Cody was born on the western slope of Colorado. In his high school career, Cody was nominated and awarded the Amazing Youth Leadership Award by the HRC for establishing one of the first Gay Straight Alliances which then inspired the creation of several other GSAs on the western slope. Cody’s interest in environmentalism stemmed from that experience as well. Cody now resides in Oregon with his partner and beloved animals. He enjoys hiking, camping, running, climbing, watching movies, writing, reading, walking his dog, driving to the ocean, and hanging out with his friends when possible.
There’s a particular kind of energy that comes from stepping into a city for the first time. The streets feel both electric and slightly disorienting, the language might be unfamiliar, and the layout exists only as a loose sketch in your mind. That mix of wonder and mild uncertainty is actually one of travel’s most
There’s a particular kind of weariness that doesn’t come from the journey itself. It settles in a day later, or two, in an unfamiliar bed at 3 a.m. when the ceiling of a beautiful hotel room feels profoundly wrong. Jet lag is a common but short-lived sleep problem you can get after traveling across more
Image credits: Pexels Weather on the trail doesn’t negotiate. It shifts fast, sometimes within the span of a single ridgeline, and the gap between prepared and underprepared can close quickly. That reality has shaped a packing philosophy shared by serious hikers the world over: you don’t just pack for the forecast, you pack for what
Image credits: Unsplash Most hikers who end up stumbling around in the dark didn’t plan for it. They just kept going a little longer than they should have. What separates hikers who make it back safely from those who trigger a search and rescue call is often a single, repeatable habit built before they even
Image credits: Pixabay Seasoned travelers develop certain habits that newer ones haven’t yet learned the hard way. One of the most consistent habits across the frequent traveler community is straightforward: before any trip, scan or photograph every critical document and store it somewhere accessible from anywhere in the world. This isn’t paranoia. It’s a practical
Image credits: Pexels There’s a reassuring ritual most travelers follow without thinking: arrive at the hotel, set a personal code on the in-room safe, tuck away the passport and credit cards, and head out the door feeling secure. It’s a reasonable instinct. The safe is bolted to the wall, the keypad blinks green, and everything
Image credits: Pexels Boondocking has a reputation as a West Coast pursuit, and it’s easy to see why. Wide-open BLM desert, sparse traffic, and flat horizons make dispersed camping almost effortless out west. Boondocking means camping without access to shore power, dump stations, or hookups of any kind, where boondockers access public land and set
Image credits: Unsplash Something quiet but meaningful has been shifting in family cars across the country. Parents who once handed over a tablet at the start of a long drive are starting to think twice. Not because screens have suddenly become forbidden, but because more families are rediscovering something they lost along the way: the
Image credits: Unsplash Something has been shifting quietly in the Southeast. Floridians who once swore by their coastal lifestyle are packing up, trading the salt air and sweltering heat for something cooler, greener, and a little more grounded. The destination pulling them north isn’t a sprawling city or a resort corridor. It’s a mountain creek
Image credits: Pexels Most people have felt it. The wheels touch down, the plane slows, and within seconds a cluster of passengers have already shot to their feet, bags in hand, bodies pressed into the aisle. Nobody is going anywhere yet. The door isn’t open. The jet bridge isn’t connected. Still, the standing continues. This
Image credits: Unsplash Washington State has a reputation that travels ahead of it. Mention the name to most people and they’ll picture gray skies, persistent drizzle, and the kind of overcast light that feels permanent. That image is real enough for the western side of the Cascades, but it tells less than half the story.
Image credits: Flickr There’s something quietly revealing about what people reach for at 35,000 feet. Ordering habits on a plane are stripped of the usual context of a favorite café, a patient barista, or the luxury of time. What you order, how you order it, and whether you even bother, all of that tells a