Seasons of Jason

4 days. 6200 feet of elevation gain. 36 miles. Zero experience.  This is the story of my first backpacking trip into the Yosemite wilderness. 

You've heard the origin stories that traced my path to here. But a single moment in Yosemite truly changed everything. In this episode, I share the surprisingly emotional experience that turned hiking from a casual interest into something much deeper.

First there was an "accidental" hike that woke me up to the possibilities. In today's episode, I talk about the first hike I did on purpose: a dusty, desert romp down Goldstrike Canyon in Nevada. Boulder scrambles, anxiety, a glorious hot spring, and a delightful side of humanity I wasn't used to seeing.  [The nature soundscape for this episode was recorded on a recent hike along Lewis Creek in the Sierra National Forest.]

One day in 2016, a random dog walk through the dusty hills of Boulder City, Nevada turned into one of the most transformative flashpoints of my entire journey. It also forced a reckoning with the tech-obsessed, sedentary person I had become...  (The ambient nature sound for this episode is the Adriatic Sea, gently lapping at the volcanic shore near Premantura, Croatia, where I lived for several years.)

Welcome back to the Seasons of Jason podcast! This episode is about what happens when you accept a reality that someone else hands to you. It's about an aimless teenager looking for purpose and stability. It's about a knee injury and a messy discharge from the US military. And it's about how depression paralyzes you.  While there isn't any actual hiking or adventuring in this episode, it's an important part of the story, and I hope you find value in it. 

Ten years ago, I was burned out, depressed, and disconnected from what made me truly happy. I was drowning in the toxicity of the tech grind. Then a series of pivotal moments inspired me to walk away from everything that defined me...  The first season of the "Seasons of Jason" podcast is a deeply personal origin story that explores how hiking transformed me, how the trail became a teacher, and how curiosity became the compass for a brand new life.