One of the many problems I have with traveling is finding authentic local life. I think that a lot of it is due to the limited time I spend traveling, but right now the it seems it's mostly in part due to the language barrier that makes me constantly feel like an outsider. I now have newfound respect to people back in America that can't speak English fluently. Today after visiting the Vatican, we crossed back into Italy (which is really just as simple as crossing the street, well, actually it's easier than that because crossing the street in Italy can be quite traumatic) and went past Castel Sant'Angelo and into the streets of Rome. I was starving, having only eaten a granola bar and a cup of coffee while standing in line for the Vatican ... read more

After a decent and much needed night's rest we were up and about for our first full day of Rome. And by full day I mean sightseeing and walking around Rome until we were tired and wanted a nap. We'd be outside until about 3:30PM when we'd return to the hostel for a siesta. At first I felt like taking a nap midday while I was in a city like Rome was a waste of my short amount of time here, but I justified it in two ways: 1) we are in the Mediterranean area where, by my standards at least, it is perfectly acceptable to take midday naps. At least this is what my younger sisters studying Spanish have informed me. And 2) sightseeing is just plain exhausting. Had it been warmer I out I ... read more

I'm heading back to civilization in an hour! It's about 10:15 and we are heading back to our pickup point at 11:00-11:30 or so. We have a 1:00 pickup scheduled, and as much as I have enjoyed this trip, I can't wait to get back. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the last portage back up to the parking lot from Pickerel Lake. It's amazing how much I think I've grown in during this trip. I feel like I did often push myself and did things that I may not have done if I were on a regular hike through the woods. But now I know I can do it, and that's an awesome feeling to have after a trip like this. It's very empowering. It is also nice to look back and ... read more

We took a day trip to Chatterton Falls today from our campsite at Blueberry Island. I won't lie, the Falls were a little disappointing. I guess I have in it my head that waterfalls or something described as falls are a bit more intense. Chatterton Falls are pretty awesome, just in a less obvious ways. They were rushing and very beautiful, but you had to walk a way in order to see the whole falls. They were almost tiered... when you first got to the Falls, there was a medium sized waterfall. After docking, you walk up alongside the water and see a few more falls. When you walk a little bit more up, you see more, and so on and so on. Which was nice in a way because it really promoted a day of ... read more

There are some things in life where the harder something is, the better you feel about it in the end. It's the feeling of accomplishment, the rush of trying something new, or knowing that you went outside your comfort zone that does it for you. After finishing a rocky, mile-plus long portage twice over--once with an 80-pound pack and then my own personal pack--I coudn't help but feel very good about myself despite how much I hated it while doing trying to climp up a rock with the food pack on my back. I wouldn't necessarily want to do it again right then; nevertheless, it seemed like something I could be proud of, knowing that I pushed myself on only the second day of our trip. It really got me thinking "what couldn't I do" if ... read more