It took me a while to figure it out, but for a significant portion of this project, I have felt torn between two worlds. The world of adventure and the world of environmental awareness. I have been constantly struggling with how to bridge these two worlds and I believe there is an inherent connection between them. The more I think about it, a lot of people who go on an adventure are already in the right place, maybe we just need to help them connect the dots. In the last few years, the United States has actually seen a significant increase in the number of people getting outside and into natu ..read more

As I have continued this journey into understanding climate change in our society, I want to share some of my thoughts on how I approach conversations around climate change. I believe it is important to bring this topic up this month in particular as we are on the cusp of the United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Otherwise known as COP26, this gathering of leaders from around the world, civil society members, and the media is an opportunity to bring climate change to the forefront of the global conversation. If someone is not deeply entrenched in the climat ..read more

Along my journey of 1,100 miles, I saw an incredible array of wildlife including Bottlenose Dolphins, West Indian Manatees, Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles, Bonnethead sharks, American River Otters, American Alligators, and birds, lots and lots of birds. Due to their extreme diversity and my deep passion for them, I wanted to take some time to talk about many of the amazing birds that pass through or call the Intracoastal Waterway home. My love and fascination with birds started from a very young age. I always enjoyed being outside and knew I wanted a career working in or at least with natur ..read more

Being a part of a community is something that many of us are familiar with. A community can take many different forms and is unique to each person that resides in it. Some people love to share and showcase their affiliation with said community proudly, others might never mention it outside of their circle. There is no right or wrong way to be a part of a community, although each community might have its own rules, guidelines, or regulations. One community that I found myself growing to love is the cruising community. Now I want to be clear that cruising and boating are two different things. Bo ..read more

I figured now that I have been home for a little over two weeks, I wanted to share what it has been like adjusting back to normal life. The things that were both expected as well as unexpected. For reference, home for me is Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina which is situated along North Carolina’s outer banks. To those of you who have already reached out to check in with me since getting home, thank you. Before ever getting home, I was starting to try to imagine what it was going to be like when I got home. What was I going to eat? Who was I going to see? What was I going to do for work? How wo ..read more

I feel like I need to do a whole bit on hope. Hope is a word that has the capacity to hold an incredibly immense weight. However hope is a double edged sword that sits directly opposite of doubt. Okay, yeah, there’s something here, start another post all about hope. Before I define hope or give examples of it, I want to share what it means to me and why I think it is so important. I think about hope a lot because I believe that it is one of the only ways that I have been able to mentally make it through this journey. Since I am talking about climate change and the worries, fears, and challeng ..read more

The final week of this journey on the water was an incredible mixture of emotions. Starting off with hunkering down for tropical storm Elsa was not exactly what I had planned, but it was the hand I was dealt. Thankfully, I was in familiar territory out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and I had the ability to pull Time & Tide out of the water on a sound side beach while the storm passed. On top of that, I was able to sleep in my own bed for a few nights which was a welcome relief. Especially saying that the three days prior on the water were all intense pedaling days. My body needed th ..read more

Throughout this journey, both on and off camera, I have probably talked with over 200 people, if not more, about the conversation around climate change. What I have found interesting in some situations is that some people do not realize that by me bringing up the topic, that I am attempting to engage with them on the topic. This has sometimes led to a dismissal of the conversation with an “oh, cool” and then silence as if no one had ever brought up the topic with them before. I think that that could very well be true. Possibly seeing articles or posts scroll across their social media feed, but ..read more

I feel like it’s important that I take some time to talk about my mental health throughout this trip, from the challenges I’ve faced, to how I have dealt with them, and what I have learned. I will say right away that this is from my perspective and experiences and not the advice of any trained professional. I would be lying if I said I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to do this project. There have been times when I have felt way in over my head and questioning why I even decided to do something like this. I have had some of the highest highs and lowest of lows over the last ..read more

This post is dedicated to my time in Charleston, the people I met, the adventures I went on, and the stories I heard. For those that have not been to Charleston, South Carolina, it is a major city and port located on the southern end of South Carolina between Hilton Head Island and Georgetown. Known for its history, food, and culture, Charleston has routinely been ranked as one of the top tourist destinations in the country, and for good reason. I had the wonderful opportunity the attend the College of Charleston for my undergraduate where I graduated with a degree in biology in 2017. During m ..read more