Mountain Man Peters

Peters Mountain is a mountain just above Painesville, which lies just above Duncannon in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The trail that we took started in Inglenook, and cross the railroad track and intersected with the Appalachian Trail. the entire Loop, if it were to be Heights, to get to the summit, what have taken about 2 and 1/2 hours and spans over 3 miles. The entire loop around the mountain is 15 miles, and intersects with a Wilderness portion of the Appalachian Trail.

For my difficulty scale, I would give it about a 3.5 out of 10. If you go hiking often enough, it isn't a hard hike at all. However, if new are even slightly out of shape, the steepness and incline of some of the hills can be killer. I brought two friends with me, one who is a hiker and one who is severely asthmatic, and the asthmatic did not have the greatest go of it. We hiked for a total of 2 miles and still didn't reach the shelter, as the trails are deceptively long, and very challenging.

the other complaint the only other complaint that I had about this Trail was that it was so close to the interstate, but until you got further into the trail, you would hear rushing cars going by. Once you get past that however, the scenery is stunning and beautiful, with clear shots of the small towns nearby and the rivers that intersect them. it's not too far from Harrisburg or York, so it is definitely a location I will be going back to at some point in time for trail running exercises.

I already know that I intend to hike bigger and badder mountains, so this one will really help me get into shape for the trails ahead. It is an excellent exercise Trail if you are learning to Sprint trails with all of your gear on, which is something I plan on doing at some point in time. I also didn't see too much of the trail since it was a rainy day, and because I had the constraints of both of my friends needing to go to work, I didn't get to hike as much of it as I wanted to.

A view from the top.

The trail is right next to a large portion that intersect with the Appalachian mountain range, so it is definitely worth a visit if you have the time and resources to do so.

How to Travel on a Budget

The older I've gotten, the more my Wanderlust has grown. And as such, I've taken more and more trips, both domestic and abroad. Respectively, people have asked me how I go about doing it, knowing that I never necessarily worked in a high-paying job during and after my undergraduate years of college. Once you learn the secrets to budgeting, it isn't all that difficult. And today, I'm here to show you some tips and tricks on how to do it.

1) Make a list of places that you would like to go.

This part of the process is fairly intuitive. Before you step outside your front door, it's important to know where you think you'd like to go. Start by compiling a list of places that you would like to visit, and fines out what some of there average prices are for items. Websites like blank will help you determine the average cost of items as it Stacks up to your hometown so you can prepare accordingly.

2) Establish connections online and some of these locations.

If you are like me when I was younger, then you likely have played a lot of online video games. Guess what? This is one of the best ways to meet new people from different places. Every time you add somebody on Xbox, put them on your friends list after a friendly conversation on RuneScape, or play successful game of OverWatch, you will make a new connection in another part of the world. Sometimes, that is all it takes as well. If you go to school, you can meet potential travel destinations by getting involved with school clubs, especially ones that involve multiculturalism and students of different ethnic or faith backgrounds. From there, you can ask to be introduced to their friends, send them an email correspondence, and get the ball rolling wherever they live as well. And if this isn't enough for you to meet people, there are hundreds of websites online the people used to meet people, especially penpals. Through one penpal website, I met a girl from Russia, a guy from Denmark, a girl from Morocco, and two girls from China.

3) Travel around the deals.

Now that you have a reason to go and potentially a person to visit, it's time to book your flight. Or, to hop in your car. Either way around, there are lots of travel web sites out there that offer deals on a frequent basis. If you follow other travel agents and travel bloggers, they will likely link you to website or two that they use that has good deals as well. Going somewhere you slightly want to go to that is on sale vs going somewhere you really want to go that isn't quite in the off-season can be the difference of hundreds of dollars.

4) Find cheap lodging, which can lead to other Connections in other places.

Although several travel websites and flight pages will offer you combined housing/car rental/flight packages, it is often more efficient to do the app for mentioned your own way. Regardless, you will be paying for luggage separate most of the time, and you will be paying an insurance deposit for your rental car regardless. Hotels can also quickly rack up the bill. Globalfreeloaders.com and couchsurfing.com are two websites in which you list your couch or spare room to host guests and visitors, and in return, they extend the favor to you. Hostelworld.com is a comprehensive list of 35,000 hostels around the globe, and also provides information on what their bloggers have found around the world. Airbnb are two of my personal favorites, as they let you rent out a private room in somebody's home. There is also the option of staying at a farm (typically running price is between $80-$100/night) or at a monastery (you can find alot of places for $40 a night or so).

5) engage in work travel jobs.

I have met up with a couple of people that have traveled the world's, done really cool things, and developed amazing friendships, all due to traveler jobs. There are several web sites out there that I used to subscribe to in regards to this. Workaway is the website where you are able to trade services with somebody in exchange for room and board, and some places will give you a stipend as well. Some allow you to be a nanny or an Au Pair in exchange for room and board. Going through TEFL, you to become certified to teach English as a foreign language, what you can become a lifelong career for some people. Certain companies well also provide you with these opportunities. For instance, I interviewed with English first and Ameson Year in China, and both companies would have paid for a flight to China, got me certified to teach, and also give you half a year worth of rudimentary Mandarin Chinese, as well as a stipend for travel alongside your salary.

6)Undershoot on what you need to buy to survive.

If you're traveling on a budget, you likely are okay nixing some of home's comforts. That being said, a fast food sandwich and store brand apple juice will do just as fine as a fancy lunch that doesn't fill you up near as much. Try to bring as many things as you possibly can from him outside of perishable and not exportable items, such as food and certain liquids and medicines, and only by what you absolutely need. The exception to this rule is if you are planning on doing a food tour of some sort, or going on at or where food is included. There are plenty of web sites out there that advertise discounted travel fair and tour guides. That being said, if you know that you can survive on a very minimalist diet while you are traveling, it will serve you well in the long run financially.

7) Always - and I mean ALWAYS - Take advantage of free and discounted items.

Using coupon books bought at airports as well as Groupon has saved me a plethora of precious cash, as I found coupons for lodging, food, parking, entertainment at night, taxis, and pretty much anything else you can think of. There are several other websites like Groupon that you can subscribe to that all have discounted where's and fares. Also take full advantage of the hospitality of others. When I was in Cleveland, I got free breakfast because I meditated with the Harris. And Iceland, I talked to the owner of the restaurant I went to, and because he likes my interested in his business and personality, I got two free beers at his second restaurant out of the deal. Never turn down free for anything, and also remember the one you least expect it, the free things will come to you.

7)As Shia LaBeouf once said, quite literally, "Just Do It. Don't let your dreams be dreams."

I know several individuals who are traveling the world full time, and they aren't rich. They're finding websites like this one or this one for temporary work, offering their skills, and just going out and doing it.

Here's a case study for you: If I chose to drive up to Poughkeepsie New York instead of fly up, the flight would have been $200 more expensive then the tank and a half of gas that it cost me to get there and around. I met a connection at College, who happens to be my girlfriend at the time, and they put me up for a few nights for free. In exchange for a couple hours of music, I got two nights worth of dinner and some wine. I utilized their knowledge of New York and New York City to navigate for all of the deals, which included a beautiful lunch at a Foods truck stop for cheap one morning. Breakfast every morning was cheap, as I went out and bought a small container of granola, as well as having some eggs that they had at the house for me. We utilized the dads Commerce miles on the subway to get a cheap parking pass at the cheapest subway station by her house, and bought a one-way pass into New York City at student rate. In New York City, we went to as many free exhibits and stores that we could to see things and Window Shop. We returned home with another one way ticket, since this option was more cost-efficient than buying an all day pass.

End result - keep in mind some of these tips and tricks, and you will succeed at planning your adventures. I'm going to reflect upon one of my trips, specifically when I took my first solo trip up to New York.

Why I Hike

I've talked about travel. I've talked about housing; I've talked about a lot of different places I've been. But now, even more so than when I did my Boy Scout post, I feel obligated to make a post describing the top 5 reasons why I hike. Hiking, or glorified trail walking, is an activity that used to be essential for survival. With modern technology and conveniences, is become a long-lost art to too many people. However, there are still others amongst us who enjoy the act of hiking. Here is why I do it.

1) You are constantly experiencing new environments.

When you are out there hiking, you're constantly being exposed to many different types of terrain at any given point in time. It really challenges your physical and mental limits. Not only have that, but everybody’s body reacts differently to different climates and environments. When you're out in wilderness, anything can happen, and it teaches you to be engaging in your surroundings and to be completely present in whatever task you are doing.

2) It keeps you in shape.

This obviously depends on the frequency of what you go hiking, but in general, let it be known that it is a great cardiovascular activity. Even for the infrequent hiker, it is still a good break from utilizing the treadmill, jogging the neighborhood, or of course, from being a couch potato. You really learned to utilize every muscle in your body to its Advantage as you scale steep terrains, go for miles on end without stopping, and put yourself at the mercy of Mother Nature. And eventually, with perseverance and practice, you might just become like the guy that I saw sprinting up and down the Shenandoah mountain range, trail running an average of 10 miles every day.

3) You get away from Modern conveniences.

It is the 21st century. We currently live in a world marred by technology that lives around every single corner. Regardless of creed, personal agenda, or any other opinion, it is generally agreeable that too much technology can be detrimental to one's well-being. After all, none of our settlers had iPods or cell phones. Although this deficit of Technology may be startling to some, two others, it is sacred. You get to experience life without modern conveniences, which in and of itself can teach people if thankfulness for all of life's little things that otherwise wouldn't be mentioned.

4) You get a huge system detox.

Having been around patients on concentrated oxygen through nasal cannula, I can firmly attached that nothing beats Fresh Air pump to straight from the trees and the clouds. You also get a huge vitamin D boost, and read your bodies of impurities while sweating out toxins on the trail. Take Along some trail mix filled with antioxidant berries, pack some leafy greens, drink a cup of green tea, and you've got it made.

5) You will never see these sites or meet these people hiding inside your house.

I have met so many wonderful people just by saying hello on the hiking trail or in a Pit Stop Restaurant. You’ll never know what you’ll find, and when you might find it.

This is a short list, but a comprehensive one. So what are you waiting for? Strap on your boots and hit the dirt highway!

Why I Travel

And why you should too!

My parents were home bodied, there's no doubt about that. End up until the end of high school, I pretty much was as well. Now that I am older though, and I decided to act upon a hidden Wanderlust that I never knew existed, I have found great joy and traveling as far as often as possible. I have a list of six reasons why you should consider taking a trip or two and sometime soon.

1) Earth is big, and we are small.

In America, only about 20% of us will ever get a passport, and even fewer will ever actually utilize it. After graduating high school or college and starting work, most people in America live their life in complete control of the nearest 10 or 15 kilometers (or miles, for those who use Imperial). Very rarely do they understand that this makes up only a small portion of the Earth.

Earth is 26,000 miles across at the center, and so much of it has still been unexplored. Dreaming of places to go, you will never get bored. When you're standing on top of the mountains, hearing nothing except the breeze and a few stray Birds, that's when you start to really realize that everything you look at is very big and distant, but we are rather small and inferior. It is the most humbling since I've ever felt, and the biggest reason why I go hiking.

2) You create Unforgettable stories.

This should come as a no-brainer to some, but often doesn't. You generate new viewers on your social media accounts. You share incredible stories with people. You connect to people who ever hear you talking about your travels in public. And, while you are traveling, you get to meet some incredible people the otherwise never would have the chance to interact with. I've met some of my greatest friends through traveling.

3) You never stop learning.

Just when I thought I couldn't cram any more information into my brain, I started going further and further away from home. I learned about boiled peanuts in the south. I learned how to translate miles into kilometers amongst many other things in Europe. I learned about the culture and the Locale of the area. I became more culturally competent by saying other aspects and perspectives on life. And of course there is the actual learning to be done at the Museum's themselves as well. I've changed so much valuable information on Aviation in Washington DC. I really solidified my rock and roll roots at the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So on, and so forth.

4) You meet the coolest of friends.

You never know who you're going to run into when you are out and about, and they could just end up being some of your closest pals. Although I do not keep direct contact with a lot of people, I have gotten girls numbers at rest stops, I have held conversations with strangers about literally anything literally anywhere, and I've met Unforgettable people. Because of staying at an Airbnb in Cleveland, I now have a friend in Saudi Arabia who offered a place and his house if I ever go visit. Also, did I mention that my best friend is from Denmark? If we weren't travelers, we would have never met.

5) You gain a new status with your colleagues.

When I returned from Iceland, I was bombarded with all sorts of questions for weeks to come. I became known as that cultured hippie who decided that going to the land of the ice and snow in the middle of winter was a good idea, and I gained newfound respect because of it. People ask you questions about the areas you've been too, and in your own way, you almost become your own little expert.

6) You'll have the time of your life.

I'm a big fan of living loud, and as a clinician, I have come to understand that my happiest patients are the ones that have had a variety of meaningful life experiences. Notably, they the teachers and educators and clinicians that had the ability to travel and see foreign places and create the wonderful stories I've been talking about. You will carry these memories with you throughout your entire life span, as evidenced by how many I already have had at my young age. And, when you're enjoying the process of breathing and being present in a foreign place, you really realize what it means to be alive and having fun.

Look at it this way, here's a few statistics for you. There are 196 million square miles on this Earth. 29% of those miles are land mass, which means there is about 57 million square miles to explore. This spans 195 lifted countries, and during our lifetimes, we might see even more. And in those countries, there are 7.6 billion people that speak approximately 2000 languages.

It doesn't have to be far, it doesn't have to be extravagant, and it doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to be something outside of the norm to ease the tensions in your heart. Let go of will duties at work, obligations and deadlines, and all other reservations you hold, and just get out there. Go somewhere, see something, be someone. And I promise, you won't regret it. If anything, you might just end up starting a blog about it.

Somewhere along the road...