A prologue: In search of happiness

Hello everyone, my name is Devin Boggs. I’m a nuclear rocket scientist from a small town in eastern Kentucky and I’ll be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail starting April 13th. Last January I turned 30, starting a new decade and a new chapter in the search for happiness. More info: as9kl. I always had a passion for the Earth and our place in the universe; Growing up in rural Kentucky gave me access to pristine forests and star-studded nights lit by fireflies. In my travels to a dozen countries (diving, backpacking, climbing) I have seen how fragile our pale blue dot is and have experienced a growing call to bring my experience back to Earth from when I was fixated solely on the stars. After so many years struggling with my career as an aerospace engineer, the universe presented me with a dream, a challenge, a calling, and a challenge: to follow the Pacific Crest Trail, and without further delay, I finally heeded the call.

My why…

The last few chapters of my life story have been a little difficult. When I was in my twenties, I was struggling with my passions, relationships, and purpose, which almost led me to the end of my life. Backpacking provided me with one of the few reliefs during this time from the stress, depression, and struggles that came with my career. My first engineering job took a toll on my spirit and brought me to my breaking point: 8-10 hours in a cubicle in a windowless building combined with COVID isolation, a master’s degree, poor leadership, and empty relationships—I knew something had to change. I gave engineering another chance and moved from the cornfields of Ohio to the Columbia Gorge in Washington State. In this job I really hoped to find my calling with the opportunity to work in a laboratory, build with my hands and innovate while being so close to nature. There I found projects I could be passionate about: hyperspectral CubeSats to monitor coral reef bleaching, nuclear thermal propulsion research to aid solar system exploration, and unmanned aerial systems to collect data on the quality of watersheds after wildfires. Unfortunately, that’s where the Trump Administration stepped in while I suffered a terrible foot injury while climbing. With reckless abandon, they began cutting funding (for science, engineering, and environmental research), causing so many people in our lab to suffer and years of world-leading research to be lost. I fought like hell for my job even in my disabled state until one random Thursday afternoon when my supervisors threw in the towel on me. After losing my job, I took advantage of the fight I had left during 9 long months of healing, physical therapy, and recovery. At the beginning of 2025 I was finally able to walk again and I made some promises to myself:

• No longer putting my careers before my passions and dreams.
• Not locking myself into a singular idea of ​​what my life should be like.
• Pursue life intensely with curiosity, passion and a sense of adventure.
• No longer allowing perfectionism to stop me from pursuing powerful things.
• Live for the betterment of myself, the environment and the people in my life.

The Pacific Crest Trail was always something I dreamed of, but I constantly pushed for it year after year due to complacency, fear of becoming unemployed in the United States, and the pressure of living a conventional American life. My hope while doing the PCT is to overcome some of the experiences I had in my 20s, meet amazing, passionate people, create lifelong memories, and create a simpler life for my 30s that makes me happy. Although I’ve never hiked before, I’ve done several multi-day backpacking trips, including the O-trek in Patagonia and a summit attempt of Island Peak in Nepal, so I’m excited for the challenge and beauty of the PCT. With climate change, I believe there is no better time for our generation to share our experiences on the great wilderness of trails like the PCT to continue their preservation for the next generation and inspire action on behalf of the environment. I hope to see you soon and contact me when you need someone for space trivia!

According to Aspera Ad Astra and Happy Trails,

Devin Boggs

Monarchs that spend the winter – Mexico

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