Rebecca and I have always had a lifelong passion for wild, remote areas that are far and away from other people. Not that we don’t like people (okay, Rebecca may like socializing a little more than I do), but when we feel like getting away from it all, we like to get as far away as possible and not see another person.
One day, not long ago, I was walking down a beautiful, remote beach in my home state of Florida and asked myself a simple question: Where is the remotest place in Florida? I figured it was somewhere in the Everglades because Everglades National Park was Florida’s largest designated conservation land…a place where humans would generally be absent.
But how does one define remote? If it could be defined, then is it possible to actually travel to this hypothetical place? I strongly believed that it was possible, and my excitement grew. These questions spurred a flurry of thought surrounding the idea of remoteness and the idea of going to Florida’s remotest location was born.
Seconds later another idea materialized in my head of multiplying this adventure by 50 and mounting expeditions to all the United States’ remote spots. My beach hike became a beach trot as I hurried home to share the idea with my colleague and cohort, who also happens to be my wife—Rebecca. She was equally excited about the prospect and together we set the plan into motion.