How I Found Myself In-between – Jackson’s Story

“Who am I and what is my story?” This is a loaded question, but I’ll do my best. A little background first. I grew up in a small town outside of a small town in Northeast Arkansas. I had the woods at my disposal and all the watershed lakes to swim and fish in. Most weekends, I found myself exploring the trails behind my house or blazing new ones. As I grew older, traditional sports started to glean my interest but the outdoors always had a place in my heart.

When I started college, I began exploring beyond my backyard and checked out Eagle Rock Loop in the Ouachitas of Arkansas. That didn’t kill me so I started seeking larger adventures. I went out west to the Grand Canyon. Now, that nearly did kill me, and for a few years I stuck to more traditional travel like Puerto Rico, Germany, and Spain. Then, while in Italy, my father and I decided to walk part of the Via Francigena into Rome. That inspired me to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which then naturally led to the Appalachian Trail. 

---

In preparation for the AT, I hiked quite a bit in the Ozarks and completed the Buffalo River Trail. After the AT, I had the urge to set the unsupported speed record on the Ozark Highlands Trail of Arkansas. Since then, I’ve slowed down a little bit, focusing on my career and moving a few times to help open stores for the company I work for. I have been able to sprinkle in a few trips here and there, like skiing in Breckinridge, hiking in Yosemite, and taking a road trip to Utah. I also completed a 340 mile canoe race on the Missouri River.

These adventures have left me itching for more. We have big plans coming up. We want to see the world, put a foot on every continent, and climb every mountain! Big dreams, I know, but we have to start somewhere. That is why we are going to start where we are currently.

First, we are going to check out our new home of Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Read: Taken With Tulsa) Then we want to branch out and see other parts of the state. Going back home to Arkansas isn’t off the table; there are still a lot of things to discover in the Ozarks. Next, we want to explore the mountains out west, then the mountains out east. Then the lakes to the north and the deserts to the south. The Pacific, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Canadian Rockies, the volcanoes of Costa Rica. I could keep going but you get the picture. We want to start from here because there is no better place to start from.  Along with our desire to travel, one thing we are keeping in mind is how to make sure we can bring our pup, Kona. It makes planning a little trickier, but the journey will be better for it.

But why? Why spend all the time and energy exploring new places when I could just buy a house, a new car, really build up my 401K? The answer: happiness, sense of purpose, freedom.

I have been trying to figure out what I am supposed to do my entire life. I thought I could answer it with things. I bought a house, and a new car, and I’ve had a retirement plan since I was fourteen years old.

Those things haven’t made me happy. I’ve also walked across Spain, paddled for 77 hours straight in a canoe, and traversed 2,200 miles of the Appalachian mountains looking for the answer. I still haven’t found it. I don’t even have the slightest clue. But I do know that when I go do these things, I am overcome with a great sense of accomplishment. I challenge myself, but I am completely free. I am truly happy in my pursuit of happiness.

I don’t have a clue of what I want to do with my life. Maybe I will be stuck in this in-between phase forever. I can promise one thing though, I will continue to seek the answer to the question that everyone asks themselves; what am I supposed to do?

Come to think of it, maybe I have already already found it.