The stars were beginning to bloom into existence as I drove north, despite the wind howling cold and dark against my car, the night was quiet. I turned music on loud to keep the silence at bay and kept driving.

I was searching for an adventure, and I find that when you open yourself to opportunity, you're apt to find one.

There are times when you get home from work or school and just don't feel the desire to go out and live like you're used to. You're too tired for a walk, it's too cold to go outside, it's late and you have too much to do tomorrow.

You say all of these things, but then as you sit on your couch watching Netflix you wish you were out living, out adventuring more like you used to.

Putting yourself in a situation where adventure can happen will almost always, without fail, make it happen for you.

Star Gazing

Sometimes you're full of drive to go out and live every weekend to the fullest, while other times you fall into a rut where finding adventures can be difficult.

Every night I would come home from work or school when night was full and dark. As I walked from my car into the house I would stare up at the stars and think of how beautiful they were.

Every night I remembered nights spent out under them, taking photos by a lake far away from anyone else, out on late walks, and every night I told myself I was too tired and would do it another day.

One day I had had enough, I didn't think about how long of a day it had been, or how cold it was outside, I just went indoors, grabbed my camera, and clambered back into my car.

I opened myself up to the adventure and just drove.

I had an amazing night out under the stars, listening to the hoot of owls and the rustle of other animals in the night. My breath might have grown like fog in the light of my headlamp, but the stars were full and I felt alive.

Wandering through Cherry Plains, I breathed in the darkness, breathed in the opportunity. This one moment lit a fire in me.

Summit Sunrise: Noonmark Mountain

A few days later, late on a Saturday, I drove north to go for a hike. I didn't arrive in the mountains until close to 11 PM, but when I parked in the lot and crawled into my car bed, I was full of excitement for the next day. I knew I wanted to hike, to adventure, so I just put myself in the position to make it happen.

If I had sat home that night, the next morning I would have woken up well too late to do anything with my day.

I was amped enough that I was finally getting out in the mountains that I had difficulty sleeping, so I read late into the night. Finally pushing myself to be in the moment was making me feel alive.

I woke up just after 4 AM to hike as fast as I could up Noonmark. The hike is only 5.8 miles round trip, and I arrived on the summit well before sunrise, covered in enough sweat to need to change hats.

Standing on the summit, I planned out what shots I wanted to take as the sky began to lighten. I had forgotten a piece to my tripod so I used rocks and my Osprey pack to get self-portrait shots as the mountains were kissed by the first light of the day.

The sunrise was brilliant on the eastern horizon, tearing open the sky in red, pink and gold. A orange-pink light pierced the line of clouds above the edge of the world, warming a strip of mountains halfway up the Great Range to the west.

It was one of those moments that made me shout out into the valley, my blood singing, my face flushed. The hills to the southeast filled with warm light and shadow, rolling in layers towards Vermont.

On mornings like this, I remember why I do what I do, putting myself into situations where I can find adventure.

Finding Adventure

Dreaming of adventures doesn't get anything done, acting on your desires does. Always give yourself the opportunity to make something happen. If you know you want to do something, if you crave it, give it the chance to happen.

Sitting around does nothing, be proactive, look up hikes and just send it. If you aren't sure of what you can do, reach out to others, reach out to me. The internet is a wonderful place full of inspiration and excitement (if you search in the right places of course).

Give in to the possibilities, and good things will come of it.