November 03, 2017

#66: Natalie Larson 2 -- California Coastal Trail Fastest Known Time

1 hour 20 minutes

In August Natalie Larson caught an Uber to the Mexican border and set out on the biggest adventure of her life. 44 days 18 hours 40 minutes and 1,171 miles later, she had traversed the entirety of the Californian coast. Along the way she survived encounters with mountain lions, swam across rivers, and discovered the kindness of strangers.

Natalie's journey really encapsulates all I respect and love about adventure.

Here's a bit of the intro to her fantastic blog about the experience (link below):

"I saw headlamps from afar that led me to water in the middle of the night. I found a woman's purse complete with driver's license, credit cards, sunglasses, from the 70s. I found my way out of a sandstorm on fifty-foot high dunes, scared away a mountain lion by screaming at the top of my lungs, climbed over slippery rocks, raced along the beach to beat the incoming tide, escaped the grasp of a farm worker who grabbed my arm, swam across a river carrying my gear on my head (twice), followed footprints when I couldn't see through the beach mist at night, tripped, fell, and passed out from the pain along the highway. I dealt with poison oak, an infected blister, and glasses scratched by sandy high-speed winds. I slept under trees beside the road, on the beach, and in campgrounds where I shared food with the homeless. By San Francisco I had started to resemble a homeless person and the homeless recognized me as one of their own, asking me for gear tips and warning me that the police were "on the war path."

Her story truly is AWESOME

I hope you guys enjoy the episode and feed off of the inspiration from Natalie to move forward on your own dreams!

Congratulations again Natalie. You are an inspiration! Keep being you and kick some ass on whatever your next big thing is!