Be Curious!

Around 7 years ago, we were not yet hikers. We knew that we loved traveling and visiting new places. We also enjoyed camping and being outside sitting around a fire. Then Lynsey saw a picture of Dolly Sods (a high mountain plateau and the cover photo of this blog entry) and she wanted desperately to visit someday. For Christmas 2019, Lynsey requested a book about hiking and visiting Dolly Sods and other West Virginia spots. This book helped to further fuel the desire to visit these rare and unique places. 

The pandemic was a challenge for so many of us but was also somewhat of a blessing for the Bowes. Justin was able to have extra time to plan some camping and hiking trips due to school being remote. We knew that we wanted to someday go to Dolly Sods but we wanted to work our way up to that. It’s a wilderness area and we wanted to be fully ready and a bit experienced before hitting the trails. This led us to begin hiking locally before hitting some bigger places. 

Lynsey on one of our first hikes!

Years later, we have visited Dolly Sods but have also explored so many other amazing places. The journey is not about a final destination but about the many places you visit along the way. If you are curious about hiking (or anything else), take the first small step. Buy the book, make the plan, and just get out there and do it. Being curious about what is out there on the horizon is something so innate to us as humans. It’s why thousands and thousands of years ago, our ancestors headed out into the great unknown to explore a new world. Always stay curious! 

The Leonard Adkins which inspired Lynsey to want to hike.