Journey Return

It doesn’t really matter that I can’t remember the words to almost any song. But people burst out in song and they are magically bonded for life. Oh well. Even the star spangled banner seems a little foggy. And it’s not just that I’m getting older. This thing has been this thing for as long as I can remember. Standing there in 2nd grade with hand across heart, pretending to move mouth as classmates muddle through the pledge of allegiance. On the other hand (or lobe should I say?), I have a knack for remembering melodies, especially movie soundtrack themes. Hearing the soundtrack zips me back to the images of the movie and I get to watch it all over again. It’s not that I don’t want to be like the cool kids who know all the words, so before you write me off, check and see if I’m humming along. Because I’m content with my melody memory.

Is my poor lyric memory connected to my small head? I don’t know. But when Life deals you a small skull and subsequently a small brain, one must dig deep for creativity. I don’t know why my skull is so small and my eyes are so big but that’s what I’ve got in Life. In my preparations to hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) as a Backcountry Ninjas Ambassador, I put on their awesome trucker hat. “One Size Fits Most.” As you’re probably guessing, I do not fall into the most category. My pea brain is literally swimming in their ruckus cool hats. And I just can’t handle it. Oh man, I really want to be one of the cool kids but I can’t fall back on my knowledge of song lyrics. Insert creative inspiration and a crafty mom and this is what you get! My CDT hat!

What is Backcountry Ninjas say you? It’s a grassroots company creating the COOLEST t-shirts (and other goodies) in and outta the woods. Designed by hikers for adventuring nature-lovers all over the world. Backcountry Ninjas donates 7% of its profits and all the gear is printed in the USA. I met the owner of Backcountry Ninjas and my dear friend, Kevin “30 Pack” Conley, under the Scissors Crossing Bridge on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013. There’s sumtin’ special about sleeping under a bridge with friends! We saw each other every now and then trekking up the PCT and there is no one I’ve met who spreads as much joy and love in this world as 30 Pack. Fellow PCT Class of 2013 hikers Rocket Llama and Doodles have contributed designs to the Backcountry Ninjas vision as well. Check it out, you wont be disappointed.