I'm home a day early since I cut my first trip to Mexico VERY short and decided that I didn't need the previously planned second trip. I was going to spend the extra day in the Hill Country, but I found myself over-heated and, therefore, very tired after hiking so much in the heat and humidity. I should have spent an extra day in the Guadalupe Mountains.
Over the course of 5 days I drove over 2,500 miles, took over 1,000 images, and walked over 15 miles. I don't have any idea how many feet I climbed but I can tell you that 15 miles isn't a lot of walking for me and my legs HURT.
I'm filled with mixed emotions about the adventure. I feel very experienced and yet utterly clueless. I feel overjoyed, and yet very sad. I feel like I've learned a lot, and yet have so much more to learn. More than a photographic adventure, it was a time for introspection, overcoming fears, and redefining what living means. Despite the bad, frustrating, angry, and lonely moments I went through, if given the option, I'd do it all over again.
I went through so many emotions that it's impossible to do them justice in a short paragraph or two, so I'm going to compile all of my thoughts and lessons into a larger work. I'm not trained or experienced as a writer, but I need to do this for me, and I need to do this in a way that it can be read by others. So, I'm sure it'll be putting it somewhere where you can find it. Perhaps I'll put it all up at once, one big monolith of experience to digest as you see fit. Or, perhaps I'll publish it in a serial format, one article at a time. I'll let you know. Again, it's really for me and no one else. But, it needs to be public and polished for me to get the most out of it. That's just the way I am.
