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 the isolation we decided what we needed was as lightweight as possible food because the hike up the hill was 3 miles just to make it to the site, and with all of our gear, we needed to figure out how much we were going to take in order to not have 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 the camel packs, we found a jerky store. This Jerky store may have 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 the only other branch they had and we watched as he weighed and navigated around his store to package up what I would assume to be preordered jerky. If you are a fan I highly reccommend that you check out his shop. 



 Going into the primitive campsites miles into a hiking trail, instead of 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 1 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 the 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 were magically transported into a different time.


The torture of hiking up the treacherously steep trail, while it  being during the time of my lady monthly visit, meant I was stopping us every half hour at least. Sometimes, I just wanted to stop right where we were and not move on. I did though, and as we got to the first post that had an image of a camera pointing to 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 did make it that far, made that view 10xs better than even the suspended bridge in Gatlinburg, Tn.

As we looked over at the river, Tony decided to get out his drone and play around with video/photo views. That slight 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 it made it even more of an astounding accomplishment to me. The elevation wasn’t as extreme as some of the mountain hikes in the Rockies, obviously, but just knowing we had to navigate through trees and a very steep,muddy, and rocky terrain (which to me was surprising being Nebraska) and we managed to make that lookout spot to grab that gorgeous picture.
It meant the world to me.
We still had more to conquer. We still 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 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 further 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 it 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, as well as whatever was leftover from 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 used the technology we did bring to have music and entertainment by the fire for a bit. Then we disconnected again into the sounds of chirping birds and grasshoppers and we just enjoyed the company that we had for a few hours before settling down for the night.
The next morning  as Tony was sleeping and I roamed around, a normalicy that I have become accustom to, I managed to catch the most amazing sunrise over the missouri river. It was one of the most tranquil feeling I have ever had just finding a spot and going into a trance  for almost 30 minutes before picking myself up to see what kind of foliage I could see.

Making it down the trail, the next day, was harder than going up it.It was very much unkempt. The brush was over my head in some places, the slickness of the mud and narrowness that some parts had turned into due to all the rain that had washed over the only rocks made it so you felt as though you had nothing to keep you from falling on your ass.I was really regretting not having a walking stick. We are learning more and more what we don’t and do need but when your pack is over 50 lbs, you always are looking for more things to drop...adding a walking stick would be a smart add I think.

The rest of Nebraska’s trip was spent mostly in the car,for me anyways, as the Colorado Campsite sent me to the E.R.( more on that later.) Tony did manage to drive to many locations I am determined to see the next time we go visit Ash. The most beautiful images were taken at these spots. So my new dream is to go back and hike those trails I was not priviliged enough to see,one day Tony will be able to show you the video clips we have. It's 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 the love of experiencing the world first hand 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 that you go and make your dreams come true...or at least start planning to.