Joshua Tree was the first official stop of the #HITtheTrails summer tour. This is the setting that would set the tone for the rest of the trip and we got off to a great start. Even though we hit some gnarly L.A. Friday traffic, we reached out campsite a little before sunset and had an opportunity to settle in and unwind.
|
Our initial small group tackled many firsts. Among them, it was Rana’s first time camping, Shereese’s first time building a fire and cooking s’mores, and Nytzia’s first time on an outdoor adventure without knowing anyone who would be there. On Saturday, a few more women joined our group for the hike to the Panorama Loop. The hike itself was pretty uneventful - everyone seemed most happy about having the opportunity to break up their normal routine and connect with people outside of their home or work for the first time since before the pandemic. People shared their experiences, what has kept them sane (painting, belly dancing, lots of walks, etc.), and what their plan is from here. |
The infamous Joshua Trees were all around us & beautiful |
After the hike, we recorded a couple podcast episodes, wrapped up in Joshua Tree, and made our way to the California/Arizona border where a friend, Amy, set up camp for us on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, where our directions to meet were simply latitude/longitude coordinates. It was here that we ended the day dancing on top of a school bus as the sun set behind the mountains.
Joshua Tree, CA
Where we stayed: Black Rock Campground
Where we hiked: Black Rock Canyon to Panorama Loop
Indigenous Acknowledgment: Yuhaviatam/Maarenga'yam(Serrano)
Friends We Made
-
Brittany Partridge - Twitter, UCSD Health
-
Tanjina Shapiro - LinkedIn, Curation Health
-
Rosemary Taing - LinkedIn
-
Rana Sallakian - LinkedIn
-
Nytzia Gallegos
-
John Lynn - Twitter
-
Valarie Johnston
-
Amy Schmid - LinkedIn
Conversations That Inspired Us
-
Brittany & John totally nerded out talking about Remote Patient Monitoring.
-
Joy & Tanjina talked about how dance offers a balance from work and is known to release trauma from the body.
-
Shereese & Rosemary connected about navigating big transitions in life, especially related to work, leveling up, and finding support for when it’s time to pivot.
-
John & Shereese shared ideas about what it’s like to forge your own path as a creative person working in healthcare and how starting and running your own business is very different from working a traditional corporate job.
-
Nytzia got a peak into the equipment we use to record podcasts and as someone who’s still figuring out her professional journey sounded excited to learn about all the technology and details that go into making a good podcast.
-
Brittany shared with Joy & Shereese about how an unexpected opportunity serve as a driving force in shaping your career journey.
#BTSAt the end of the day on Saturday, we celebrated the the successful start of this journey by having an impromptu dance party. John brought his drone and took some great footage and gave us a quick tutorial on how to fly. |
TikTok!!
We’re determined to have as much fun as possible along the way, so we’re making TikToks! Here’s what we’ve captured so far.
Joshua Tree:
California/Arizona border:
Thank you
This wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors.
