Scratching an itch

I'm off on an adventure. A big, life-changing adventure. I know roughly where it will begin. I have no idea where it will end. I am excited, energized, uncertain, curious, eager, nervous -- and a bit behind on my sleep. 

So what's going on? In a nutshell, I have accepted a seasonal position as a hiking, backpacking and river rafting guide in and around Glacier National Park. I am leaving the city I've known for 18 years and the organization where I've worked for 15 years. I have gotten rid of a whole lot of my "stuff." 

Why would I do such a thing?! I'm not sure I know the answer yet. Those who know me know that I spend a lot of time outdoors. I visited the Glacier National Park area of Montana twice in 2011, and it left an impression. Not that Washington state wasn't -- isn't -- amazing and wonderful. But something about those visits haunted me. 

First contact: the Montana border at Lookout Pass, July 2011

I returned to Glacier National Park in September 2012 for more excitement -- hiking, backpacking, camping, watching wildlife. I suppose the grass is often greener on one's vacation, but I sure enjoyed the place. 

For whatever reasons, my Montana visits inspired fantasies of taking off and exploring the parks, refuges, wilderness areas and other fabled treasures of the American West. Now, after months of dreaming and doubting, I've found a starting point: I'm off to join the guide team at Glacier Guides & Montana Raft Co., based out of the tiny town of West Glacier, Montana. I'm not sure what to expect, but it promises to be a heck of an adventure. And then... who knows! 

I'm sure there are many factors influencing what seems to me a dramatic (foolhardy?) move. I can't tease out just how much of this voluntary shakeup is being driven by my recent experiences in Montana, a nagging wanderlust, my phase of life, or simply some natural yearning for change. But I'm fortunate, I suppose, that at this point in my life I can do such a wacky thing. I've got an itch and I'm gonna scratch it! 

"The mountains are calling, 
and I must go." 
                       -- John Muir