“A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step,” goes the famous Chinese proverb.
While the first step can be difficult to take, planning, money, time, etc, it’s also important to plan for the last step.
I have gone on two long journeys, four years in the Navy and the second journey was a year backpacking across Europe as a way to heal from the military.
I didn’t plan on how to end either journey. transitioning from military life to civilian life is difficult and took me many years to get used to not being in the military, notwistanding PTSD that still haunts me.
Now in my 60s, I’m not as resilient as when I was in my 20s. So planning the first steps is critical to a safe and fun adventure but how I plan on ending them is also critically important to both my mental and physical health.
I will be off grid for most of my time in Alaska and even in a cabin in the Arctic with no electricity (solar yes).
From my arctic base camp to Anchorage is a 12-15 hour drive and in my younger days I would have drove straight to the airport and took the cheapest flight home.
Now I plan on spending the last 2 days at a luxury resort to rest and recover before heading home first class from Anchorage to Miami.
I’m older now but also wiser.
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