Annie Friedl - Young Inspirer
“This is where I find peace; where I don’t have to live up to everyone’s expectations of me.” -Annie
For many of us, high school graduation is a time of discovery and promise as we launch into our next chapter of adult life. For the Class of 2020, the anti-climactic Covid ending of the school year left many without that sense of promise, lacking direction, and full of uncertainty and fear. Some tried college, some went directly into the workforce, and some waited out the pandemic before deciding what to do next.
Annie Friedl did a little of all three. With a goal of college but a heart for adventure, she chose a path that would give her more direction and insight than many 21-year-olds now finishing school and launching again.
Annie is in her third year in the Seasonal Hospitality industry. (That’s a fancy way to say that she works in housekeeping at glamping resorts near beautiful places.) She started out traveling and doing this work in between school semesters, but has been full-time on the road for two years now. She’s found CoolWorks to be a helpful site in finding seasonal work with housing and is selective about the type of work, the location, and the housing setup as she chooses where to work until the season in that area closes.
When Annie first left Wisconsin to work in Montana, many people said she was brave. Some said it with an air of fear for her safety, while others said it with a tinge of jealousy for their own desire to travel. She remembers, “When I first left the house, I didn’t think anything of it.” At the time, she thought she was making a crazy choice. Now, a few years removed from that first step, she can look back and see that solo hiking and travel really is the brave, intimidating thing she chose to combat - and still does.
Even with this lifestyle of traveling and working a season at a time (typically four months in one place), Annie still sees solo hiking as the brave thing she chooses, because it is the thing that consistently brings her peace. See, Annie deals with two very typical issues for women:
She is a self-proclaimed “People-Pleaser.”
She fights against the Comparison Battle.
And where it takes many of us women until the age of 40 to suddenly “get it” or not care anymore, Annie has chosen a different path. She chooses to make time for herself in the place she feels the most calm, the most content, and the most grounded, so that she can function at 100% for those around her.
Solo hiking gives Annie the space to be where she doesn’t feel pressured to live up to other people’s expectations. Though she wants to make everyone happy and make time for those she loves, she knows that she needs to make time for herself to recharge. The biggest hurdles Annie faces are mental ones. She must choose the idea that doing that which brings her peace isn’t a selfish choice, but an opportunity for growth and strength.
She also battles against that idea of Comparison. Ladies, we all know it. We see our girlfriend’s best moments on social media and instantly compare that to our own not-best moment. And then assume failure. Annie recognizes this even in the hiking and travel world. Recently living in the Adirondacks, she saw how people compare their stats of “How Many of the Peaks Have You Climbed?” She noticed that comparison starting to seep into her own head when her partner climbed Potash Mountain in a faster time than she had. But when she stopped and realized that her purpose out there was to find peace and balance, not time, it took the pressure off. She remembered why she was there in the first place and that comparison had no room in her backpack.
So in an effort to keep growing and gaining that insight that comes with experience, Annie keeps moving forward. She is a “big list maker” and uses her iPhone Notes app to create itineraries, plans, ideas, and goals. She creates different lists in her AllTrails app to match up with areas she knows she’ll be traveling to. That way, when she’s in those areas, she can open up the list and see what’s nearby.
If the idea of making time to recharge resonates with you, and you’re drawn to the idea of solo hiking, Annie has some tips to help out. First, she suggests recognizing your own risk tolerance. “How susceptible are you to being freaked out about something?” she asks. It’s good to recognize this limit for yourself so you can decide how far to step without putting yourself at risk or danger. Annie recognizes that her own risk tolerance has changed in the last three years. Where before she might have jumped at the chance to climb a mountainside in Glacier National Park, now she stops to check weather forecasts and emergency plans.
Annie also gives great advice when she says, “Make sure the worst that can happen isn’t in your control.” We often jump to the “worst case scenario” when considering a new idea, right? But being sure that “worst” isn’t something you could have prevented gives a sense of strength and security that can help to move you forward. Taking a picture of the map or downloading the trail ahead of time helps if you should lose service. Having enough water (or turning back when you’re halfway out of water) will ensure you are making the safest basic choice for you. Starting at a state park or nearby area can provide familiarity, rather than jumping both feet into brand new BLM land. It’s okay to set your safe boundaries, especially if this is your first time trying.
But ultimately, Annie reminds us that the idea of “should” doesn’t need space in our inner dialogue. She recently heard the trend to “stop shoulding on yourself.” Where does that idea of “should” come from? Who is telling us that? We can “need” or “want” something, but the idea of “should” will only contribute to the people-pleasing, comparison battle many of us are tired of.
If you want, you can follow Annie’s adventures as she learns to switch from outdoor to indoor work in Wyoming. She’s grateful for the chance to have her outside time feel more meaningful as her days will be filled with customer service inside. Someday she’ll continue her training toward a horticulture degree and greenhouse management, but for now, she’s happy to make strong choices for herself that she can look back on later with pride.
