One and a half million steps across the desert.

I last wrote here just over two months ago. 

I was about to head off on a big adventure to hike the length of Arizona, 800 miles from Mexico to Utah…

That feels like forever ago now, oh so much has happened since.

I arrived back home just over a week ago, and I’m happy to say I arrived home in one piece. 

I’ve seen so many new and wonderful places and met so many new and wonderful people.

I’ve smiled, I’ve ached, I’ve pained, I’ve whooped to the mountains, cheered at views and cried when it all got too much.

I placed one foot in front of the other and repeated it well over a million times. Each step took me somewhere I’d never travelled before, both physically and mentally. Some steps brought joy, some steps hurt, some I did not want to take but most I was excited to see where they carried me.

I was surprised by a lot on this walk.

I was surprised by the variety of landscapes, the amount of snow that fell in the desert, the incredibly friendly people, how much I liked America…

What I was most surprised by however, was when I sat one day and wondered where I got the confidence and ability to travel halfway around the world and hike across a desert on my own. 

I’ve not always been that guy and I’m not sure when I became him.

Now I’m back home.

There is less money left in my pocket than I had planned, but I don’t care, it was worth it for the adventure, experiences and the stories stored up in my head.

I’ll send the 18 rolls of film I hauled across the desert to the lab to be developed very soon, then I’m sure I’ll share a few of those stories.

For now I’m searching for work to keep me going over the coming months and appreciating how green it is here on the coast of Wales.

Chat more soon,

Jacob.