Travel Blog Ep. 6

Jose Sanchez, 32, San Diego, CA, Project Coordinator 

  1. What was the defining moment that you knew you were meant to explore the world? Exploring takes me out of my comfort zone it inspires me to see, taste, and try new things. It’s a constant challenge, not only to adapt and explore new environments but to also engage with different obstacles and embrace every type of adventure. 
  2. Best travel story, go. (Not a question but whatever. We do what we want) Me and my friend Gio flew to Alberta, Canada to explore/hike the Canadian Rockies , we arrived around 8pm so we went over to downtown for a walk before going to sleep, long story short we began bar hopping left and right until we realized it was 2 am and we had plans of beginning our ascend at 6 am. We slept for about a hour and I woke up with the worst hangover, however with a 5 hour energy drink and lots of water we successfully summit day 1 sulphur mountain at 8000ft in 9hrs. 
  3. What’s your all-time favorite place to visit, and why is it special to you? I went to the Sierras with my 5 yr old son (Liam) right after winter, its my favorite because it was our first snow hike in 30F weather. We hiked pretty deep and not once liam complained he was happy all along the hike and that created the pathway of exploring into new horizons. 
  4. What’s your least favorite city and why? Las Vegas, for many it’s about the casinos and clubs but a hour in and I get bored, personally I think it’s only nice to drive by haha 
  5. Was there ever a time you felt unsafe or have gotten into a bad situation? How did it play out? Many, but if I was ever once close to leave this world it was my ascend to Mt san gorgonio summit. As I was getting close to the summit I believe I was just over 10,000ft a heavy snow storm began and it knocked me at least 200 ft down the slope, if it wasn’t for the pine tree I crashed into I would have flown down the cliff to death. I was too injured to complete the summit but most important of all, I was fortunate enough to make it back to my family. I’ve never been more thankful.  
  6. What’s one item that you absolutely must have on all your travels? A knife , most of my travels are in the wilderness and a knife has gotten me out of every sticky situation; such as building shelter, hunt for food, and starting a fire. 
  7. Do you prefer solo or group travel? Why? I prefer solo travel because I feel like it renews my spirit in the most positive way. You get to test yourself against nature and you get to endure all challenges on your own. 
  8. What is the one place you would say everyone should absolutely see at least once in their lifetime? What did you love about it? I think Utah is very underrated. A rugged landscape like no other it makes you feel like you’ve landed into mars places such as Zion, Moab, Bryce canyon, and the arches. 
  9. Have you ever had a life changing moment or epiphany while traveling? Not necessarily, I travel with the same mission which is to stay exploring regardless the physical/mental state. 
  10. What city/country would you love to see next? I’ve always wanted to explore Iceland. It has everything I'm passionate about exploring; volcanoes, glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, and remote isolated areas.