Most trip reports start at the trailhead. Hiker and writer Brandy "Pumbaa" Sales starts his differently: on a ferry crossing to Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, writing a letter to his past self about everything that happened before he ever laced up for the Olympic Coast.
The starting point, it turns out, was a lunch line in Spokane in September 2018, where Brandy met a woman named Brit at a business conference. A planned video testimonial never materialised, but a friendship did — one strong enough that eight years later he finds himself in the Pacific Northwest, partly because of it. It's a gentle reminder that the moments which shape our travels rarely announce themselves at the time.
Before the backpack came on, there was Seattle — a city Brandy explored for the first time on foot, walking roughly seven miles through unfamiliar neighbourhoods with his camera up and no fixed plan. He describes it as an "urban hike": the same uncertainty, curiosity and willingness to see what's around the next corner that draws him to trails, just with more buses and construction noise. His takeaway for anyone travelling: leave room for the unplanned, because that's where the good stuff hides.
The trip also carried personal weight. The day before the ferry, marked the 14th anniversary of his mother's death, and a rental-car hiccup triggered anxiety — but instead of shutting down as he once would have, he talked it through with someone he trusted and asked for help. Recovery, apparently, involved an eight-mile walk and a night of Latin dancing at a social on Alki Beach, where new friends made an unfamiliar city feel instantly comfortable. His conclusion lands well: places and trails matter, but so do the people you meet along the way.
The destination itself is a good one. The Olympic Coast is one of the wildest stretches of shoreline in the lower 48 — rugged headlands, tide pools, driftwood-strewn beaches and rainforest spilling almost to the sand, all within Olympic National Park. Reaching it usually involves a ferry crossing from Seattle to the peninsula, which is exactly where this story picks up. For hikers, the appeal is the sense of remoteness so close to a major city: you can brunch in Seattle and be heading into backcountry coastline by afternoon.
Why should a traveller care about one hiker's reflective letter? Because it reframes what a trip is. The best holidays often begin long before departure — a conversation, a friendship, a habit of saying yes to unfamiliar people and places. Whether you're planning a coastal thru-hike or just a long weekend, the practical wisdom here is simple: keep the camera handy, take the long way through neighbourhoods you don't know, and treat strangers as part of the itinerary. The trail is just where it all comes together.
Story via The Trek.
