Sydney Harbor
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” -Ferris Bueller
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is my favorite movie, and I try to live my life by the wise words above. I’ve been fortunate to see some amazing places in my young life, and I hope to share some of my experiences through this site.
For me, it all started with family road trips to zoos, national parks and historic sites. Those trips instilled a sense of wanderlust in me that I continue to follow to this day. Camping and hiking trips with my Boy Scout troop helped to shape my love for the great outdoors and the natural world.
In college I majored in Zoology and got my first taste of international travel when I studied abroad in Australia. After my course was over, I road-tripped with a friend down the Pacific coast of Australia to Sydney. During school vacations, I took several road trips by myself and with friends to see places all around the south.
After I graduated, I was able to embark on a dream I’d had since I read “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. On April 11, 2009 I set foot on the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia, where I began a 2,178 mile walk to Katahdin in Maine. Five months and four days later, I climbed down from the highest point in Maine. Over that time I realized that the slower you go, the more you can see, and Ferris Bueller’s words never rang truer.
In 2010, I wandered around until I was able to hike the Mountains-to-Sea Trail across North Carolina that fall. After that, things began to fall into place for me. I had a renewed faith in humanity after receiving amazing trail magic on a trail that hasn’t even been completed! I was the 20th person to complete the entire MST.
After that hike, I settled in Greensboro, North Carolina and worked in a screen printing shop; saving up for my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike in 2012.
-Ian “WolfPack” Fraher
