Hiking 3,100 Miles, Doing Hard Things Improves Your Life, & Surf Photography with Bryanna Bradley

Today, we're joined by Bryanna Bradley (@bryannabradleyphotography), a surf photographer from Tofino, BC, Canada. Bryanna recently completed a 3,100-mile thru-hike of the CDT trail, an incredible journey that reshaped her perspective on life and resilience. We discuss tackling daunting terrains, pushing personal limits, and finding purpose through challenging experiences, inspired by Bryanna's remarkable story of overcoming a traumatic brain injury to embrace a life full of adventure and fulfillment.

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Transcript

INTRO:

00:00.00
smacey
Welcome back to another episode of the Photographer Mindset Podcast I'm your co-host Seth Macey and if you're liking these episodes please feel free a cost-f free effective way to.

00:11.52
aaronmannes
Um, and I'm your co-host Aaron Mannes

00:18.38
smacey
Help us out with the show is to leave a rating a review on Spotify Apple Podcasts it means the world to us helps us out tremendously and it takes 2 seconds for you cost-free effective way to support the show today we had on Brianna Bradley and we had a pretty interesting story. What what were some of your takeaways which people listen know for.

00:34.41
aaronmannes
I Just love the metaphors of life not to be cheesy, right? off the bat but they're they're really I mean this was chock full of life metaphors based on her journey and her her perseverance through many things that life throw at you.

00:51.80
smacey
Still sheet little I'll edit this. She hiked the continental divide trail also known as the cdt which is over five Thousand kilometers long that's thirty one hundred miles took her I think she said in this episode five and a half months which is just insane. There were tears. There was blood. There was sweat all of that fun stuff but she did it and I think our conversations today focuses on how we can use lessons from doing really really hard things to see that our breaking point is a lot higher than we think it is and when we find ourself in. Difficult situations. We have the tools to keep moving forward and to you know, not sync and crater and and find a way to make it happen. So at the end we got to talk about surf photography which was cool. Um, definitely sounds like a fun genre of photography we're we're complete. <unk>bsetted I think I use that exact terminology but seems like a fun sport seems like there's definitely an art to it more than just being athletic. But I think this was a really good episode and I had so many questions and I hope I hope everyone listening enjoys it. So let's get into it.

INTERVIEW:

01:00.55
smacey
Thanks for coming on the show and thanks to your friend. Jazzmine am I saying her name right? I think so for recommending you to come on because your story is quite remarkable is that a fair word I mean ah. It's normal to you so sure. That's fair enough. Well you hike the continental divide trail right? the Cdt which is five thousand kilometers total am I hearing that right correct we're saying that correctly.

01:18.33
Bryanna
I Don't know if I would say that but ah thank you.

01:33.88
Bryanna
Yeah, it's like it is thirty one hundred miles but you can take a lot of alternates which I did so I didn't complete the full thirty one hundred miles um but that's like the traditional official line.

01:37.50
smacey
A.

01:50.71
Bryanna
Cvt line.

01:51.80
smacey
Okay, so you didn't do the full thirty one hundred miles you did like 3000 so you're off the show. Um, it's not as cool.

01:54.81
aaronmannes
Ah, yeah, no thank you.

01:57.65
Bryanna
Um, I feel like I have to be super honest about it. You know.

01:59.90
smacey
Hey Honesty is one of the cornerstones of the show but we're going to talk a lot about that today because that is a super damn hard thing to do and I'm sure it made you want to quit millions of times and so before we even get rolling into.

02:12.66
Bryanna
Here.

02:18.17
smacey
Mountain of questions I have that are definitely going to lead down some interesting roads of conversation. Why did you decide to leave normal life take the better part of what half a year to yeah half a year is that right? about right.

02:28.46
Bryanna
Yeah, get five and a half months yeah

02:35.61
smacey
Five and a half months to hike the continental divide trail. Are you crazy should someone check your brain and okay so that's that's clear well tell us about what the trail is.

02:41.60
Bryanna
Someone can definitely check my brain.

02:41.61
aaronmannes
No no.

02:50.53
smacey
For people who are listening how long it is. We will talk about photography. Don't Worry. It's the photographer minds at podcasts. But this is ah this I'm sure is going to be a very interesting story tell us how long it is anything Else. You think people should know about this trail before we get into the specifics of your journey. And feel free to introduce yourself what you do with your photography when you're in quote normal life.

03:12.11
Bryanna
Oh my gosh. Okay, so um, I'm Brianna I'm a photographer based um on Vancouver island in a little town called toffinno and I focus a lot on serf photography and this year starting April Twenty Twenty Three I decided to try my first through hike along the continental divide trail. Um, it is 1 of the 3 long trip like longer through hikes in North America it starts on the border of Mexico and New Mexico and you hike through. New Mexico Colorado um, wyoming a little bit of Mont or Idaho Montana up to the Alberta Montana border and that's what I have to say about that.

03:54.16
aaronmannes
Wow.

03:58.17
smacey
Okay, so had you had any prior experience before you decided to do this as through hiker 0 right? or very little.

04:05.21
Bryanna
Um, no, not at all which is ah yeah, the longest hike I'd ever done before that was five days like a five day hike yes um

04:12.37
smacey
Okay, so drastically shorter than five months

04:21.45
Bryanna
I I hike a lot but mostly a lot shorter like a couple days here and there.

04:25.45
smacey
Right? Okay, so before we really get into the meat and potatoes Why what someday you're sitting there standing there possibly So I'm going to do this thing that I'm sure at the time seemed insurmountable right.

04:39.90
Bryanna
Kept.

04:43.43
smacey
Without getting too philosophical right? off the bat. Why why did you decide that it was you know worth putting regular life on hold I don't know what the costs of that are relationships money, etc. Um, so.

04:57.26
Bryanna
Every business.

05:02.65
smacey
So how did this idea come to fruition. Yeah.

05:05.70
Bryanna
Um, to make a really long story short I had always wanted to do a through hike I learned about it I mean from the movie wild and then when I worked at a hostel when I was 20 in Hawaii. Ah, guy came through and was like my sister just did the appalation trail and I was like what is that and as soon as I learned about the appalation trail I was like I want to walk for months and months and months that sounds incredible. Um, but. Like most things in life. It's so easy to make excuses for the things you really want when they make zero sense. Um, and then April Twenty Twenty Two I had an accident while I was taking photos in the water that really.

05:39.47
aaronmannes
Um.

05:53.27
Bryanna
Ah, took ah the most part of the year to come back from and it wasn't even that long into my recovery where I was like holy smokes. It could all be over so quickly and I just like. Want to celebrate that life is so awesome and we should be doing the things we want to be doing so ah, it's like recovering from my brain injury which sounds like this doesn't make sense because I like announce to my parents like two or three months into my.

06:25.98
smacey
6

06:31.55
Bryanna
Brain injury recovery that I was going on a six month hike and they were like ah but everyone in my life had known that I've always wanted to do a through hike it was just like the excuse that I could be like this is it. This is it's now or never and I had. No money saved like it was really not an ideal time for me to do it. But um I feel like it's one of those things that I could have just kept putting on the back burner being like one day one day I just need to do it.

06:59.00
smacey
Do you do you feel like you were somebody who fell victim to that tomorrow. You know what's the quote someday isn't the day of the week

07:10.30
Bryanna
Um, like I put things that I want to do on hold sort of um yes, and no I've always been someone who's like kind of moved quickly like I want to do something and I make it happen.

07:12.85
smacey
Prior to this? yeah.

07:24.58
smacey
A.

07:26.65
Bryanna
Um, but I guess with like bigger things that take a lot of time. It's hard to rationalize it because it's a lot of money. It's putting my career that I've worked so hard towards on hold. Um, it just doesn't make any sense So it's hard to.

07:39.28
smacey
Right? right? I Yeah get what you're saying I think maybe I'm falling victim to this is that we want to we have as humans there has to be like a logical reason for doing something.

07:45.66
Bryanna
Me.

07:56.66
smacey
You know why? there must be a significant or profound reason that Brianna is going to do this hike going to hike five Thousand kilometers um and it it maybe people wrongfully assumed all she's trying to find herself. Maybe you were maybe you're not maybe.

08:00.70
Bryanna
Is.

08:14.79
smacey
Multiple people thought that and you're tired of hearing that um as would be easy to assume when anyone does anything that's extremely difficult. So Do you believe maybe in doing things that are especially hard. Without a purpose if that makes sense like you don't need a purpose to do grandiose things difficult things. Um and you know on that topic if you feel like um. You do need a purpose I don't know you'll answer the question but do you think we can get lost if we're doing things without a purpose.

08:55.00
Bryanna
Do you think we can get lost. We're doing I mean I think that you'll always find purpose and things that you want to be doing um I've I Guess there's per I don't know when I think about.

09:03.90
smacey
Um, right.

09:11.71
Bryanna
From an outsider's perspective when I was like I'm going to hike the cdt and it doesn't make any sense whatsoever and there is really no purpose behind it except that it's something I've always wanted to do always wanted to test how my body how my mind. How I could handle it emotionally like I want to see how far I could push myself in a circumstance like that and so from the outsider's perspective. It doesn't have purpose even for me going on it I was like I don't really know why I'm doing this except that it interests me. But once you once I started it. There was so much purpose and. Every day that I was on Trail um in a larger sense and in in a smaller sense like each day had purpose and then like the whole point of the trail like why I kind of persevered and wanted to finish it. There felt like there was a lot of purpose in that and I think if there wasn't I would have quit. There were so many people quitting I feel like if I hadn't found purpose in this like crazy thing I was doing I would have been like I can no longer go on.

10:12.24
smacey
Right? Yeah I mean I was reading one of your captions that leads into the question I think you have to correct me if I'm wrong, but you were having a conversation with somebody along the trail who said hey if you're crying every day and your feet hurt and they're all messed up and you're. Like not enjoying a lot of this at times. Why don't you just stop.

10:31.16
Bryanna
Yeah, so that's where we should probably check my head. Ah.

10:33.86
smacey
Or you're onto something I mean what do you think about that whole principle of continuing on when things are not necessarily fun and and is that worthwhile for everyone to kind of experience that in some way.

10:50.29
Bryanna
I think that it's all relative to the person and what is going on I had really bad planter fasciita. So every step I took was like physically so painful and I was taking like 60000 steps a day. Um.

11:04.47
smacey
Oh no.

11:07.90
Bryanna
Um, have you guys had planter Fascis Yeah because I think I thought I think it? um ah is something that like old people have.

11:09.28
aaronmannes
No no nor have I walked 60000 steps a day either listen I'm not a doctor. However, it might be related to your 60000 steps a day.

11:25.81
Bryanna
Maybe but um, basically it's like the tendons are like stretching on the bottom of your feet so it literally feels like you're being stabbed every freaking step. So like that was so tolling on my head I had been hiking through Colorado by myself. It was so exhausting.

11:26.90
aaronmannes
Perhaps.

11:34.20
aaronmannes
Um, well.

11:43.20
Bryanna
Was having like a lot of health issues through Colorado because I was at high elevation and my heart was just like we're not a fan of this. Um, everything was so challenging. But at that point I was like I have put so much like actual blood sweat and like tears into this.

11:48.93
aaronmannes
Are.

11:52.10
smacey
Um.

12:02.14
Bryanna
I'm not going to get another opportunity to do this trail anytime soon unless I Really just want to like quit my life forever. Um, and I was just like I don't think I've hit a breaking point. So despite the fact that I was crying every day.

12:11.63
smacey
Um, right.

12:20.84
Bryanna
I was in physical pain every day I was so alone I was so shocked that like and I think I found like salvation and being like Wow I Thought my breaking point was so long ago. Let's see how much further I can push it and um.

12:37.28
aaronmannes
Um.

12:39.33
Bryanna
I Think for me that was like a really good like mental game that I didn't know existed I thought I was just a quitter I thought I would have quit because so many people on Trail quit or like flipped to so that they avoided the snow and I was just like. I Think at that point I was like I will not be defeated and I was probably just quite ah, being quite stubborn but I really do believe like listening to your body and where you're at.

13:05.19
smacey
Right? That's the legal disclaimer yeah I had I had them in my notes that I read that caption as well that you realized your breaking point was a lot higher than you previously thought I think you wrote that after you had hiked the state of Colorado.

13:07.17
aaronmannes
Um, yeah.

13:21.87
smacey
Do you think most people will never find that limit and or that ceiling and what kind of doors. Do you think that opens up when you when you realize your breaking point is way higher than you thought it would be.

13:25.13
Bryanna
I hate.

13:36.37
Bryanna
It's really interesting like leaving the trail a lot of people have asked me like how I felt like I was different after I actually got asked two days before I finished the trail someone was like how do you feel different and I was like I I am the same version that like. Started in New Mexico but now in retrospect like being off trail for a few months and like have had pushing my have had pushed myself so much like harder than I had before um I realized that like in everyday life I can. Actually handle so much more than I thought like whether it's just doing a palottis video where I'm like I'm tired I want to give up I'm like girl you know you can't get through this or like yeah which is bad and good because i've.

14:14.50
smacey
Um, right.

14:20.69
smacey
So you eliminate a lot of excuses is what you're saying that we make.

14:21.59
aaronmannes
Um.

14:28.40
Bryanna
Always had a problem with people making excuses and now I'm like guys we really cannot make excuses um my opinion on quitting is that I that it's not a.

14:34.81
aaronmannes
Um.

14:36.19
smacey
Um, right? So then what's your opinion on quitting.

14:47.12
Bryanna
Like blanket. Ah I don't I can't have an opinion on it because we don't ever know what anybody else is going through. Um my breaking point could have been so much like different than someone else's because maybe they. Had less capacity due to other circumstances in their life. You know like I have a lot of empathy for people that weren't able to finish the trail and um I hope and if I had come down to having to get off trail I would have been like it's okay.

15:18.81
smacey
Right? Yeah, it's interesting. You say that because because people who quit and people who accomplish things. Both had the same goal right? I think we can tend to forget that and some people's limits are higher than others like you've said I think the point then is.

15:28.27
Bryanna
Yep, yeah.

15:29.20
aaronmannes
Are.

15:38.81
smacey
Fulfilling your own potential and that's why it's so important to not look left and right at what other people are doing in comparison right? Aaron you'll say comparison's the thief of joy. But I think what you're alluding to is just because we have all we all have different pain tolerances doesn't.

15:44.23
Bryanna
Totally.

15:56.50
smacey
Mean we shouldn't discover our own full potential or where our own limits are.

16:00.36
Bryanna
Yeah, and like that being said, there was still quite a few so this year was from my understanding I'd never through hiked before but this year on the cdt was kind of hard because there had been 200% of the annual snowfall in Colorado so it made things really challenging like and that's why so many people got off trail in Colorado or flipped up to Canada and I was really struggling because I am not a mountain girl like. Whatsoever and all of a sudden I had this like ice ax and like microspikes and I was like doing these snowy reverses and I was like no way so I actually took a lot of um I took a lot of alternatives to avoid the snow I was also by myself. Um, and the snow was unavoidable. But.

16:44.46
aaronmannes
Are.

16:49.67
Bryanna
I took some alternatives that kept a continuous footpath but that some people would have been like well that's not the real cdt but the majority of people on trail had to take them just due to the circumstances this year so one of them is. Through the San Juans I'm not sure if you're familiar with that mountain range in Colorado there's one that kind of cuts off through the San Juans and you go through a town called Creed and everybody and all the comments is like quitters go to creed well like 95% of the hikers this year went through creed.

17:22.82
aaronmannes
Um.

17:24.96
Bryanna
Um, so I guess quitting is all in perspective. Yeah, exactly because I finished the trail but I didn't do the San Juan's so yeah, perfect. Yes.

17:27.48
aaronmannes
In the eye of the beholder.

17:35.88
aaronmannes
That's fine. We'll put it in the notes. The ah the description. Yeah, a little asterisks um our guest Brianna who almost completed no.

17:38.53
smacey
Asterisks.

17:44.58
Bryanna
I mean I kept a continuous footpath for the most part. So It's like tech. Yeah, it's all through hiking is like technical definitions like some people are like you cannot break your continuous footpath and some people like. The cdt is not a complete trail so you sometimes like for me my role it means like literally like some of the trail is along highways and if the highway didn't have um I had a few circumstances where the.

18:06.80
aaronmannes
Um, what's breaking your footpath mean for the for the layman out there.

18:15.80
aaronmannes
Um.

18:21.00
Bryanna
I felt like my life was not worth missing two miles of the trail for miles of the trail and I would hitch the highway sections because something like people were driving erratically and there was no shoulder to walk on. But that means I broke my continuous footpath and this. Like four miles does that make sense. So so to some people they're really strict on that but on the cdt there's so much highway walking and there was just like so many obstacles or if a big thing is like Forest fires if you have to get off trail due to a forest fire that's breaking your continuous footpath.

18:41.17
aaronmannes
Gotcha got you? yeah.

18:57.15
aaronmannes
Seems yeah seems a little strict.

18:59.40
smacey
Um, well we're glad you didn't run into a forest fire.

18:59.40
Bryanna
Yeah, yeah, no yeah people like it like very strictly and then some people are just like hitching the whole road sections. You know I like walked like most of them. But yeah, there was a few circumstances where I was like you know my life.

19:12.28
aaronmannes
Um.

19:18.57
aaronmannes
Yeah, hitching meaning like hitch a ride. That's what you're saying people still do that. It's safe now you're on your own like you're on your own your own or are there groups of people around you are you are you resting down your head at night with no one around in the middle of the.

19:18.79
Bryanna
I Like my life a lot. Yeah yeah.

19:34.50
Bryanna
So it was kind of interesting through New Mexico through the first state there was tons of people around not tons but there was like a group like groups of people around that were all kind of like.

19:36.21
aaronmannes
Wilderness.

19:50.20
Bryanna
Leapfrogging over top of each other especially towards the end of the state because no one knew what to do because there's still so much snow in Colorado I essentially was always hiking alone. Um, and sometimes I would camp near people and sometimes I'd be camping completely alone. But once we hit Colorado because. Everybody scattered once we got to Colorado like some people flipped up to Canada so many people quit I hyped the majority of that state like completely alone like I would see I think I saw friends like a handful of nights and then like there would be.

20:18.65
aaronmannes
Wow.

20:27.13
Bryanna
Multiple days in a row I wouldn't have seen I'd see more most than people like I wouldn't have seen a single soul. Um, and then once I got to the end of Colorado I actually met up with someone I had met in New Mexico and we hiked the remainder of the trail together. Yeah so I feel like I did the first half.

20:30.33
aaronmannes
So cool.

20:41.28
aaronmannes
Awesome! Very cool. Are you bringing a camera or is it just bare minimum weight photography might set podcasts.

20:43.28
smacey
Wow.

20:46.69
Bryanna
Alone I said.

20:51.43
Bryanna
So I was excited to get into I started with a Dslr camera clip to my pack. Um, which is like really everyone was like what is this girl doing. She's never through hiked before.

20:58.12
aaronmannes
Me.

21:06.56
aaronmannes
Rookie Rookie Move newb.

21:08.50
Bryanna
<unk>s happening and I was like trust me guys like I know what I'm doing anyway. So I hi through new mexico with my dslrs dropped to my front and then like it I actually had an older dslr too because I was like I know myself this is going to just get whipped through the sand like.

21:08.70
smacey
Um, me a point and shoot.

21:28.40
Bryanna
I'm not going to take care of my camera gear I shouldn't say that on a podcast but I got trained in journalism and if you know anything about photojournalists. Everyone just whips their camera gear around. Um, so yeah I had my camera through New Mexico and then towards the end of New Mexico

21:30.60
aaronmannes
No, it's fine. It's honest.

21:38.68
aaronmannes
Are.

21:46.18
Bryanna
Beginning of Colorado we started to hit snow and my feet were so bad like when I say my feet were so bad when I woke up in the middle of the night I couldn't stand up I'd like crawl to like go pee. It was so brutal so getting any weight off my back was like kind of essential.

21:58.28
aaronmannes
Um.

22:03.35
Bryanna
And it kind of came down to like I carry my camera or I jeopardize the whole trail and I have traveled a lot through my life and I I realize that sometimes you have to experience life as a human and sometimes you get to experience life as a photographer and it was so frustrating having to.

22:06.37
aaronmannes
Well.

22:23.20
Bryanna
I didn't give up my camera I just kept like um, bouncing it up the trail like along through Colorado being like soon my feet will be better and I will get my camera again and then eventually at the end of Colorado are yeah towards the end of Colorado i.

22:26.96
aaronmannes
Are.

22:41.28
Bryanna
Sent it home for good I'm so sorry my cat is me eyeing I'm just ah sorry if that was annoying in the background. Okay.

22:44.92
smacey
That's okay, we' just make a note 22 46 Aaron no it. It'll be good.

22:45.13
aaronmannes
Um, no, it's okay, he's a cutie.

22:57.13
Bryanna
Also I just have like sweat pants on and like a presentable sweater. That's what you're supposed to do right.

23:01.33
aaronmannes
That's perfect Seth doesn't wear pants. So it's fine.

23:02.33
smacey
It's good. We'll chop that we'll we'll chop that part out. Um, yeah I was actually going to ask so when you're on um, a journey or mission like this but you're also a photographer.

23:16.63
smacey
Back home shooting like more typical genres family wedding. You just mentioned you were training photojournalism which is pretty cool. So how does your approach to what you're shooting change to more Journalistic style. What does that look like what does that require in terms of what you're actually shooting format etc.

23:31.76
Bryanna
Like when I was on trail how I was shooting or just in. Yeah.

23:34.80
smacey
Yeah, like you probably took a much more Journalistic approach whereas you don't do that when you're shooting a wedding or other genres right.

23:40.70
Bryanna
Yeah, well I really didn't have like I was like I'm pretty sure the slowest hiker on the cdt this year I was like waking up before everybody else and hiking later. So photography even though I had my camera strapped to me I didn't put too much effort into like making a lot of time to get a lot of photos if I saw something while I was walking at click it and keep going I did have some really cool experiences. Um with my camera that were just so special to me. 1 of them was I was in a hot springs in the gila new Mexico like the Gila River and there was a woman in there and she was like talking to me in another hiker and she's like I'm getting married tomorrow and I was like oh and she I was like I shoot weddings at home. She's like we don't have a photographer so I like. Shot her wedding in my hiking gear and like was like I'll shoot your wedding for free, but you're gonna have to wait six months to get the photos because I'm gonna send the sd card home and I'll edit them when I get home. So I got to be a part of this like really like grassroots wedding and like they welcomed me with open arms and I just like.

24:33.54
aaronmannes
Oh wow.

24:34.25
smacey
Cool.

24:51.99
Bryanna
Was in my straight up through hiking kit which is so funny and then I just put my bag on my back and hiked out and like hiked fifteen miles that day. Um, and then another yeah exactly another really cool thing that happened was.

24:55.28
aaronmannes
Amazing. Ah.

25:02.80
aaronmannes
Good luck with marriage by a.

25:11.30
Bryanna
Um, I had my camera at this point this was like right before I sent it home for good and I was in a through town and we went to the rodeo and there was the guy who picked us up pitching in a town happened to be a bull rider and he was on his way to the rodeo and.

25:25.94
smacey
Are.

25:28.69
Bryanna
He got to the rodeo and me and my friend were like slamming hot dogs just like I was covered in dirt I don't even know how long it had been since I showered I was such a mess because I was just a mess through Colorado and um I could see this guy getting ready for his.

25:32.54
aaronmannes
I.

25:47.70
Bryanna
To like do his bull riding thing and I was like I want to be on that side of the ring like I want to be shooting those guys and so I like walked around and like waved him down like through all the gates of the cows and was like. Hey like can I just jump the gate and come and do some bts before you jump on the bull and I got to I was like climbing over all of these like um like the bull gates and like hung out with the bull riders for a while and got all these like kind of documentary style behind the scene photos of like a. Rodeo in Northern Colorado and it was just like really cool to get like experience things like that with while I had my camera on trail I was so it was bummer that I had descended home but it was really special moments for me for sure.

26:25.53
aaronmannes
Um.

26:30.21
smacey
Um, a.

26:38.52
aaronmannes
It's very cool I have a question um now deciding to go on ah a through trail or a super long hike or change jobs or get out of a relationship like all those hard decisions in life. There's like this window and I'm just curious what the. What the window was to make that leap in terms of finances or a job break or the ability to say I'm going to leave for six months and then pick back up I mean you're not on the trail right now you got nice earrings on and a turtleneck and a kitty.

27:09.71
Bryanna
Yes, and.

27:12.79
aaronmannes
So you've come back to something you've survived where what what was that window that like that that key moment that was like I'm actually going to do this.

27:14.70
Bryanna
Yes.

27:23.25
Bryanna
Um, so I decided on like sorry if I don't answer this properly just tell me and we can try again. But um I decided to do it on my birthday. The end of June and 2022 and I I was on trail.

27:29.63
aaronmannes
10

27:41.20
Bryanna
Two days after my like accident anniversary in April Twenty Twenty three so June to April um, and that gave me time to like kind of close my books for the next season. Um, like. Sub up my house and kind of get prepared for it. I don't know if that answers what you were asking.

28:00.78
aaronmannes
Are. Yeah, but I mean yeah I guess digging maybe deeper. You had the space you felt did you feel financially I mean you said you said earlier, you do not have savings. But yeah.

28:13.18
Bryanna
No, no, no no I did it on a line of credit I was like and I'm not scared to tell people that because I like that's like how much I was like I need to do this now like it cannot wait.

28:30.00
aaronmannes
So is more the like the experience dividends and the memory dividends and like those sorts of things that you're going to gain at this time in your life knowing it's now or never in a sense. Um, and I got to do it now.

28:36.68
Bryanna
Yeah, yeah, it was I think that it I just like think when you get smoked in the head. It's like such a wake up call because there's no other like it's really just like. Unavoidable and I just really felt like I had to do the things I wanted to do and that was at the top of my list and there's yeah, a ten foot long board. Um.

29:03.70
aaronmannes
Yeah, they say sometimes the universe will hit you with a 2 by 4 but I didn't know they meant like actually for you? Yeah yeah.

29:12.80
smacey
Um, yeah, are you comfortable like telling what happened to you? yeah.

29:15.94
Bryanna
Oh totally? Um, so I was at a long boarding festival in Mexico with a lot of incredible, professional, long borderers. Such a good vibe. I've been a couple years before and how I'm going to explain how surf photography works because I think sometimes it's a little bit confusing for people. Um, when I'm shooting in the water I actually just have fins on I don't have a surfboard I'm just swimming out with the surfers. And what happened on this particular day. The surf was really busy. Um, and when ah when a surfer is on a wave I'm sitting in the steepest part of the steepest section of the wave to try to get the most technical moves and. I will wait till the surfer gets close enough and then I swim under the wave come up for air and then I can spot when the next surfer is coming does that make sense. Yes, yeah, there's a lot going on so I like to make it clear because it's confusing.

30:14.59
smacey
Yes.

30:16.80
aaronmannes
Um, lock going on. No yeah.

30:22.36
Bryanna
And so I swam under a wave but there was a double-up wave. So there was a surfer on top of another wave which I have never experienced in the like seven or eight years that I've been shooting in the water and he was in the very fast section of the wave and he didn't have enough time to stop. Before he saw me and I didn't even have my eyes open so I essentially stopped like ah I think his board was like close to ten feet long long board going full speed in its tracks with my face. Um I was super lucky.

30:42.57
aaronmannes
Oh.

30:53.45
aaronmannes
She is.

31:00.11
Bryanna
Like there's not a reason that my brain or my neck should like my neck should have fully snapped and he said that he was the person that hit me was like I'm shocked I didn't snap your neck but the injury like any concussion can be so complicated and hard to come back.

31:16.85
smacey
Yeah, hey.

31:16.95
aaronmannes
Are.

31:19.57
Bryanna
Um, and I ended up having um like a small brain bleed and it was It was a pretty significant whack to the head that took a while to come back from.

31:26.34
aaronmannes
Chase.

31:32.11
smacey
Um, do you think you would have done this hike if you hadn't had such a traumatic brain injury.

31:39.23
Bryanna
Um, um I I mean who knows what else could have brought me to that point of really wanting it had been something I had wanted to do been wanting to do for so Long. Um. So maybe eventually, but.

31:57.18
smacey
So I guess maybe it was a reminder of the fragility of life and maybe an accelerant to go do that is that fair to say.

32:01.23
aaronmannes
Are.

32:06.60
Bryanna
That's exactly what happened was like I I was staying at a host or like an airbnb in Mexico by myself got in my wetsuit like I do all the time and was like I'm just going to get in the water and get a couple photos and swam under a wave like I have 100000 times and. It could have just been all over like where it hit me was so I was so lucky it hit like my ocular bone. So a couple like not even a centtimeter to either side I could have either lost my eye or it could have hit my temple I just feel like it was just.

32:25.30
aaronmannes
Um.

32:42.21
Bryanna
Such a wake-up call for me to be like where are my priorities at in life like what are the things that are important to me. Yes, my career is important to me Yes, making money is important but like what is the purpose of life If We're not pushing ourselves and. Seeing what we're capable of and also like giving ourselves that opportunity to see those things. Um, So yeah I think that it really really put things in perspective for me I Always kind of say that I got hit like in the right spot because it really like. Brighten to my life.

33:22.70
smacey
Right? No that makes total sense. Eron Do you have any more questions before I keep rifling off mine I Want to get back to maybe some thoughts you had during um the not so fun parts of the of the screwing.

33:27.30
aaronmannes
Um, now go ahead, Go ahead.

33:38.99
smacey
Through hike did you ever have any moments where you're thinking. This is awesome and it's a once in lifetime experience but am I am I wasting time like is this a productive use of my time. Did that thought ever cross your head I'm not suggesting it was but I I know from myself sometimes and this is you know a problem I have that I'm getting better at sometimes when I'm just doing things for pure enjoyment that don't necessarily have a productivity factor I have a voice that enters my head that says. What you're doing right now is not going to get you Ahead. It's not going to.. It's not productive. It's not you should really reconsider how much fun time you're having um, did did this thought ever cross your mind or am I alone in this. Okay.

34:26.51
Bryanna
You are not alone in that at all I have suffered from that for a very long time especially because I got into surf photography because I love surfing and now every time I surf I'm like oh I should be shooting like the waves are great. The light is great like.

34:44.36
smacey
Um, right right? okay.

34:46.38
Bryanna
I suffer from that on a daily basis. Um, but when it came to the trail. There's been I would say a handful of significant moments in my life where I have been so certain as to what I'm supposed to be doing and where I'm supposed to be. 1 of them is like buying a water housing to start shooting surfing one was buying a 1 ne-way ticket to Hawaii to learn how to surf one was doing the cdt. So the whole time I was on the cdt there was no doubt in my mind that I was where I was supposed to be because I like fully like. Had so much knowing that that was that was that and I knew that as soon as I got home that I would be productive again. I have such a like that's my personality so um like trusting

35:32.60
smacey
Um, right.

35:40.66
Bryanna
Um, my God this sounds so lame but like trusting the process like being like I'm here I'm doing this thing for me right now and then moving forward I will be back doing my career soon enough.

35:44.58
smacey
Um, no, not wayne.

35:53.84
smacey
So for someone maybe listening and this is you're just offering up your opinion here I'll preface it with that So you don't feel like you need to have the answer someone who maybe.

36:00.30
Bryanna
Okay.

36:08.51
smacey
Routinely has the thought of am I where I'm supposed to be is this What I'm supposed to be doing you said? undoubtedly you knew in those examples you gave are you able to kind of pinpoint or describe how you knew I know that's a difficult thing to do but Um. Encourage you to Try. That's okay, make a good sound bite.

36:25.82
Bryanna
Um, I'm gonna sound like a psychopath trying to explain this. So I think that like this unknowing feeling is something that has come with a lot of therapy like.

36:31.10
aaronmannes
Yeah, yeah.

36:42.14
smacey
Um, okay.

36:44.71
Bryanna
A lot of um, just like dropping into like who you are and who you want to be and when I have this feeling. It's like usually from a really grounded place. Um that I've given myself space to know that like I mean. Mostly I think of booking a 1 way ticket to Hawaii in the middle of the night on the floor of my Montreal apartment when I was 19 probably wasn't super grounded then but like I've had that moment like. In the water. A lot of the time being like okay this is where I am supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing um and I think that that just comes with like a lot of super honest conversations with yourself and like taking the time to give yourself space in. Evaluating what is important to you and trying to cancel out the noise around you that's been like you should be working towards your career. You should be doing this. You should be like that stuff is all very important.

37:47.55
smacey
Um, what are some of the shoulds that creep into your head that you would maybe consider noise.

37:52.16
Bryanna
Oh mine's like constantly like you should be moving further in your career. You should be making like more money so you can buy new gear so you can move further in your career like it's always like you should be moving forward to show like.

38:04.36
smacey
Um, right.

38:10.88
Bryanna
To be more successful and I think that that was like triumphantly like what was so important about this trail was that it was something that I was doing for me as a human being and not as a photographer not as. A young adult trying to like succeed at a career. It was literally something that made zero sense to anybody else except for fulfilling like a desire and a dream that was only for me that I would have forever.

38:42.17
smacey
Right? Yeah, that makes that makes total sense. Did you have people who disagreed with this decision thought it was irresponsible or did you have for the most mostly support answer. Honestly.

38:55.26
Bryanna
Um, mostly of note mostly support I have like the most incredible family I have traveled a lot and done some dumb shit. So yeah, exactly they were kind of used to it I've like trained them well but I sort of God when I told my dad because I was.

39:05.61
aaronmannes
Um, they're used to it by now. Yeah.

39:12.44
Bryanna
Still like recovering really I think I I had to live with my parents for a while when I had hit my head and I didn't think I was out of their place by this point but I I was like guys just want to let you know I will be hiking for six months next year and I honest to god thought my dad's head was gonna go through the roof of the car like I was like oh my goodness. And then he was he got over it and was like the most supportive and most excited of anybody. Um I was originally supposed to do ah the pct which is um, a little bit more friendly for beginner through hikers. When you Google the cdt. It's very well known if you Google cdt it's like don't do it as your first through hike don't do it like you have to have special so like navigation skills. All these things that I did not listen to and um so my brother when he found out. He definitely called me from Thailand and is like has anybody like. Question to you about this like is anybody like concerned because like you can do it but ah like are we all just checking in. Um, but no for the most part I think that the people that know me and that love me know that.

40:16.30
smacey
Are.

40:25.56
Bryanna
Um I will always be moving forward in a positive way and so they just had to trust that I was doing the right thing and I'm so grateful for that.

40:38.92
smacey
Um, tell us about the ugliest moment on that experience and um, just what it was like in the moment and um afterwards.

40:40.42
Bryanna
Oh.

40:52.33
Bryanna
So I'm afraid of heights which is hilarious because I like divide trail. Um, and I had just like like we talked about before Colorado just like.

40:54.60
smacey
That is hilarious for the yeah.

41:10.90
Bryanna
Destroyed me in every way possible like physically I was done mentally I was done like emotionally there was just like I had really nothing left in me like I was just making it happen and I don't know how and I was doing an alternate and the night before I had thought that it was only. Not a big climb and I just like didn't feel like walking that day and I ended up having to like height I think it was like seven thousand feet of elevation gain and I'd had a couple be like this is like the nearliest tiking we've ever done so good luck out there and I was doing these like essentially these like game trail traverses with. They were like less than 12 like inches wide the trail with like thousands not thousands like hundreds of feet of drop on one side and there was nobody around I hadn't seen anyone all day and I was just like couldn't I just. I was like crying all night trying to get across these traverses and got myself through them and then I got to like a ridge and there was a cornice and I couldn't find my way over the cornice. So I had to like sleep on this ridge and I was just like not doing well things were not great. I was not thriving.

42:18.44
aaronmannes
Just here.

42:22.46
Bryanna
And so the next morning I wake up and I do some more game trail traverses and then I have to walk over this like crazy Colorado ridge that had no path I was just like walking a grass down this ridge and I was like okay I've done it. It's over like I'm Goingnna meet back up with the normal trail and this. Alternate is done and like we are moving forward so I get up to the top and I I go to get back on the main trail and there's an intersection and it's so windy and I look at the trail and it's just this tiny little traverse like little trail but this. Actually the traverse was quite long and there was just like actually thousands of feet drop on one side and I hadn't seen anyone in over twenty like I hadn't seen another human being in over 24 hours and I had already like all my like perseverance juice was like it was gone. The reserves were gone. And I sat at this 4 our-way stop on the trail before this traverse for like hours like texting everybody being like I can't do it I'm stuck here like I can't go back because where I came from was already hard and I can't go down the red line because I know that it's. Lots of snow and I don't want to deal with that and I was like the only way is forward and I physically cannot do it and I just sat there and had the biggest panic attack I have had in my whole entire life knowing that there was literally nobody else around to help me.

43:53.54
Bryanna
And I had nowhere to go I knew that 1 friend was like a day and a half behind me and like in my crazy thoughts I was like I'll just set up my tent and I'll wait for him like I'll wait for someone to come and help me and I I tried to do the traverse. 3 times and on the third time the wind was so strong that it knocked me over onto the ground which like for someone who's terrified of heart heights with like $1000 at that point that a foot drop on one side I was like um and eventually. My friend like sent me this really beautiful song and she's like just blast this and you just are. You're just gonna have to do it like there's just no other option here and instead of taking the traverse that was like the trail that was into the um. Mountain I actually went right up and over the ridge because I was like if I fall over. There's a little more space if the wind is gonna knock me off the path. But I think like the biggest thing for me. There was that I just the whole time I was like get over it Brianna like. Everyone else ahead of you has done this traverse like why are you stuck here? This is so silly like you're in over your head. Um and I just yeah, really really beat myself up over it because I was like physically unable. Emotionally unable.

45:20.19
Bryanna
And then also knowing that like everyone else was able and it was just my mind stopping me. Um and I did make it over obviously because I had to but the whole time I just was like screaming into the wind I was like hunched over like the hunchback of an notre like with my iking pos like.

45:28.11
aaronmannes
Yeah, um.

45:37.72
smacey
Um, yeah.

45:39.47
Bryanna
I Wish so badly. Someone could have recorded me because I looked like such a psychopath I was like you've got this. It over thought yeah it was.

45:49.89
aaronmannes
Yeah, what? Ah what a metaphor for rock Bottom I mean pun not intended but you couldn't go left. You couldn't go right? You couldn't go back. You were you were grounded like the only way out was to fight through it forward.

46:02.72
Bryanna
Yeah.

46:05.80
aaronmannes
And I think that's where people make the most stride sometimes in life. Sometimes you need that like catastrophic life event to propel you forward like the time is now for me to figure it out. You know and I mean that was actualized and.

46:13.28
Bryanna
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

46:24.29
aaronmannes
You know god forbid there is no more traumatic moments in your life. But if they do come and you feel that rock bottom sort of emotional just done exhaustion like you have that tool in your toolbox to be like I was on a ridge with tons of wind.

46:39.24
Bryanna
Yes.

46:42.97
aaronmannes
Fearing for my life and I I went forward. You know.

46:46.28
Bryanna
Yeah, ah hopefully nothing like that I don't have to make any major decisions at thirteen Thousand feet ever again. Not really my vibe. But yes somehow I read it through I mean honestly.

46:53.31
aaronmannes
Yeah, that sounds awful, sounds great and awful.

46:56.88
smacey
Yeah, well.

47:00.45
Bryanna
This is the thing about the cdt and about through hiking is like the whole time all I could ever think about was the majority of the population. The majority of the people I knew are no would have been so much better and more equipped and mentally more stable at doing it than I was and then yet there I was like.

47:17.12
aaronmannes
Are.

47:19.20
Bryanna
At thirteen Thousand feet having the most dramatic like anxiety attack on the side of a mountain of and the whole time I just kept being like why am I the 1 doing this right now.

47:31.60
aaronmannes
But an actual like an actual anxiety panic attack for for your life being the consequence right? and I'm sure I mean we can freak out over a math test and have the same response as if we were looking at a grizzly bear. So.

47:38.90
Bryanna
Yeah.

47:46.21
Bryanna
Um, with you? yeah.

47:49.54
aaronmannes
Potentially if you feel that cortisol spike and the the stress spike in the future for quote unquote little things you know, not life Changers. You might be like hey this is the same response I had on the top or the edge of a cliff. Maybe I need to take a deep breath because right now I'm not on a cliff right now I'm not in danger of losing my life and I can move forward I Think it's interesting that we we take like public speaking and we go to you know everyone's gonna laugh at me I'm going to lose my job. Ah then I'm not going to be able to afford anything and then I'll die.

48:21.90
smacey
A.

48:23.48
aaronmannes
Like we we get to that The worst case scenario very quickly versus being one step away like if I slip I Die you know? So yeah, yeah, nobody around. But you're dead so it wouldn't matter. Anyway, you'd be fine. Um.

48:27.31
Bryanna
Um, yeah, yeah, and there is nobody around. Yeah, exactly yeah.

48:39.70
smacey
It makes it better.

48:40.89
aaronmannes
I Just think it's interesting and you've set up just so many Frameworks for healthy mindset and mental perseverance in our reasonably comfortable lives you know and it just makes it that much easier to get through things if you can.

48:52.49
Bryanna
Um.

48:56.31
aaronmannes
Get through some real things in life. It just gives you like that I've I've been here before this sucks but I can I can get through it.

49:02.63
Bryanna
100%

49:04.94
smacey
Yeah,, what's helpful when something seems so far away in your case. It was a measurable known super far distance to a finish line often. It's not that obvious but we know something is super super far away the outcome we want or the reward etc. What helps When. You seem overwhelmed with the distance or the duration of a project etc.

49:30.37
Bryanna
Um, so I think like ah I kind of had an advantage in my own personal life that I had just overcome this injury that really like I'm not sure if either of you have had a. Significant concussion or brain injury before but um, it's a wild trip like it's a wild time and um, my mentality through the recovery of that was like so significant and moving forward like as a photographer. For some reason a lot of people like to tell me about all these people that were photographers and then got hit in the head and then they couldn't be photographers took me three months I think to get back on my laptop to be able to open my laptop and look at a screen so there was so much uncertainty and a lot of my recovery. Even for months after that was just being like positive about the situation and being like having to convince myself that nothing is forever and nothing will last and I think that that like mental muscle that I was so. Significantly reliant on throughout my recovery from my head injury prepared me for a through hike because even in like the hardest like through Colorado every day was hard and I think I was hiking six weeks through Colorado I was like.

50:59.14
Bryanna
It's going to get better like show me how much better it can get and as soon as I hit Wyoming. The experience was incredible, but it was like that. Um that like I don't know mentality that I had to like rely on. With my recovery that really really really helped me along the trail.

51:18.90
smacey
Right? right? and in your opinion you know you said you were the slow. Probably the slowest hiker on the trail stumbling at times is getting to the finish line in ugly or ungraceful fashion. Just as noble as getting to the finish line with Grace and near perfection in your opinion.

51:42.71
Bryanna
Um, I think that I'm more proud of myself that I finished it in like an an like manicured fashion like that I was just like flailing the whole time I was even telling my friend this morning I was like.

51:52.33
smacey
Um, right.

52:00.27
Bryanna
The first week I was on Trail I Just like lost everything like people were posting on all the forms being like I found a lens cap I found some trail like things like ah hiking poles and I just was so embarrassed because I was like the only solo female that had never hiped.

52:14.22
smacey
Are.

52:17.29
Bryanna
Through like through hiked before that I had met on trail so far and I was like I can't tell them that like that's all my stuff because that's so what? like that's the part of me that I think back when I realize I did finish the trail that I'm like dang that girl did it like that girl that was like.

52:31.86
aaronmannes
Yeah.

52:35.73
Bryanna
Such a shit show the majority of the trail was able to like get through and maybe I didn't do any thirty days or like forty days like thirty miles in a day or which is like a big term on and through hiking but I was consistent and I did it. Heard it? yeah.

52:54.82
aaronmannes
With 1 shoe with 1 shoe. She lost 1 shoe and she made it the whole way. No, it's it's impressive to look back and be able to just um, be proud of Seth to answer your question I think. Yes, because you're still if you join a marathon and you come in the last place the pace cars behind you or the the roundup car. Whatever that's called um, like pushing you ahead and you finished you're still in the 1% of the less.

53:14.00
smacey
I was just going to use that example? yeah.

53:23.10
smacey
Um, yeah.

53:31.67
aaronmannes
I mean point zero zero zero something percent of the day that went twenty six miles on their feet walked ran lost. Whatever so um, in that case, yes, it is absolutely something to be proud of.

53:35.55
smacey
A.

53:43.83
smacey
Yeah, yeah, I'm not saying it's not something you proud of I think you can be proud of yeah like being the last in a marathon you can be proud that you've finished and you saw through especially when it was likely very difficult and then on the other end of the spectrum if you finish with such Grace. You can be proud in your preparation or your you know. Other things not saying that you're not prepared if you finish last or any of those things. But I think there's ah yeah, just to answer my own question I think it's just different right.

54:13.62
Bryanna
Yeah I think next time I would know what to expect and maybe it would be a little bit more graceful but also like if you knew me in real life. You'd be like oh my God I Somehow make it through every day but like it's just.

54:19.95
smacey
Um, right.

54:23.84
aaronmannes
And.

54:31.75
Bryanna
There's always a moment.

54:31.89
aaronmannes
Me that speaks towards positive attitude and the ability to grind versus the person. That's you know most prepped or prepared like maybe it takes you longer, but you just have this positive like I'm going to I'm to figure it out I'm going to make it work.

54:34.54
smacey
Um, no right.

54:51.12
aaronmannes
Um, so maybe it's not yeah, go ahead.

54:51.19
Bryanna
Yeah I had sorry I didn't maintain treio I had fallen behind very early on on trail because of my feet and then in Colorado I ended up in the hospital for a little while. Um so I really slowed down and then I just like. Couldn't keep up with people I like remember meeting up with someone and they're like I heard about you. You're the girl that wakes up before everyone else snikes later just to make the right amount of miles. Um, but then once I hit wyoming and I started hiking with a friend. We had. So much fun every day hiking like even when it was miserable even when it had been raining for like weeks even when we were like so scared of grizzly bears. We had so much fun that like the fact that we ended later than the majority of the hikers. We were just like so grateful that we had a good time because so many people you met on trail were like we're done. We're no longer having fun like we do not want to be here and we were just like giggling every day laughing like and so I feel like it was not graceful but it was still fun. And I think that that was like such a gift.

56:05.30
aaronmannes
Um, there's this part of man's search for meaning with Victor Fral who's talking about being in concentration camps and his family's being murdered. His friends are being murdered. He's alone and there's this exquisite Monologue just about they can take everything from me like I can have. All the comforts taken from me family friends but they can't affect what I decide to think about or what I dream I think was the language he used. They can't affect my dreams so he was still under the right there there it is um.

56:35.41
smacey
I got it right here and just pull it off the shelf.

56:38.18
Bryanna
I Want to read that I'm writing that down.

56:43.33
smacey
Yeah.

56:44.40
aaronmannes
Yeah, it's about existentialism and psychology and his experience in the holocaust. But just that that that's always stuck with me like Wow so that that might be you know, arguably the worst possible situation you can be in as a human and to be able to have the. Power I Guess is a good word to stay in a positive mindset and understand that your thoughts are no one can take your thoughts. That's you can control that till the end um is a really powerful thing and and he survived and. You survived and giggling and having a good Time. You know in the dirt and I think that probably goes hand in hand.

57:25.57
Bryanna
Yeah.

57:29.61
smacey
That's awesome. Well, we've talked about the C at Ton we could do a whole episode on surf photography too. Can we talk about that Maybe to end the show. We've never had we've I don't know we've never had a surf photographer on the show like I've never I've I've never shot in the water I don't know what that entails.

57:34.18
aaronmannes
Um, yeah.

57:35.27
Bryanna
Sure what do you want to come? Oh oh shoot.

57:45.35
aaronmannes
Her explaining it was like it entails a lot up and down the breathing the swimming the the tiing.

57:46.90
smacey
Ah, should we? Yeah yeah, like is there anything just explaining it to 2 total new newbs.

57:52.11
Bryanna
Um, um.

57:57.37
Bryanna
Um, it's really fun. It's like trying to make art in chaos because you're working against the elements um in a very like sometimes unforgiving way like you're just getting smoked by waves and trying to line up with the surfer. So it's.

58:05.36
aaronmannes
Um.

58:16.47
Bryanna
Like 1 of the most rewarding things I've ever done when you do get the shot. You're like dang like I was not defeated by the current I was not defeated by the waves I just lined up with the surfer. The light is perfect somehow there's no water on my port and it's. Clear and it's just like it can be the most frustrating form of photography and then the most rewarding and I think coming from a journalism journalism background I have a tendency to like to shoot. I like to shoot in chaos. So it's kind of like a healthy chaos for me.

58:56.64
smacey
And what are you looking for to make a you know like what's Ah, what's a banging surf photo look like or is that up for interpretation.

59:02.48
Bryanna
Um, I think that's up for interpretation. Um, because there's different ways to approach it and the styles of surfing you're shooting like if you're shooting um, shortboarding you're looking at more like high performance technical moves with longboarding. Um.

59:19.88
Bryanna
Shoot mostly female Surfers. So I Really like to try to capture the femininity in longboarding. It's like this beautiful dance. It's very elegant and graceful and um if you can get the right colors. It just looks very Feminine. Um. And there is a lot of technical moves when it comes to longboarding as Well. So trying to capture all of those things. Altogether is really important to me and then also just capturing like um the like beauty of like females coming together and. Community behind it. So like sometimes I like to shoot like actual surfing and sometimes I just like to shoot the the girls get in in the water together like.

01:00:05.28
smacey
Right? What's the percentage of male versus female swimmers or surface would you say.

01:00:10.90
Bryanna
Oh it depends where you are in Tofino it's very high. We have a really really incredible female.