Sloth Monsters

It took me two weeks to realize just how much I couldn't go back to my old ways of life after the PCT.

No longer could I spend full days working away on the computer.

No longer could I find joy from having 5 giant suitcases full of clothing.

No longer could I dabble in the dubious happiness of having a "responsible adult" life

(Leases, casual business attire, sucking up for a job I don't really want).

As I went through all the college notes, trinkets, and random unused items from previous pursuits, I found myself wondering how I managed to completely f***ing lose it before the trail.

So I decided I didn't want to revisit my online business days of 24/7 screens, or needing 10 loads of laundry to wash all of my items, or looking through Craigslist ads to find four walls just to contemplate how much I hate living inside them.

Away with it all. This isn't going to be an adjustment back to "real life", this is going to be a new adventure from now on.

One where I get to work on my terms, because that's why I worked so fucking hard at getting my degrees in the first place. 

One where I don't have to spend an hour trying to find an item I really need because it sank to the bottom of my sea of unnecessary shit. 

One where I do more than make a bunch of plans, because a huge lesson you learn on the trail is that you don't know squat until you actually get out there and try things.

It took me two weeks post-trail, but I've finally made solid progress on sorting out the bad parts of my past self and just reattaching the good ones. 

A real embodiment of this is in my material things. I feel much closer to calling myself a true minimalist. Though I tend to get attached to every little item I own and am overly sentimental, I was able to do it. Here are some photos that exemplify the process:

I keep things I like until I am absolutely forced to get rid of them. It took my family 5 minutes to convince me that the ripped ass of my curduroys wasn't patchable and they needed to be put to rest... RIP BDG Twigs, 12/30/13-11/25/17

About half of the items I decided to find a new life for. I sewed about 30 items in this process, keeping and giving them away, to keep them out of the landfill.

My current setup!! That's everything-- including my outdoor gear, a crate for my toiletries, a basket for my snacks, etc. All of my favorite things included : ]

Though I stored 5 bins of stuff to furnish whatever my next indoor living might be (sheets, pots & pans, wall hangings, etc.), I feel like this is pretty minimalist.

Looking forward to being this streamlined and to my next roadtrip--> NorcCal : ]