Aha… yes…. No, that won’t be enough food, will it? That’s DEFINITELY not enough food. I’m not even on the trail yet and I’m already running out of food options in my head. This is not good. Come on Aria, you’ve backpacked hundreds of times, she thinks. If only I could connect to this plane’s damn WiFi so I could open a Pinterest board. Do hikers use Pinterest? Well, that’s a silly question, of course it is! They are fucking creative. The original scrapbooks of rudimentary cooking. Okay, we’ll keep using our notes app and then once we land in Portland, we can open Pinterest and add things to it, yay! Brilliant! Well, why else do I need to be scared? Conner has the equipment. The whole team. Damn, why did I leave him all my equipment? No, no, it’s okay. Conner has all the equipment, this is a good thing. He’ll fly it from Utah to San Diego and then we’ll redeploy it there. You’ll fly to Portland, cheer up with your mom and sister, and then you’ll fly to San Diego and meet Conner there. He has all the equipment, this is a good thing, less to worry about. We are breathing and we are calm. Yes. Rattlesnakes. NO! NO! We’ve been through this!!! US. DO. NO. THINK. ABOUT. RATTLE SNAKES. ENOUGH OF THAT! We’ve read the studies, we’ve seen the training videos, we’ve got the satellite, we’ll be fine. And we’re back, okay. Damn, what am I supposed to be planning? …… ………….food FOOD! Good! We are taking advantage of this time to think about food. Yeah! There we are, okay, ready, food, okay… Damn, is that too much food?
Who is this weirdo?
Hello! I’m Aria! I’m a fugitive chemist with a paintbrush embarking on one last big adventure before starting work in the fall. I defended my PhD in Chemistry in May 2025 and began my trip around the world a month later. I’ve done my travels and now I’m doing the PCT! I’ve been dreaming about both of them since high school and it’s surreal to live that dream. I wanted to document my travels as I went, but fearing my ramblings I decided to keep them private. However, I think I’ll be in better company here 🙂 If anyone knows how to get lost in thought, imagine the world in different ways, and ramble about gear, it’s hikers. I’m so glad you’re here! It makes me feel, well, no less weird. We are all a little strange in our own way. I guess it makes me feel like it’s okay to be myself. So thank you, thank you for being here. And now, without further ado, shall we take a little walk through the North?
Painting project!
Before embarking on this life-changing journey, I have decided to give myself a little creative project. In an attempt to slow down and truly enjoy the world around me, I’m going to paint a little watercolor every day! To do this, I cut out 2×2 inch squares of watercolor paper and will bring a small paint palette, paintbrush, and pen to write a small journal entry on the back of each piece. My sister Min will send me more squares of watercolor paper as I go and I will send her finished paintings! I’ll try to post my daily paintings here and on my art account on Instagram @chemist.tree.painter. I’m excited to not only share my hiking trip but also my creative journey with you!
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