A Ten Year Dream in the Making

Hello and welcome to my blog! Gosh, I can’t believe the dream I’ve had since 2015 is starting to become a reality. Beginning March 24th, my boyfriend, Noah, and I will be embarking on a journey that will be remembered for years to come. I’m so excited! 

About Me

I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s in New Jersey, spending majority of my childhood running around outside. Some of my favorite memories include family camping trips in New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. My brother and I loved riding bikes around campsites, spotting bears and taking picture after picture on our disposable cameras. As I grew up, priorities shifted with the advancement in technology. When I moved to Allentown, PA to study Dance at Muhlenberg College, I found myself enjoying the great outdoors again, hiking with the Outdoors Club and continuing the family tradition of summer camping trips, this time out west. 

After I graduated college, I moved to Chicago, IL and started professionally tap dancing with Chicago Tap Theatre. During my first year in the company the 2020 pandemic hit, and I was forced to stay inside, as Chicago’s restrictions were pretty severe. I kept recalling my love for the great outdoors. I embarked on a few trips with friends, backpacking Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, driving 24 hours straight to Zion and Bryce Canyon, and my personal favorite, renting a car and hitting some of my favorite parks in California. I began to realize that what I desired wasn’t in Chicago anymore. So, my boyfriend and I packed up our lives and spent a month driving out west, hitting TEN (!!) National Parks along the way. 

Noah and I lived in Monterey, California and worked on Cannery Row in the restaurant industry. The goal was to explore as much of California as we could in a year, and boy did we accomplish it. We hit every national park, took monthly trips to Yosemite, converted our Honda Element and spent another month living out of it and exploring California. After our excursion, we moved up to Bellingham, Washington in October of 2023. The past year and few months in Bellingham has been nothing short of a dream. Washington is abundant with wildlife, hiking trails, fresh produce and beautiful flowers. 

The Dream Becomes A Reality

Like many, I fell in love with the PCT after reading Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild”. I saw the film in theaters with my family, and I still remember walking out, telling them that I was going to hike the PCT. Ten years later and the timing has finally aligned. After a tough start in Bellingham, I obtained a job and was laid off within two months. Noah and I had planned for a 2026 PCT attempt, but after the layoff, I told myself, “what am I waiting around for?”. We decided to bump it up a year and started our planning and training!

This past year, we’ve hiked trails all over Washington, acclimating and working towards longer days on our feet, stretching our muscles, and eating healthy. Some of our favorite trips have included backpacking to Stehekin just as the Pioneer Fire was making its way into the valley, hiking the Enchantments, and spending time in Olympic and Mount Rainier National Park.

Follow Us on Our Journey!

Well, introduction of the TWO SILLY GOOSERS complete! Yep, we are known as the goosers. We don’t have trail names yet, as this is our first big thru hike, but I have a feeling we’ll mostly be known as the goosers during our time on trail. I’m beyond excited to grow our hiking community and make some of the best and worst memories on the PCT! (They can’t all be good, can they?)

 

If you’d like to follow our social media, we’re mostly on Instagram – @2sillygoosers. We have a Tik Tok as well – @2sillygoosers. 

Looking forward to all of the hiker trash that is to come!

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Comments 9

  • Meredith Murray : Jan 21st

    obsessed with you!!!! can’t wait to folllow along <3

    Reply
  • Alexa : Jan 21st

    What a wonderful life-changing journey you’re about to embark on! I cannot wait to read what the goosers get up to these next few months 🙂

    Reply
  • Samantha : Jan 22nd

    Excited to follow along on your adventure this year! Excited your able to start your dream hike!

    Reply
  • Anna : Jan 22nd

    Awesome photos and intro blog! 🙂

    Reply
  • yam : Jan 22nd

    You write very well. I will be following, here and on IG. Thanks !

    Reply
  • yam : Jan 22nd

    Dang. Your IG page is broken from here.

    Reply
  • Misty Klement : Jan 22nd

    Best of luck to you! Excited to follow along!

    Reply
  • Plankton : Jan 24th

    Class of 2024 here, so excited for your adventure! Thru hiking is an unbelievable experience and the PCT is just extraordinary. I have a SOBO permit this year just to relive parts of Washington, NorCal and the Sierra. Take time to appreciate all the wonderful people you will meet and stay flexible and adaptable and you’ll be just fine.

    Reply
  • Jess : Jan 27th

    Alison you killed it on this blog! So awesome to read about your “why” and “how”, and to see all those awesome pictures. Really looking forward to following your journey!

    Reply

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