Meet the Team!
The two man wolf pack consists of my dog (Brown Bear) and myself.
My name is Nicholas Roland, I'm twenty-28 and I grew up in the sleepy, everglades suburb of Coral Springs, just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I left the den the first time to attend the University of Central Florida, where I earned my Bachelors degree in political science. After completing my studies at UCF, I moved to Washington, DC to pursue an internship, a job, a dream, something more than this provincial life.
I tried to jump from college to career, in the depths of a recession; I wanted to skip everything in the middle and just be established already. DC and my experience in the city helped me to slow down and realize, that the middle is the best part. I decided that a career can wait. Right now, I'm in my mid-twenties and I want to experience life. I've never been outside the United States and can count on one hand the amount of times I've left the east coast.
Washington, DC is an amazing city, vibrant, cultured, quaint, and full of green space! My dog and I love running through Rock Creek National Forest. It is in this forest that my cross country walk became an idea. After I turned twenty-six, I ran my fist marathon; this was no easy task, but the hard work and preparation that I devoted to being successful made me believe that nothing is out of reach. Soon after the idea was born, it festered. It became something I thought about constantly. How would I do this? I thought. After much research, I found my route and spent many months following it on Google Earth/Maps. As this is my first thru-hike, much time also went into researching gear, reading other hiker's stories and many test runs.
My name is Nicholas Roland, I'm twenty-28 and I grew up in the sleepy, everglades suburb of Coral Springs, just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I left the den the first time to attend the University of Central Florida, where I earned my Bachelors degree in political science. After completing my studies at UCF, I moved to Washington, DC to pursue an internship, a job, a dream, something more than this provincial life.
I tried to jump from college to career, in the depths of a recession; I wanted to skip everything in the middle and just be established already. DC and my experience in the city helped me to slow down and realize, that the middle is the best part. I decided that a career can wait. Right now, I'm in my mid-twenties and I want to experience life. I've never been outside the United States and can count on one hand the amount of times I've left the east coast.
Washington, DC is an amazing city, vibrant, cultured, quaint, and full of green space! My dog and I love running through Rock Creek National Forest. It is in this forest that my cross country walk became an idea. After I turned twenty-six, I ran my fist marathon; this was no easy task, but the hard work and preparation that I devoted to being successful made me believe that nothing is out of reach. Soon after the idea was born, it festered. It became something I thought about constantly. How would I do this? I thought. After much research, I found my route and spent many months following it on Google Earth/Maps. As this is my first thru-hike, much time also went into researching gear, reading other hiker's stories and many test runs.
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Brown Bear and I first linked up at The Orlando Humane Society back in 2008. After a hard break up, I was in need of a companion. I met this beast, brought him home and haven't second guessed our friendship since. Brown loves to run, he helped me prepare for my marathon, running up to 20 miles on our final prep run. Like his dad, he's a very inquisitive pup with a passion for exploration. He is incredibly friendly and playful, and I'm glad to have him as part of the wolf pack.
Ultimately, we're incredibly excited to embark on this journey across the US! I hope that out of this experience, I'm able to cultivate my leadership skills, become more patient, appreciate simple beauty and develop memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Before I leave, I plan to sell all my worldly/ material possessions, all that I own will be on my back. I hope to find solace in the simplicity. “Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.” – Lao Tzu |
