{"id":11929,"date":"2017-05-22T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-05-22T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=11929"},"modified":"2025-01-21T14:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T22:10:24","slug":"lessons-from-a-lost-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/lessons-from-a-lost-coast","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from a Lost Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prashanthi Koutha was shivering.<\/p>\n

Two days into her first backpacking trip she yard-saled into a creek crossing. Her pack was soaked. Her clothes were wet. Her phone\u2014toast.<\/p>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember thinking, I had enough problems in my life. Why the hell was I doing this again?\u201d But there was a reason.<\/p>\n

After moving 8,000 miles from her friends and family in Hyderabad, India, Prashanthi spent the previous three years focused on the life milestones everyone expected of her. She needed to do something on her terms.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

She decided on a 4-day guide backpacking trip\u00a0on the Lost Coast of California\u2014a remote stretch of rocky coves and black-sand beaches only accessible by dirt road. Prashanthi had always been drawn to the outdoors, but she\u2019d never hiked more than four miles in a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family thought it was crazy,\u201d she says, laughing. \u201cThey were like, can\u2019t you just walk through some trees in Arkansas? But that was the point. I knew if I could do this, I could get the rest of my life together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Things got off to a rocky start. Her water reservoir sprung a leak on day one, and her low-cut shoes took on sand with every step. Then\u2014she hit the creek.<\/p>\n

\"waves<\/p>\n

\u201cI was starting to think I made a mistake\u201d she says. \u201cThen one of the other girls walked up to encourage me. We started talking about life and I realized, we\u2019re all here for a purpose. I\u2019m here because I wanted to push myself. I knew this wouldn\u2019t be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night she borrowed some dry gear and dozed off listening to the soft breaths of the Pacific. When she woke, the energy of the group buzzed through camp like thick shots of espresso. She smiled, scarfed down a hot breakfast served up by one of the guides, and set off for another 14 miles.<\/p>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

With tired lungs and legs she drew strength from the dramatic scenes unfolding around her. She recalls miles of sun-dappled beaches and towering bluffs streaked with coastal hues of twilight.<\/p>\n

But her favorite memories are the conversations with other hikers. By the end of the fourth day, there was even a pact\u2014if Prashanthi gets married in the next couple years, the rest of the group promised to join her in India.<\/p>\n

That camaraderie left a lasting impression. In the year since, she\u2019s organized group hiking trips, embarked on her first technical rock climb, and spent two days rafting rivers in Colorado.<\/p>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

\u201cThat trip changed my life,\u201d she says. \u201cAt one point I remember looking out at nothing but blue ocean and sky, wondering what I could possibly learn by walking on sand. I guess I got my answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prashanthi Koutha was shivering. Two days into her first backpacking trip she yard-saled into a creek crossing. Her pack was soaked. Her clothes were wet. Her phone\u2014toast. \u201cI remember thinking, I had enough problems in my life. Why the hell was I doing this again?\u201d But there was a reason. After moving 8,000 miles from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":34484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387,388],"tags":[726,8,680,12,651,728],"internal-tag":[493,1673,1684],"class_list":["post-11929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","category-travel","tag-force-of-nature","tag-hike","tag-multicultural","tag-travel","tag-women","tag-women-stories","internal-tag-adam-setzer","internal-tag-pre-redirect-hike","internal-tag-pre-redirect-travel"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/travel\/lessons-from-a-lost-coast","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Lessons from a Lost Coast","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/lessons-from-a-lost-coast","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/lessons-from-a-lost-coast"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/05\/lost-coast.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/05\/lost-coast.jpg?fit=1100%2C619"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["force of nature","hike","multicultural","travel","women","women stories"],"dateCreated":"2017-05-22T13:00:31Z","datePublished":"2017-05-22T13:00:31Z","dateModified":"2025-01-21T22:10:24Z"},"rendered":"