Tag Archives: exploring

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Mexico // A Little Bit of Everything

16 May 16
Heidi Kumm
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4 comments

I’ve been in Mexico for…two weeks? In that nugget of time it feels like I’ve seen a tiny bit of everything Mexico has to offer, so far. I say “so far” because I still have a full month of wandering left to do. My Spanish isn’t getting much better but I am getting more confident in using it. There’s no way around it — I stick out like a sore thumb here so the locals are quick to humor my attempts at communicating with them!

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Staying is easy; so I must go.

06 May 16
Heidi Kumm
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No Comments

I was standing on the corner of a busy street in a foreign city. It was my first time venturing out into Monterrey, Mexico on my own and I wasn’t sure of where I was going, what people were saying or how the hell to cross this street where it looked like everyone was playing human frogger. On the inside I knew I would survive to find the park I was looking for but on the outside everything about me screamed “confused tourist”. I could feel myself trying to be invisible with my crossed legs, fidgety fingers + averted eyes. I knew I couldn’t blend in + I was yet to dig up to confidence to own my foreigner status so I instinctively opted for invisible.

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Take It Easy

21 Oct 15
Heidi Kumm
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3 comments

Every time the seasons change I get sick, without fail. Sometimes I blame it on airplane cooties [like that time I nearly died from a ferocious head cold + sketchy stomach flu the week I got home from South America] but really, I think my immune system is just a big wimp that sucks at fighting off the bad guys. And I don’t care how old I am, I will always imagine white blood cells shooting sticks at these nasty germs like they do on the Magic School Bus >> https://youtu.be/uJKJr7gKS_Y [and, yes, I watched that entire episode after I found it!].

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The Trails Above Zurich

14 Sep 15
Heidi Kumm
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No Comments

I’m always quick to say “I’m not a city girl”…and I think that is a true statement. Cities make me uncomfortable and I find them to be very overwhelming. They are complex with varied rules, confusing signs and hundreds of people to watch you flounder about. I get nervous and awkward in cities, there is no doubt about it. However, I still managed to happily spend 7 days in Zurich, Switzerland.

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#hikerchat hiking

14 Aug 15
Heidi Kumm
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No Comments

**Disclaimer: at the bottom of this post there is a clothing review for product I received at no cost, all opinions are my own.**

I finally made it to an OR Show! Yup, now that I’m not professionally working in the outdoor industry I got to make the trip to Salt Lake City to check out all of the new summer gear coming out next spring. I learned three things — people are insanely creative, we are a country of consumers and I obviously need all of the things I never knew I wanted. There was a lot of really cool gear, in awesome colors, that is bound to make my life easier.

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Currently.

01 Aug 15
Heidi Kumm
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2 comments

The stressful part of my summer is officially over! As of last Thursday I was officially done with my classroom EMT training! I am “practically certified”, if you will. I have passed all of my NREMT practical exams but still need to take the intense written exam later this month. Up next, more training and classwork [IV, EKG, etc]. Turns out you spend a LOT of time advancing your knowledge and experience when you’re working in the pre-hospital field. Makes it rather depressing that we barely make minimum wage. Talk about irony – people can’t live without us but we literally cannot live by saving their lives. American priorities seem to be a little jacked up.

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The Mystery of the Backcountry

19 Feb 14
Heidi Kumm
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2 comments

The backcountry is an interesting place. If you take a second to think about it you realize that a lot of the things about the backcountry are really quite miserable. What part of skinning uphill for miles with a 40lb pack sounds fun? None of it! It doesn’t matter how beautiful the scenery is…that kind of hiking hurts, a lot.

And somehow I am still always jumping at the opportunity to spend hours trudging through the snow. Why?!

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