Everyone said the White Mountains would clear my head. I believed them—packed my boots, mapped the trail, told myself the summit would mean something. But halfway up Lafayette, sweat stinging my eyes, I realized I was chasing silence, not scenery. The view was good, sure. But I kept thinking about the texts I hadn’t answered, the job I’d left hanging, the version of myself I thought I’d find at the top. At the summit, the wind was loud and cold. I took a photo I never posted. I looked out and felt small, but not in the way I wanted. Sometimes you climb a mountain and come down with the same questions you started with. #Travel #SoloHikingTruth #MountainsAndMind