Our 48-mile rim-to-rim-rim (or R2R2R) journey pushed me physically and mentally, over 20,000 feet of elevation change, and I’ve never felt more alive.

With those travels under my belt, I was hooked! I wanted even grander and more difficult experiences outdoors. So in 2018, I persuaded my family to sell our house and 90% of our possessions. This allowed us to move into an RV and travel around the U.S. in pursuit of my dream of hiking, trail running, backpacking full-time for the next three years.

While nomadic, I hiked and ran thousands of miles, including 550 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, a 2,200 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, a winter section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, a fastpacking trip on the Trans-Catalina Trail, a thru-hike of the 171-mile Tahoe Rim Trail, and so much more!  

I also developed a bit of an obsession with highpointing and visiting microbreweries too. Along the way, I’ve been keeping trail journals and writing blog posts  – trying my best to chronicle what I’ve learned and some of the oddball things that happen when you live this crazy lifestyle. 

In March 2021, we sold our RV and decided to basecamp out of Eugene, Oregon for a few years. Don’t worry though. I’m still taking on new adventures – both on the West Coast and beyond!