When I first began this blog in 2017, I wanted to give back to the thru-hiking community. The internet had been a crucial resource for my trips, so I wanted to share any tips and tricks that I had learned with the next generation. It was also an opportunity to focus on creation in a world obsessed with consumption.

Since then, much has changed. My life and priorities shifted as I stumbled backwards into a satisfying career in data in 2019. Instead of multi-month, cross-continental sojourns, I've scratched the hiking itch with shorter trips like the JMT. I've learned how to ski on weekends and taught myself to code on weeknights.

Working as a data analyst, I learned tools like Power BI and Alteryx. From there, a natural interest in programming took off as I dove into languages like Python, C++, SQL, and JavaScript. Again, the internet was an essential resource. I read countless personal blogs, StackOverflow threads, and completed free courses like CS50.

While I still have a long way to go, I want to give back and contribute my fair share to a community that has helped me. Moving forward, I plan to categorize writings on this blog in two categories: hiking and data. One of my personal goals for 2022 was write 12 posts on this site, so stay tuned for more on each.