Two things happened in the past month that I’m still having trouble believing:
First, Andrew Skurka posted a help-wanted ad on the ultralight subreddit asking for shakedowners. So I applied. And I got it. I ended up going over the gear lists of his Alaska clients since the conditions in Alaska in June are very similar to conditions on the Olympic Coast in March. I also learned that bread bags are worn between dry socks and wet shoes, not just outside of socks alone. Whoops. I guess that’s what happens when you spend too much time reading about backpacking techniques online during the off season before you have a chance to try them all yourself.
On the plus side, Person B was kind enough to save a pair of bread bags for me from her recent lunches so now I have my own pair.
Second, SectionHiker sent out a “writers wanted” ad in one of their weekly emails. So I applied. And I got it. My first trip report for Ancient Lakes is now live on the site, and I’ve got a trickle of gear reviews on the way.
I honestly don’t know what to say. As far as I knew I was just some idiot who liked backpacking and had the time to occasionally write about it on a blog whose only intended audience is myself. Maybe the world feels differently? We’ll see.
It’s been a dream of mine to be able to just quit my job (which I actually really enjoy) and get paid to go backpacking all the time. I never for once considered that that would even be a remote possibility, but now I’m not so sure.
Stay tuned.