Walking America Couple

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Walking America Couple

Walking 12,000 miles across all 50 states! So far we’ve covered 4,634 miles across 22 states since May 16, 2022! Currently in North Dakota!

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31/08/2024

HD Consciousness & Neuroplasticity | Walking & Talking 10

31/08/2024

Thank you to the City of Max for helping us find a place to rest last night! The folks from Max were endearingly kind and helpful on our way through! We definitely enjoyed our time there! Lovely town 😊

31/08/2024

We had such a great time with our hosts last night! Rajda stopped on the side of the road earlier in the week after she had seen us walking, and told us she would love to share a meal and get to know us! Since we were looking for hosting yesterday, she checked with her boyfriend, Paul, and they decided to put us up for the night! Conversation flowed from the moment we hopped in the truck, and we soon landed back at the Hacienda steakhouse, where they treated us to a delicious dinner! We came to learn that two are well experienced world travelers! Rajda works remotely, so she’s able to go all over the place with her job in tow, while Paul owns his own business, making time for the travel he sees as essential to his personal growth. More than that, he’s an aviator whose ultimate aim is to fly helicopters for Christian missionary work—a goal he is currently taking steps toward! Afterwards, they took us to their gorgeous home, a cabin Paul has been constructing over the last few years, where we were able to get to know them a little bit more. These two are really incredible, and we connected on so many levels! They’re growth oriented travelers into health and fitness who are on their way to Canada to hike the Rockies at this very moment! Throughout the night, we discussed a variety of topics with some delightful nuance, including the best disposition to strive for (happiness, contentment, or joy), how to inspire the desire for self improvement in others, the role hardship plays in that inspiration, and how desire, itself—even for seemingly beneficial goals—can enslave us. So happy Rajda reached out! These guys were awesome! 😊

30/08/2024

Toasty today! Starting to crisp up! A few more days like today and this turkey’s roasted!
🥵🦃🍗

30/08/2024

Have you heard of the brainstorm/green needle audio clip? It’s a viral video burning up the internet right now! If you haven’t seen it you should check it out☝️Depending on what you're primed to hear, you will either hear the words brainstorm or green needle. You can even think yourself into hearing it one way or the other! It’s especially fascinating, because it speaks volumes about the way suggestion affects our perception.
It isn’t just an interesting viral video, it’s a remarkably tangible display of what’s known as auditory pareidolia in the field of psychology. Pareidolia describes our tendency to perceive meaning from an otherwise meaningless stimulus. This can occur from our own conditioning—Jesus toast is a great example of this—but it’s also just baked into the human condition; it’s why we see faces in emojis. This is important, because it demonstrates our brain’s inclination to interpret meaning out of almost anything. Our minds simply don’t want to leave us with any ambiguity.
The unfortunate side effect of this is that it sometimes leads to unjustified beliefs, which can even divide us as individuals. We are sense makers, often to our detriment. There are a host of cognitive biases we can predict for, which demonstrate this same flaw of in our psychology. I.e. subjective validation, the Forer effect, confirmation bias, and illusory correlations, to name only a few.
We really enjoy studying these phenomena, because it gives us a healthy appreciation of our own ignorance, and allows us to be more open and understanding of different viewpoints in this massively social walk. Ideally, it will lead us to greater wisdom in the end. As Socrates is quoted as saying, “I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be a little wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know.”

30/08/2024

A ride to the cabin! Thank you to Wayne for the lovely stay!

30/08/2024

Off to the City of Max today! 11 miles left to get there! Up next, Coleharbor! Shares helps us establish connections for rest stops and friendships along the way! If you know someone we’re heading towards, you’re welcome to give em heads up, tag, or share 😊

29/08/2024

What are they doing? What are they saying? What are they thinking?
Stop.
Am I here in this moment? Are my thoughts intentional and good right now? Am I doing good right now? Is love in my heart right now?

29/08/2024

Did We Just Find a Melted Car?

29/08/2024

Yesterday we were looking for somewhere to sleep in the southernmost part of Minot, so we called Flying B roofing! I asked the owner, Wayne, if he had space where we could pitch a tent on the property. He said, “I can do ya one better! Why don’t you come stay in our cabin?” He was incredibly welcoming, going so far as to ask if they could thaw some meat for us! Once we got there, he and his wife, Jen, went the extra mile, asking if there was anything we needed or that they could do for us! They immediately invited us in, offered us showers, let us do laundry, use their freezer, and fixed us some perfectly cooked T-bone steaks for dinner! Later that night we talked about the way people today view strangers in spite of the fact that most people intend to do good. It was a refreshing conversation! Even their kids were sweet, expressing interest in the journey and coloring a picture just for Paige! This family really made our day, and was such a joy to be around! We can’t thank you guys enough for the awesome stay!

29/08/2024

My Path Away from Pleasure | Walking & Talking 9

29/08/2024

Update: We found a spot tonight! Thank you guys for your tags and shares! They are extremely helpful to us finding a spot! We will be off to Max tomorrow, if you know anyone out that way 😊

Original: Hey everyone 👋 We’re looking for a spot to rest for the night! There’s not much between Minot and Max, but one of the things we often do is get a ride off route at the end of the day to go rest somewhere we can sleep, if we can get dropped where we left off the next day. If you or someone you know is available to and has an suv or truck, feel free to reach out, tag, or share! All we need is tent space, and we’ll finish walking about 15 miles south of Minot 😊 Thanks guys!

29/08/2024

Today was a great day! We toured some incredible sights, we had great conversations with a couple dozen people, and we had an absolutely wonderful host family for the night! Minot seemed like an especially friendly place for its size. Thanks to everyone who stopped to say hello and show their support. G’night friends 😊🥱🛌

28/08/2024

This Scandinavian stave church is definitely one of the most beautiful churches we’ve seen! ✝️ Such incredible architecture!

28/08/2024

Look at this behemoth! It’s called the Dala Horse, and apparently it’s the national symbol of Sweden! We found it at the Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot! So cool! 😊

28/08/2024

Walking a Swinging Bridge

27/08/2024

Some days it’s incredibly difficult for us to pull ourselves out of negativity. When you’ve been run off the road a dozen times under a 90 degree sun while getting eaten alive by bugs, it can be hard to find that positive outlook. But just as important as finding your way to an uplifting perspective are your beliefs about your perspective! Without the right opinion of it, it can be impossible to find your way to a better one.
Negative thoughts are a part of the human experience. Within this life we will likely never be able to rid ourselves of them entirely. However, we can still envision an optimal state of mind which can be used to inform our understanding of our perspective.
This optimal state of mind remains unattached to those things which are certainly outside of its control (everything external to itself, such as the opinions of others) and prioritizes regulation over those things which belong to it, such as its own opinion and reaction. Similarly, this state of mind has the ability to reinterpret any seemingly negative circumstance in a productive and positive way. It can do this based on various rationales:
•The interdependence of opposites. We lack the ability to appreciate the things we enjoy without the contrast of those things which we dislike. E.g. Wealth means little-to-nothing without poverty, and life lacks the same meaning without death.
•Transforming adversity into advantage. There is always a way to see difficulty and challenge as a means of personal growth, even if it is only an opportunity to undergo the kind of hardship that will serve as a reference point for future hardship, causing future trials to appear comparatively less extreme.
•And finally, though possibly most importantly, the belief that there always exists a line of reasoning which can be used to positively and productively interpret any potential circumstance. It’s a bit of a catch 22, but without the belief that you can, you will lack the ability to do so. To inculcate this belief, you simply practice finding that reasoning and training your perspective. Enough success, and that belief will start to take root.
From this framework, negativity takes on new form. We often blame our circumstances or those around us, rather than placing the responsibility on ourselves. And although we should remain kind and understanding of ourselves, when we’re feeling sad, angry, or stressed, we should, instead, see that as an expression of our failure to find the right outlook, and search for ways to reorient our perspective.
These essays are made possible by the support of appreciative individuals. If you would like to support the continuation of these insights, you can donate through one of the links here on our page.

27/08/2024

We woke up this morning and said to ourselves, “Why not Minot?” So we’re off to The City of Minot today! 😉 …Once our rain fly dries a bit more.

27/08/2024

Remember Laurie from yesterday? She told us to stop by her work, Hacienda Steakhouse, when we got to Burlington, so she could treat us to an awesome dinner! And boy was it! Even their burgers were freshly ground this morning! Her coworkers were also very friendly! We weren’t sure what to do since they didn’t have any window seats, and we like to keep an eye on our stuff. So we asked the staff, who were happy to help! They had us bring our gear around to the kitchen door, where the dishwasher was kind enough to keep an eye on things, including pup! Thanks so much guys! What a great end to a nice long walking day 😊

26/08/2024

We made it to the City of Burlington North Dakota! Excited to see the town! 😊

26/08/2024

New Upload! Neuroplasticity & HD Consciousness! 🧠🧐

26/08/2024

Heading to Burlington, ND today down hwy 2 with 15 miles to do! Off to Minot tomorrow! No sure spots lined up yet, but maybe we’ll make some friends along the way 😊

26/08/2024

As we were setting up camp at the park in Berthold, one of the neighbors, Shyann, came by to offer us dinner and ask if there was anything that they could do for us. We had just eaten, but we told her we could definitely use a shower, and she invited us right over! There at their house we met her husband Dalton, and their kids, Brielle and Kable. There was also a gentleman we had met earlier in the day, their father/father in law, Mark, who later brought down something to show us—an official plaque honoring the couple for an act of heroism. Not too long ago their neighbor had been in a drunk driving accident near their house. They were the first on the scene, and did everything they could to care for the two in the vehicle, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. While others only watched, they took action to keep them alive. Unfortunately the passenger passed away, and the driver is now serving time. Because of this, they have been a consistent support for his wife while he is gone, assisting her with anything she might need. Mark had his own story. He said he met a homeless man who hadn’t had any help in weeks, so he got the man a hotel, fed him, and helped get him back on his feet. Now he’s living in a million dollar home, and has reached back out to take Mark to dinner sometime in the near future. The family said they have a bit of a motto, and we would say they’re definitely living it out, “One small act of kindness can change someone’s life.” These guys are a great example to families everywhere, and we feel so privileged to have met them ❤️

26/08/2024

Our first kind gesture! Rich and Laurie spotted us on the side of the road and looked us up! They came back to find us and show their support, asking if they could meet us at the Cenex down the road. They told us to grab anything we might want to eat or drink, offered us direction and advice for our future heading, and spent a little time getting to know us! They were so sweet, and the pizza was delicious! Thank you guys! 😊

25/08/2024

Gas Station Racetrack!

25/08/2024

Our walk across the Dakotas has officially begun! We’re leaving the Cenex in Carpio and heading 10 miles to Berthold! 😊

25/08/2024

We made it to North Dakota! Our 400 mile walk across the Dakotas begins tomorrow! 😊

24/08/2024

At our most recent campsite we’ve been battling mosquitoes and keeping a fire going to repel them. At another time in our lives they probably would have seemed insufferable and ruined our camping experience, but the nuisance is downright negligible now. The picture below comes from our time in the Northwoods of WI. It was only the beginning of the infestation we dealt with for the next two weeks. These bites happened within a couple of hours while wearing two layers of long sleeves. Shortly thereafter, we began walking those two hot summer weeks in coats, head nets, and rain pants. We were nearly yelling at each other at times just to hear ourselves over their constant hum. Nothing has ever compared to those mosquitoes! We would both go through the Kansas summer, the tornado, the hailstorms, the Missouri ticks, the mountain climbs—anything—before we would want to experience that again. But that’s why we’re so thankful to have gone through it! Those WI mosquitoes make every other challenge look like small potatoes. We are stronger than ever, and more capable of finding happiness amidst suffering simply because we suffered through such an extreme. A few years ago we’d be dying to escape, but instead, we’re just having a dandy ol’ time! 😊

24/08/2024

Goodnight 😴

23/08/2024

We decided on bringing the cast iron and cooler back! This is total anathema to thru-hikers, but we couldn’t go without fresh food again. By the end of our segment in Montana, our stomachs were revolting against us and all of our processed foods. Plus, nutrition isn’t only important to a healthy body, but a healthy mind. We never expect to set a perfect example, but we’re willing to go to great lengths to practice what we preach, and a good diet is an absolute necessity to wellbeing!🥕🥦💪

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