One year ago to this day I was sitting in California about to start one of the most epic journeys of my life. I was about to embark on a 2,668 mile cross country hike from Mexico to Canada.

One year ago to this day I was sitting in California about to start one of the most epic journeys of my life. I was about to embark on a 2,668 mile cross country hike from Mexico to Canada. Not really knowing much about hiking at the time, and only going on a couple weekend trips before, I was attracted to the sense of adventure and mystery of what each day would hold. At about 1,830 miles in, I found myself waking up at 4am pretty regularly to catch the sunrise as it became my favorite part of the day. Everything is so calm at this time, and all you have is your thoughts and the path that sits in front of you. Such a liberating and also scary feeling to have, but a good one at that. A feeling I became addicted to over time. This week in honor of the approach of my hiking anniversary, @chaiwalla and I will be participating as a guest judges in @passionpassport spring cleaning contest. They want you to do some spring cleaning, and clear out your camera roll and show the world some of those moments you never got around to sharing from your year of exploring. Head on over to @passionpassport for a chance to win and enter your photos with the tag I will be looking through the feed this week picking out some of the moments that stand out to me the most. This was one of my favorite moments from my trip, catching a star laced sunrise at Crater Lake in Oregon. Cheers and never stop exploring!