Welcome! My name is Sheraya, or Ray for short. My appreciation of the outdoors began when my parents purchased 33 acres in rural central Indiana for their business, and my brother and I had the privilege of growing up chasing toads, looking for mushrooms, wading though creeks, building dams, and other gritty delights. It wasn’t until a semester spent abroad in New Zealand, however, that that appreciation for the outdoors blossomed into a love. I traveled almost every weekend, went backpacking for the first (and second and third) time, went on my first solo road trip, and checked off some bucket list items like bungee jumping and paragliding.

Once I returned to the States, it dawned on me that I had seen so little of my own country and its natural wonders. I decided to change that and made it my goal to visit all of the US National Parks. I also searched for backpacking trails in the States and stumbled upon the Appalachian Trail, which looked really intriguing. When I started my job as a software developer in 2020, I set an exit date for myself of 2023 so that I could hike the AT that year.

Over the next three years, I worked and saved up, taking a week off at a time to chip away at National Parks. My planned AT sabbatical turned into something bigger: I added a road trip and two longer-term mission trips, pushing the AT back to 2024. In June of 2023, I put my belongings in storage and set off on the road, kicking off some of the biggest adventures in my life.

As of 2025, I am so fortunate to have visited just over half of the 63 US National Parks, spent ten weeks each in Belize and South Africa, and successfully thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. I’m currently based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin while I try to figure out what’s next for me, both professionally and recreationally. Thanks so much for being here!