The entire trip, we only managed one true hike through the great state of Nebraska at Indian Cave State Park. At the time, the caves were closed, which was slightly disappointing, but the view from above the hill was amazing, and the isolation from civilization was the perfect escape from reality.

Preparing for that isolation, we decided what we needed was food that was as lightweight as possible. The hike up the hill was three miles just to make it to the site, and with all of our gear, we needed to figure out how much we were willing to carry in order to avoid having to eat the disgusting food packs. If that's your thing, go for it. It's just not mine.

After hitting up local chain stores for trail mix, breakfast biscuits, and gallon jugs of water to fill our CamelBaks, we found a jerky store.

This jerky store may have had the best tequila lime chicken jerky I have ever tried in my life.

We also ended up buying brats from there for dinner. The man running the store was very friendly and allowed us to sample what we wanted before purchasing. He talked about how they had recently had to close their only other branch, and we watched as he weighed and navigated around his store packaging up what I would assume was preordered jerky.

If you're a fan, I highly recommend checking out his shop.




Going into the primitive campsites miles into a hiking trail instead of choosing the ones by the water near the bathrooms proved to be one of the best ideas of the entire trip.

We ended up seeing only one other couple going onto the hike as we were leaving the next day, so we essentially had the entire place to ourselves.

We were surrounded by gorgeous trees, a view to die for, and the perfect little fire pit.

For me, it reminded me of history.

The unspoiled territory. The rough terrain. What the explorers must have felt going into the unknown. What the pioneers must have seen of the world before all the urbanization of America.

Just the thought made it seem as though I had magically been transported into a different time.



The torture of hiking up that treacherously steep trail while also being there during the time of my lovely monthly visit meant I was stopping us at least every half hour.

Sometimes, I just wanted to stop right where we were and not move on.

I did, though.

When we finally got to the first post with an image of a camera pointing toward a lookout spot, I felt that sense of accomplishment that only comes after knowing you've conquered something.

I get afraid to try a lot.

The fact that I actually made it that far made that view ten times better to me than even the suspended bridge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.


As we looked over the river, Tony decided to get out his drone and play around with the video and photo views. That little break made the rest of the trek seem much more achievable.

We played on the phone looking at the landscape from an aerial view, and somehow that made it feel like even more of an astounding accomplishment to me.

The elevation obviously wasn't as extreme as some of the mountain hikes in the Rockies, but we still had to navigate through trees and very steep, muddy, rocky terrain—which, to me, was surprising for Nebraska.

And we had managed to make it to that lookout spot and grab that gorgeous picture.

It meant the world to me.

We still had more to conquer.

We had a campsite to find and set up and a new tent to try.

It was another trip where a hammock went unused, but maybe one day we'll actually find those trees to use.

We also had firewood to collect and dinner to make before the sun went down.

So on we went.

The first spot we found ended up being the site we used. We actually went farther to check out the next one, but we chose to backtrack even though my body was aching and my heart rate was high.

The view was worth it.

Completely surrounded by vegetation, you couldn't even see our tent from the trail. The only way you knew a campsite was there was the image of a tent on a wooden stake at the entrance.


We managed to gather what little "firewood" we could, mostly dead branches that we found a plethora of, along with whatever had been left behind by previous campers.

Then we set up the tent and made dinner, which turned out to be pretty good for brats.

Being in this day and age, though, we did use the technology we brought with us to have music and entertainment by the fire for a little while.

Then we disconnected again.

We listened to the sounds of chirping birds and grasshoppers and simply enjoyed each other's company for a few hours before settling down for the night.

The next morning, while Tony was sleeping and I roamed around—a normalcy I have become accustomed to—I managed to catch the most amazing sunrise over the Missouri River.

It was one of the most tranquil feelings I've ever experienced.

I found a spot and almost went into a trance for about thirty minutes before finally picking myself up to see what kind of foliage I could find.


Making it down the trail the next day was actually harder than going up it.

The trail was very much unkempt. The brush was over my head in some places, and the slick mud and narrowness of sections that had been washed away by all the rain made it feel as though there was absolutely nothing keeping you from falling on your ass.

I was really regretting not having a walking stick.

We're learning more and more about what we do and don't need, but when your pack is over 50 pounds, you're always looking for more things to drop.

Adding a walking stick would probably be a smart addition, though.

The rest of the Nebraska portion of our trip was spent mostly in the car—for me, anyway—as the Colorado campsite eventually sent me to the E.R.

More on that later.

Tony did manage to drive to many locations that I am determined to actually see the next time we go visit Ash. Some of the most beautiful images of the trip were taken at those spots.

So now I have another dream.

I want to go back and hike the trails I wasn't privileged enough to see.

One day, Tony will be able to show you the video clips we have. They're amazing.

For now, you have me and my views of these trips.

I'm loving every trip, and I'm so lucky to have a friend who shares my love of experiencing the world firsthand instead of just virtually.




 

It's time to keep going, dream big, and be brave.

Take in the past, present, and future.

We aren't guaranteed tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we need to forget it. It doesn't mean we shouldn't learn from the past either.

Planning may not be my thing, but dreaming is.

And dreams of the future are always the way I keep my sanity while I'm stuck in the grind of life.

Hopefully, you become—or already are—a dreamer too.

And hopefully, you go and make your dreams come true...

Or at least start planning to.