It’s official! I’m moving back to Northern Minnesota in early January!
As you may have guessed from the general tone of my newsletters and Instagram over the past few months, Andy and I are just not in love with the Pacific Northwest. We spent a lot of time debating if we were going to stick it out through the term of our lease or cut and run early. After a lot of debate, we’ve decided moving back sooner rather than later is worth it.
We moved out here in early May for work, and pretty much since the moment we moved out here things have been going poorly. It’s felt time to read the writing on the wall— the West Coast just isn’t for us.
The last few months have been, well, kind of terrible, and I am beyond excited to be headed back to the Midwest region more permanently.
With the coming change, here’s what you can expect here over the next few months:
I’m getting back to my roots
As much as I’ve really learned from my time exploring in the Pacific Northwest, when I first started exploring it was all trips that I could take on the weekends as a student at Michigan State University.
I used to think that the West Coast had some sort of magic, that the outdoor adventure was inherently better and easier to get to than in the Midwest. Now, I know that’s just not true. Natural beauty and adventure are all a matter of perspective.
I have yet to experience a place on the West Coast that even scratches the surface of how wild and remote some of the places on Lake Superior feel. On the other hand, I’m sure there’s no place in the world that holds magic the way the Olympic Coast on a sunny day in November does. One place is not better or more beautiful than the other, but I think the wild spaces of the Midwest speak to me in a way no other place ever will.
They feel like home. They feel warm and welcoming, and like I’m supposed to be there.
One of my favorite things in the world is having and sharing adventures around Lake Superior, the Great Lakes, and the Midwest. On here, I’ll be focusing a lot more on Midwest adventures.
Midwest adventures you say? Access my full free trail guide archive here to explore the Midwest with me or check out the Midwest Adventure eBooks for detailed guides and itineraries.
Winter Adventures!
I have the busiest work travel schedule that I have ever had. In the past, I’ve really dragged my feet on travel plans because I never know where I am going be as a seasonal worker. My life has just been too unpredictable to schedule trips months in advance— with the exception of our three-month sea kayaking expedition, all of my travel has been planned within two weeks of leaving.
Shifting to full-time freelancing this fall has given be a lot more flexibility, as has committing to being in the Midwest long-term.
I’m really excited to be able to spend so much of the next few months travelling in what I think are some of the most beautiful months of the year here in the Great Lakes.
oh hey! speaking of, my winter light preset pack is now live & 50% off this week only! If you want to edit your winter photos in just one click, this is for you!
a few other updates:
With the holidays approaching (catch me home in Michigan!) and a cross-country move on my plate, I will probably be scaling back the content I’m putting out for the next few weeks. It’s definitely still my goal to get something out on Substack (here) every Sunday, but I recognize that I definitely need to give myself a little bit of extra space.
One thing I’ve really struggled with when it comes to working for myself is taking time off. My work is very much I get out of it what I put into it, and because of that taking breaks can feel a lot like self sabotage.
Also, I love what I do for work. I love writing trail guides and newsletters, shooting photos and creating community, and I love that I’m mostly self-funded, and making heirloom knits (by the way fresh restock yesterday code NEWSLETTER20 for 20% off!). I love that I’ve been able to cobble together my creative interests and make it a job, even if it means working more hours than the traditional 9-5. I have never felt like doing what I love for money has ruined what I love.
I genuinely enjoy most aspects of the job that I’ve made for myself. (Okay, I hate doing paid partnerships on social media. I’ve pretty much stopped doing them unless I actually want the product and think it will be easy to shoot and essentially no extra work.)
All of these things make it really hard to step back and take time for myself, even when I badly need it. I’m going to try and get better about delineating what is work and what is life, and part of that will definitely mean taking a little extra time for myself the next few weeks.
ways to support hello stranger:
if you’ve enjoyed getting this newsletter delivered to your inbox every sunday, enjoy my free trail guides, or my content on instagram, here are a few quick ways to support hello stranger:
download the exploring the midwest ebooks (code NEWSLETTER20 for 20% off)
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or become a paying subscriber of Hello Stranger— this newsletter and the continued creation of free trail guides and outdoor resources wouldn’t be possible without the support of paying subscribers. In addition to my undying gratitude, paying subscribers also occasionally get access to exclusive essays or sections of newsletters. Today for example, I’m sharing a detailed account of exactly everything that has gone wrong with out PNW move with paying subscribers of Hello Stranger. Please enjoy my personal disaster!
everything that has gone wrong in the past eight months lol:
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