"I Had A Big Old Blank Canvas." - Watergirl (Part II)

In Part 2, the real story of why Andrea was primed for that stranger's suggestion in Vermont comes into full focus: years of political reporting that included mass shooting coverage and a growing inability to trust what people told her; a divorce after 13 years that left her grieving a version of the future and staring at a blank canvas she was too afraid to paint; and the accumulated weight of feeling like she was the center of a universe that would stop spinning if she stopped working. She just needed permission. A stranger on a trail gave her permission she actually needed to give herself. This half also covers the job that came after the AT (senior cruise editor for Travel Weekly, 36 trips in three years, five continents, Antarctica) and what made her leave that dream job to hike the PCT. It covers what she's writing, where she is in the process, and the two working titles for the book. And it covers what happened the day after she finished the AT [January 6th, 2021] and why the story doesn't end at the finish line.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there — it dropped 10 minutes ago.