Where it starts...
August 2016
It’s August 2016, and I’m on my way to my last presentation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Throughout my two years working here, I had the unique opportunity to pioneer UPMC's new Rotational Engineering position. As a rotational employee I was required to move to a different team, in a different department, every six months. At this point I had successfully moved across four different teams, lead multiple projects, worked across a wide stack of different technologies and concluded the rotational program. Successful completion of the program left me with the choice of which team I’d like to join as I continued my career. Although the MyUPMC team had some promising projects on the horizon, ideas of travel and adventure filled my mind.
So I left my job...
It wasn't an easy decision to leave a stable job in favor of a significantly less stable cross-country adventure. However, after talking to many experienced coworkers and friends it became clear to me that the fears of what might happen if I left were trumped by the inevitable feeling of regret that would develop if I stayed. I sold or gave away everything I considered nonessential, then I packed my small 2001 Toyota Celica with everything left and said goodbye to my Pittsburgh friends. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going so I was flying by the seat of my pants as I drove west.
My 2001 Celica full to the brim
Chi Town Bound
Chicago was the first stop on my journey. I had visited twice in the past, once for a half marathon and once on my way to Wisconsin, however I had never really taken the time to explore the city. Given that my good friend Will lives here it seemed like a pretty solid first stop of my adventure.
Willis Tower is 3Xs higher than Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
Chicago was incredible bike friendly which was excellent for me as I'm an avid cyclist. I biked all over the city but it seemed the more I biked the more cool things I felt I had to check out. Thankfully my good friend Will was more than willing to take time out of his day to show me some of the hip spots.
My good buddy Will showing me this awesome city.
Go Pirates!
After a bit I left Chicago and continued making my way west. My good friend Nick worked in Madison, Wisconsin so I figured the cheese capital of the country would be a great next stop. Nick informed me that him and his friends are heading to Milwaukee for a Brewers game so on the way to Madison I stopped to cheer on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The best seats I've ever had!
Madison "Madtown"
I immediately understood why people are drawn to live in Madison. There are hundreds of miles of bike trails, downtown is gorgeous and the cheese was beyond all expectations. While I was here I took advantage of the farmers market that occured every weekend surrounding the capital building. It was the best place to fill up on fresh vegetables and cheese of course.
Shops around the Capitol Building
Nick and I biked through a fair amount of downtown to stop at key iconic place like the surrounding lakes and the famous Madison zoo.
Messing around at the madison zoo
Goodbye Madtown
After some time in Madison I found other opportunities were pulling me towards the south. I took one last afternoon to bike around the capital building and then I made my way south.
Saying goodbye to the capitol building
The Gateway City
I knew I’d pass by St. Louis on my way south. I had never been there before so I figured I’d stop by and check out the city.
Look its the Arch!
I don’t know anyone in the area so the most economical way to sleep was to stay in a hostel. This was my first hostel experience, it was inexpensive and close to the city, which was everything I could ask for. While I was there I met some very interesting characters including the hostel owners, some avid petitioners and one very sweet porch cat.
Friends of all types were made
Although St. Louis is a bit more spread out than the other cities I had been to thus far it was surprisingly bike friendly. From the hostel I was able to explore the entire city by bike. I road through Forest Park, hung out in the botanical gardens and enjoyed some time in the butterfly garden.
All types of friends!
First Night 'Roughing It'
St. Louis seemed rather far from anywhere I was interested in visiting. As I packed all my stuff I mentally prepared for my first night in the woods. The drive to my next point of interest was long so I worked my way towards a backcountry campground along the way where I could set up camp. This was my first night spent ‘roughing it.’
My first night of the trip spent camping
Music City
Even if it weren’t for my GPS directing me, I would have known I was heading south just by how hot it was getting. Despite the heat I stuck to my routine of parking my car and exploring the city via bicycle. I checked out the Country Music Hall of Fame road around the Bicentennial Capitol Mall and unexpectedly found the Parthenon.
The Parthenon Tennessee... not Greece
Into the Heat
As if it wasn’t hot enough in Tennessee I was heading south again. I had signed up for an opportunity to help the flood victims in Louisiana and the heat wasn’t going to stop me from going through with those plans. On the way south I briefly stopped in Alabama and Mississippi to check out a few places but for the most part I beelined it towards Louisiana.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, AL
Samaritan's Purse
To be totally honest I had no idea what I was in for when I signed up to volunteer for eight days in Louisiana. I had no idea what Samaritan’s Purse was, I could only take guesses as to what a “mud out” was and I had no idea how bad a flood could damage a town. When we set out on our first day my eyes were opened to the truly devastating effects of a massive flood.
A devastating site in Baton Rouge
"To us it looks like trash, but to the people who live here, it was their lives."
It turns out that Samaritan’s Purse is a pretty awesome volunteer organization that arranges volunteer groups during times of national crises. In flood situations the objective was to go on site to victims' houses and do 'mud outs.' This basically means we remove everything from the house that was contaminated by the floodwater. It’s hard work ripping out floor and crawling under houses but it was all worth it to help out some very grateful families.
Okay I'm under the house... now what?
The BEST mudout team
Cowboy Nation
After over a week of volunteering my time with Samaritan’s purse was coming to a close and it was time to hit the road again. Since I was already down this far south I put Texas next on my list. I had been to the state on multiple occasions for national wrestling tournaments and one Ironman competition but I was always so busy that I never really had the chance to explore. Despite my gut feelings as an Eagles fan I made my way towards Dallas.
Cowboys casually riding into the sunset
The Loan Star State
So my first day in Dallas started off at 4:30am when I got locked out of my Air BnB. I took that as a sign that I should get my day started early. Almost by instinct, I got on my bike to explore downtown. Here I found some very pretty sights like Thanks Giving Square.
Thanks-Giving Square, Dallas
While I was downtown I searched around for things going on in Dallas and I came across a rugby team that plays every Sunday. I’ve never played rugby before but I’d also never been a nomad before this trip, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I quickly googled the rules to Rugby so I wasn’t completely blind going into it, then I showed up early so I could be placed on a team. With rugby’s non-stop running and extreme contact it’s exactly what I look for in a sport. It went so well that an event I thought would only take a few hours ended up turning into an all day thing. After the game I hung with the team for a cookout as we chatted it up. I made some good friends that day and I’m now inspired to pickup the sport.
Food and beer with the rugby team
A change of direction
What happens next kind of sets the stage for how I operated for the rest of my trip. Some of the rugby players mentioned that they had seen some pretty cool stuff in South Dakota. Inspired by some of the places mentioned by them I decided to free myself from any of my plans to immediately head west and instead just go wherever the people I met suggested. I had never been to South Dakota before and I knew cold weather was going to be coming in soon, so it was best to get to the northern locations sooner rather than later. It was a long drive and involved two nights of camping to get to my next location.
Campsite before sunset
A drive like this is long and I wouldn’t recommend it. To keep myself sane I used podcasts and the constant reminder that self driving cars will make a trip like this signficianlty easier for future generations.
Camping by the water... It's all about the little things
South Dakota
So after two days of driving my GPS lead me here.
I drove all day for this?
Thankfully I had an old fashion map and it turns out my gps was only 15 minutes off of my desired location, which really is not that bad.
The Badlands!
The actual badlands
One of the rugby players in Texas had mentioned that he had been to place called The Badlands in South Dakota. He said it was one of those things you had to see for yourself to understand how incredible it was. When I arrived there I understood exactly what he meant. I stocked up on water and calories then went hiking through the seemingly endless the crevasses in the earth.
Incredible hiking weather
Camping in the badlands
Woke up to this great sunrise
Mt. Rushmore
The legindary Mt. Rushmore
Conveniently right outside of the badlands is Mt. Rushmore and stopping there was a no brainer. What I didn’t expect was to find a campsite directly behind the mountain. I set up camp there and met a bunch of climbers who ended up being great climbing and hiking companions.
Climbing behind Mt. Rushmore
Needles Highway
In conversation with my new climbing friends it was brought to my attention that there was a local climbing event going on off Needles Highway’s major spires. I had heard that Needles Highway was an excellent spot for climbing and hiking but I never would have known about this even if I hadn’t met this group. We decided to split up for the day then meet up at the spires that night for the climbing event.
Hiking off needles highway
The climbing group meeting there was celebrating Haloween which was rapidly approaching. The idea was that they would dress in costumes then climb the spires with pumpkins attached them. Once at the top, they carved the pumpkin and put their headlamps inside it to allow the jack-o’-lantern to safely glow all night. It was an awesome idea!
South Dakota climbing community is on point
Heading to Colorado
Some of the climbers invited myself and the other campers to a Halloween celebration they were having at a cavers house. The person who lived at the house was a spelunker throughout Wind Cave. In the spirit of their profession they built a cardboard tunnel maze / house of terror in their garage. It was an extremely clever use of resources and surprisingly spooky to go through. Although I really enjoyed hanging with my new friends it had also inspired me to hanging do some more intense climbing and the Colorado Rockies were calling my name.
I swear it was spookier inside
Mountaineering Time
I had heard of the legendary Colorado 14ers before. In fact I had even reached the 14,000 foot summit at Mt. of the Holy Cross a year before, but that was in summer time. I was about to embark into the Colorado Rockies in November with winter at the verge of breaking in. I fully understood that the situation was by no means favorable but that wasn’t going to deter me. I decided I was going to climb Colorado 14ers until the winter kicked me out.
Really in my element
Through the Rockies
I made my way though the Rockies over the next four weeks climbing up 14,000 foot peaks just about every day. Although it was sometimes pretty grueling climbing up steep terrain through some bone chilling winds the main objective was beautifully binary. I climb up hill until I was reach the top and then I’d turn around go back down.
Climbing to new heights
Fog made things interesting
On top of the world
My buddy Kyle and I on Mt. Elbert
Watch out for Goats!
Endlessly climbing through mountains
It's hard to imagine how I got sick
A small speedbump
I was riding high for a while but all good things have to comet o an end. I assumed the snow would be the reason I couldn’t go on but sometime during my 23 14,000 foot summits I caught a cold. I pushed through it for a bit but on my last weekend in Colorado a new friend talked me out of attempting a rather risky climb while I was sick.
Getting sick is never fun
Packing Out
There wasn't too much time to rest, I had plans to meet a friend in Utah. So I packed up my climbing gear and started heading West again.
Goodbye for now mountains
Utah
My friend from Pittsburgh and I planned on meeting out in Utah to go explore the many unbelievable sites across the state. I had been excited to make it to Utah since I started my trip and the entire state really lived up to my expectations.
Hanging in Bryce
Since Chelsie was only visiting for a short period of time I let her pick what spots we went to. Based on her itinerary we went to Bryce Canyon to do some sight seeing and light hiking. The slot canyons in Bryce reminded me of the endless canyons at the Badlands. Our timing seemed to be on point to as we got as that night there was a supper moon that we got to watch rise over the canyon.
Chels and I killing it
Zion N. P.
Our stay in Zion was a little less comfortable then our time in Bryce. In less than seven hours we managed to hike up to emerald pools as well as up both the east and west rim trails. The effort was rewarded with an amazing view from angles landing. Things did get a little tricky navigating the west rim to our campsite in the dark without a map or really any idea as to where we were going.
Angels Landing
We only got kind of lost
Hoover Dam
Eventually Chelsie needed to fly back to Pittsburgh so I dropped her off at the airport and made my way to Nevada. This was again another place I’d never been but I was excited to see what places the desert had to offer. On the way there I stopped at the Hoover Dam to see this incredible feat of engineering.
Dam
Las Vegas... Kind of
In Nevada I stopped in Las Vegas, well sort of. I drove towards it but I was more intrigued by the surrounding parks than the city itself. After stopping at a visitors center I planned my whole trip around the area.
Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire is notorious for its red sandy rocks that cover the landscapes. When I was hear I felt like I was on a different planet.
Elephant Rock
Red Rock Canyon
I chose the most challenging hike available at Red Rock Canyon in order to get the best view possible. In Colorado I found that climbing to the top of peaks is my favorite type of hike. The hike was listed as challenging but after all that time in the mountains my difficulty scale was slightly skewed.
Turtlehead Peak
Pioneer Saloon
As I was leaving Red Rock Canyon I met some fellow hikers who recommended that I stop at the Pioneer Saloon on my way west. It was on the way and I was starving (possibly literally) so I gave it a shot. It was a dive bar in the middle of nowhere with the most interesting group of characters I had ever seen. It was also karaoke night and when I walked in the bar tender was singing a song as she took my order. I was very impressed.
This was something else
I left the saloon in route to California where I had big plans in mind.
San Francisco
I got to San Francisco with an ambitious plan in mind. My dad was flying into San Diego to visit family in 4 days. I had done some quick research and discovered the Pacific Coast bike route from San Francisco to San Diego was around 600 miles long. A ride like that could be done rather comfortably in 6 or 7 days so I figured I’d do it in 4. Without much time to prepare I parked my car and set out on my bike into San Diego on bike. At midnight I started my trek by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and heading south.
The start of an ultra ride
One Epic Failure
I rode my bike south, along the Route 1 coast, straight through the night. Although it was too dark to see the ocean, I could hear its waves as they crashed against the cliffs below me. The ocean's sound paired with the unworldly view of the stars above me made for an tranquil start to my ride. After around 8 hours of biking I arrived in Santa Cruz just in time to catch an incredible sunrise!
Sunrise on the west coast?
On the eve of my second night of biking I arrived at Big Sur. This was supposedly the hilliest portion of the ride, and likely the most challenging. Although varying circumstances had kept me from sleeping for the last 36 hours I was very excited for the challenge ahead.
After a few more hours of riding I started to notice an abnormal noise coming from my bike’s drive train. After some inspection I discovered that 2 out of the 5 screws holding my front cogs together had gone missing. This isn’t good and spares aren’t something that cyclist often carry with them. To make matters worse the next closest place for parts was more than 100 miles away. There wasn’t anything I could do at that moment so I just continued moving forward. At least, once the sun rose, I had a beautiful view to distract me from my situation.
The view as very calming despite the circumstances
As I continued to ride I routinely stopped to tighten the remaining screws. Even with this continued maintenance, eventually, my drive train fell entirely apart. I was officially stranded in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully my cousin was in the area (sort of) so I bundled up in my hammock and waited until he rescued me from my failed ultra ride.
I had lost over 20lbs by this point
My dad, who was now in the state, drove up to intercept my bike and I from my cousin’s hotel. We made the remainder of the trip down Route 1 the old fashion way, in a car! Along the way we stopped at some famous restaurants to grab food and enjoy the view in comfort.
Lunch at Nepenthe
San Diego
I really enjoyed my time in San Diego. There was a great balance between seeing my family and hanging out with old friends. On top of that, I was also truly comfortable for the first time in months.
Much needed family time
Sunset cliffs with Ruby
Route 66
After a week of enjoying great food and warm weather in San Diego I was ready to hit the road again. The comfortable setup on the west coast was great but the Grand Canyon was calling my name. Although the route to the G. C. was a decent distance away from San Diego, I was able to split up the drive with some fun uniquely scenic stops along Route 66.
What a gem
The Grand Canyon
When I got to the Grand Canyon I immediately found a park ranger to discuss which trails were available. In my experience this is by far the most effective way to plan out my trips. He mentioned that there are two main paths that lead to the canyon floor, Bright Angle Trail and the South Kaibab Trail. He recommended that I hike a six-mile round trip hike down part of the Kaibab Trail in order to avoid over exerting myself. I figured he knew what he was talking about and so I decided to head down Kaibab Trail the next morning.
When I got to the trail I was met by a very graphic warning sign that read, “hiking to the Colorado River and back in one day is NOT recommended…”
The most graphic of warning signs
After my failed bike attempt in California I knew I had to watch my limits… however, halfway down the South Kaibab Trail I realized I’d be done way too early if I turned back now. So, despite the signs warning, I decided to knock out both trails in one day. I continued my way down the Kaibab Trail to the base of the canyon where the Colorado River ran rapidly. Then I started to hoof it back up the southern ridge, this time using the Bright Angle Trail.
"Hiking to the Colorado River and back in one day is NOT recommended..."
Boop
Despite a late start and some dilly-dallying with photos I even managed to make it back to the top before sunset.
16 miles later
Bending North
Slightly North of the Grand Canyon is Horseshoe Bend. I figured I’d take a trip there, enjoy a sunrise, then make my way south to Sedona. However, the city of Paige in Arizona had a lot more in store for me than I could have imagined.
Horsing around
I really thought that Arizona only had the Grand Canyon. I had no idea how much, even a small town like Paige, had to offer.
Horseshoe Bend
As I gazed at the incredible sunrise over horseshoe bend, a stranger made a small comment about how close I was standing to the ledge. This is how I met Johnny, his girlfriend Ashley and another traveler Mitchel. Johnny and Ashley were both traveling nurses enjoying the benefits of their jobs freedom. Mitchel, on the other hand, had left his job to travel much like myself. The four of us had a lot in common and we hit it off right from the start.
By sheer luck, Johnny and Ashley had acquired two extra passes to go to Coyote Buttes over the next two days, which they offered to Mitchel and myself. I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to somehow be in the right place at the right time.
Incredible photo taken by my incredible new friends
"You're obviously not afraid of heights."
Coyote Buttes
It was how incredible a small comment like that could open up a friendship between three strangers. We hung out for the next two days exploring the Coyote Buttes.
Southern Coyote Buttes
Rock N' Roll at the wave
Basically in National Geographic
Our new album cover
PHOTOBOMB!
Back to the Bend
At the end of the day we'd come back to Horseshoe bend to catch the sunset. I think this was the most incredible sunset I'd ever seen.
Bravo
Mountian Break
When I finally left Paige I headed down to Sedona as I originally planned. On the way though I couldn’t help but stop in flagstaff to rejoin the mountains again.
Humpherys Peak
Sedona
By recommendation I hiked towards devils bridge to start my time here. On Devils Bridge I met some other hikers who going to hike Bear Mountain that day. At this point I was basically unable to pass up any hike with the word mountain in it so I spent the rest of the day hanging with them.
Devils Bridge
Phoenix has Mountians?
The new friends I met in Sedona happened to be from Phoenix Arizona. When they heard I was love hiking up mountains they suggested I stop by the city and check out the surrounding hikes. I set course for Phoenix to check them out.
Another great Arizona sunset
Feels Good to be Warm
I felt like I had been cold since I left California so I welcomed the Phoenix heat. I had been told there were two summit hikes in the area that I would enjoy. I planned on tackling both of them during my stay in Phoenix.
Camelback Mt.
Directly in the city of Phoenix is Camelback Mountain. It can get pretty crowded so I got up early and jogged to the top of it before sunrise. Watching the sunrise over the city from Camelback Mountain made my morning, but it was the Christmas tree placed at the summit that made my day.
On top of the world again
Feeling that Christmas Spirit
Flat Iron Mt.
Flat Iron Mountain was the other peak I needed to climb while I was in the Phoenix area. When I arrived at Flat Iron's State Park a park ranger greeted me. She was sure to repeatedly warn me of the dangers of attempting to summit the Mountain. I knew Flat Iron was a significantly longer hike then my trek that morning but to me this just made things more fun. Besides, at this point I kind of knew what I was doing.
It's a long way to the top
"Are you aware of the dangers of trying to summit Flat Iron Mountain?"
Flat Iron Mountain Summit
Looking for Cacti
After climbing everything I wanted to summit in Phoenix, I made my way a little further east into cactus country.
The first of many of these
Saguaro National Park
Before this trip I had never seen a real cactus. Well that's not entirely true, I had seen those dinky little ones, but that doesn't count. Since I was in cactus country I felt I needed to see as my as I possibly could. I made sure that by the end of my time hiking through Saguaro National Park I had seen, and been stuck by, more than my fair share of cactuses.
Cacti or Cactuses?
When you've been in the heat for too long
Last Peak I Promise
A guy I met in the Grand Canyon mentioned that Texas had a mountain that was worth checking out. A mountain… in Texas? This was news to me. I was pretty sure that Texas was flat so sold by curiosity I added it to my list of places to go.
So Mt. Guadalupe does exist...
Guadalupe Peak
It was a couple miles to the top of Guadalupe Peak. Despite some strong winds at the summit it was a beautiful day to climb a mountain. I moved at a slower pace than usual so that I could soak in my last bit of climbing for a while.
Cowboy it up
Soaking it in
This totally safe piece of metal at the summit
Carlsbad Caverns
Conveniently close to Guadalupe Peak is Carlsbad Caverns. If you don’t know what this is then you NEED to look them up and plan a visit because photos just don’t do it justice. Essentially it’s a huge cavern chain 700 feet below the surface that presents breath-taking scenery for all visitors. When I arrived it was 4pm and the park rangers informed me the last elevator down to the caverns is at 3:30. I looked at my watch and frowned. “Rats, I just missed it” I said. The park ranger laughed, “Sweetie your using the wrong time zone, it’s only 3pm.” How lucky was I! I had made it just in time to take the last elevator down to the caverns and enjoy the most incredible cave system I have ever seen. To top it off all expenses were covered by my National Park Pass. What a day!
Check these out!
"Sweetie your using the wrong time zone, it’s only 3pm."
ooh ahh
Visitors on the Horizon
I had two days until my friend Jen arrived at the airport in Austin. We had plans to travel across the east coast as I made my way back to Pennsylvania. It was time to get moving again.
A calming sunset
Austin
When my friend Jen arrived it was slightly colder in Texas than I expected. The weather messed up our plans a bit considering everything we wanted to do was outside. No worries though, instead we traveled around the city trying all the food Austin is famous for.
Breakfast Tacos!
Maybe New Orleans Will Be Warm...
Okay Austin was way too cold. Like I had been in the mountains for a while but something about expecting Texas to be warm and getting hit with that cold front made everything seem way colder. We figured it’d be best to try our luck with the weather in a different city so we made our way east towards New Orleans. The drive was long but we were able to break it up with a fun stop at the Huston Aquarium and one great camping spot.
Surprisingly this is an Aquarium
Nothing like camping on the beach
New Orleans
Blindly following suggestions made by the workers at our hostel we were able to find some very hip spots in New Orleans. It was hard to choose which I enjoyed more, the funky music scene or the chill local dive bars. Thankfully there was no need to decide because both were open all night!
A typical Wednesday at The Spotted Cat
Slightly photobomed here
Heading Home
With Christmas Eve fast approaching I realized it was time to head back to Pennsylvania. We took one more walk through downtown New Orleans then prepared for the long drive home. The drive was rather direct however there were a few spots along the way that were worth a stop.
You can't go to Lousiana without seeing one of these
Sunrise over the Smokeys
Home for Christmas
I made it home just in time for Christmas Eve. This is one of the few times of the year that my entire family is able to get together which makes it more than worth the eighteen hour drive from Louisiana.
Christmas Eve 2016
After Chrismas Eve I had some time to sit back and rethink everything that had happened since I left. I'm usually a very calculated person however for the last few months I had managed to step out of my comfort zone fly by the seat of my pants. It was an incredible journey that introduced me to fantastic people and led me places I didn't even know existed. Although there were many ups and downs during my trip, both literally and figuratively, there was not one instance where I regretted my decision journey across the country. I can’t be certain exactly what challenges lie ahead but I know I'm excited for the adventure.
-Rock N' Roll,
Scott Schretzenmaier