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Once upon a decade ago I was spending my days working in a cubicle dreaming of adventure while watching my body slowly atrophy at my desk. After a particularly monotonous day of being yelled at by strangers over the phone, I ventured out to a downtown pub. It seemed like a typical bitterly cold east coast evening, but what I didn’t know was this would be the day my life would change. There I met Mike for the first time, within minutes of meeting we began discussing our boring jobs and lofty travel aspirations. After dating for just a month we said “ to heck with it” and put together a plan for a cross Canada adventure. We would sell all our belongings, quit our jobs and set out on a motorcycle in three months time. Well the whole motorcycle part didn’t pan out, so thumbs it would be. It was late May when we headed out hitchhiking west from New Brunswick. We made it as far as Quebec City before admitting we had packed way too much. There is nothing like carrying your whole life on your back to show you the meaning of necessity and how weak you actually are. As nice as you may think it is to have five outfit changes and an industrial size container of peanut butter it turns out your spine disagrees. This would be one of many lessons we would learn. It is hard to describe how liberating it feels to start out everyday with no expectations or schedule. It keeps your mind open and allows you to really appreciate every opportunity the day brings or doesn’t bring. Sometimes we would find ourselves relaxing by a river on a beautiful day, other times standing in the rain stranded in an isolated northern Ontario town for over 48 hours with no ride. There is excitement in this spontaneous method of travel, just waking up ready to explore with no idea where you will lay your head that night. Maybe it will be a lakeside campsite filled with the eerie sound of loons calling in the night or just off the highway beside a ditch filled with the litter of rednecks. We happily settled into this nomadic type of lifestyle, relying on the kindness of strangers(some stranger than others) to take us to our next destination. Often someone would be pulling over to offer us a drive before our thumbs even hit the air. The people we met along the way became a large part of the adventure. You quickly get to know someone while in the confines of their automobile. We learnt that most people are good and just want to help each other. Whether their idea of being helpful is driving you around to find the perfect campsite or delivering you to the home of their evangelistic family for dinner so they can pray for your immortal soul, their hearts are in the right place. Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to romanticize hitchhiking across the country with a near stranger because for every wonderful moment there is an equally as sketchy one. One moment you are admiring mountains while enjoying a beer and the next you are barreling down a highway with a trucker who is on speed boasting about the time he crashed into a ditch because he was making a sandwich and driving. I just want to celebrate that we made it out alive with a new perspective on life and a true appreciation for travel. Ten years and many adventures later Mike and I are still planning our next trip together.