Adventure: One Lap Around

I’ve done my share of out-and-backs, but this might have been my first full circle of planet Earth. New Mexico to Japan, on to Hong Kong, then a push across the Middle East to Menorca and the Raw Fest 2026. A lot of time on planes. It went without a hitch, which is a miracle, really. Delays are compensated with new routes, trains on schedule, and even small movements by bus, taxi, or on foot, all passing without a hitch. Thank you, travel Gods.

Now I’m at home for one day, and I have jet lag.

The walls close in. The pressure in my head reminds me of Lyme. I sweat and get the sun in my face. Two things that seem to help. I power bottle after bottle of water, beet powder, creatine, and more. And I unpack and pack. My kit needs to change. Seattle calls for meetings, but also calls for footage. Tricky conditions, but all things I’ve seen before.

I wanted to say thank you to all those who made this trip what it was. You know who you are, and there are too many to list. (Athletes and organizers alike.) This trip was a killer, but it was also incredibly inspiring. I was fired up before, but I’m even more so now. The day before I flew home, I was asked to give a talk about creativity. This is rare, believe it or not. Most of my talks are book-centric, Blurb-centric in some cases. Not this one. Just tell us what you do, how you do it, and why.

I had a plan, and the first few minutes semi-scripted out, but the rest was “Read the faces, and they will tell you which direction to go.” They did. At the center of this little talk was my notebook. I spoke about my origin story, about not fitting in no matter where I was. I spoke about knowing early on that my path would not be the mainstream path. I knew I didn’t have it in me.

The notebook became the thing in 1993. I’ve used it daily since. The reaction to my talk was more than I expected. Far more, actually. It got me thinking about things I already knew to be true, but needed to hear one more time. It got me thinking about how this needs to be more a part of what I do and what I leave people with. For anyone interested in my upcoming Patagonia classes, well, stay tuned. So, thank you to all those who made this trip so memorable. After this next trip, I have some runway here at home. Time to think and time to plan, and I might even get some time to shoot. What I do will be influenced by all of you. Thank you.