News from Jules | 09.22.2025 | Fall Forward
Stop and really watch the sunset.
For the past three months, each seemingly endless summer day has actually been getting shorter. As each day will continue to do until the shortest day of the year on Dec. 21. With the fall equinox today, Sept. 22, we are now moving from late summer into fall. For some, the season will last a gloriously colored three whole months. Where I currently live in the high desert of Oregon, it’s often just a few weeks before the leaves change, then fall, and the crisp days bring snow seemingly overnight.
Regardless, we are in the middle—halfway through the cycle of seasons.
For many years now, I start the new year on the Spring Equinox in March as one of many small ways to live in harmony with nature. I focus on a word for the next cycle of growth with the intention of mastery through deep exploration.
Presence is my word for this year.
Listen to this year’s PRESENCE playlist on Spotify.
This spring, I practiced everything I’ve learned about mindfulness and being present: Showing up for my friends and family, listening to my body, following my energy, and paying close attention to my surroundings. I was just scratching the surface. I sensed the purest kind of presence would be: No plans, no calendar, no To Do lists, less stuff and mementos, and even fewer goals, passions, and dreams. Still living life to the fullest, but one moment, day, week, season at a time. Living for now, not the future.
While working with my personal coach on our bi-weekly calls, I realized I was stressing myself out trying to continue writing a book, to add job and housing searches, while also making the most of summer and the mountaineering season. It was too much to try to do it all. The hectic spring had built up my stamina for abundance—being able to receive it and appreciate it—but coming into this summer, I actually wanted to do less so that I could really be here now.
I stopped writing the book. After working with a writing coach and making a lot of headway during the fall and winter, I realized that, unlike Substack, where I can write and edit, then immediately send and get feedback, I did not enjoy the complexity, perfectionism, and tediousness of concepting, outlining, editing, revising, rewriting, and never being done.
I paused the search. Even though I have barely been making ends meet, even though housemates at the duplex have been moving in and out like a revolving door, even though my gut knew this wasn’t sustainable, I would set the future aside until after Labor Day when I returned from my East Coast trip.
I focused on climbing, exploring, and traveling. Which, of course, was a lot by itself. Perhaps even three summers’ worth of adventures folded into one! Living life to the fullest, often being tired and something always hurting, yet miraculously not succumbing to any of the colds, flus, or COVID-19 going around, especially while working in retail.
For the first time in two years, I didn’t work on Fridays or Saturdays—or on Tuesdays for Sabbath—so I could be available for adventuring with my service industry and corporate friends. In between REI’s big, exhausting sales, there were many weeks when I was only scheduled for a couple of shifts. Sometimes, I picked up hours, but most weeks, I seized the summer and learned so much more about presence.
So this is everything I was up to when there wasn’t as much News from Jules in your inbox the past few months!
See beautiful photos and the story of each climb on Instagram.
After pre-season elevation training all spring and kicking off the summer by hiking the 30-mile Deschutes River Trail (DRT), it was now officially mountaineering season. I started watching the mountain weather forecast like a hawk for a good weather window. It’s a specific kind of presence: Only concentrating on the next climbing objective, one climb at a time. My recipe for success has been: Optimizing for ideal weather, being healthy and in good shape, picking strong climbing partners with the right skill sets and tons of stoke, effective packing and planning, attempting achievable peaks, and getting really lucky.
Within a week of the DRT, I was standing on the first (and probably hardest) summit of my four Cascade Mountain objectives for the season, including Three-Fingered Jack, Diamond Peak, Mount Bachelor, and Mount Washington. In between climbs, I juggled maintenance training and recovery, including Healing Flow yoga classes, bike commuting, and walking at work, plus taking a couple of weeks completely off—literally at sea level—while traveling on the East Coast. As the fates would have it, just a day after I returned, my climbing partner and I seized the window before an incoming storm front and made it to the top of my fourth and final objective. I love completion, so it has been deeply satisfying to succeed at all of these attempts. To do what I set out to do.
Four out of four: My most successful climbing season yet.
These were my favorite days of the summer. Every climb was special—amazing partners, gorgeous views, and so many unforgettable moments. After every summit, I was eager for the next one. I can’t do them justice in this recap. They are each their own story.
While the accomplishment of these peak experiences felt great, what felt amazing this year was the sense of community. For instance, having a huge pool of friends to train and climb with. REI co-workers asking each week: What’s next? and when customers wanted to know about conditions, sending them my way. Sharing gear and beta before a climb, then debriefing afterwards—in person, over the phone, via text or on Discord, Strava, and Instagram. What I already had in Portland, I finally had in Bend.
See fun photos from this summer on Instagram.
This was my third summer in Central Oregon, and I still had a surprisingly long bucket list of new places to explore, like downtown Redmond, just 20 minutes away, but I had only ever driven through, and things I hadn’t done yet, like my first rodeo. And so, I filled my days off with being a tourist—often solo and sometimes with local friends. I explored the Crooked River Roundup, Dee Observatory, the Redmond Caves, Petersen Rock Garden & Museum, Cline Falls, River Run Taproom (my new favorite!), the movie theater at McMenamin’s Old St. Francis School, and the Zip-line at Mt. Bachelor.
And, of course, all the Bend summer favorites: including a dawn dance party, floating the river, attending a concert at Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Fourth of July fireworks on Pilot Butte, playing with the kids at the fancy pool in Sunriver, slip-and-slide at Riverbend Park, soaking and sauna at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, picnics listening to concerts from the bluff, ocean rolls from Sparrow Bakery, book club in Drake Park, guiding river walks on the DRT, beers and foodcarts at the Barn in Sisters, the Bite in Tumalo, Bend Brewing, GoodLife Brewing, Silvermoon Brewing, Funky Fauna Artisan Ales, Crux Brewery, McMenamins Brewery, and I’m probably forgetting a few.
Plus, all the maintenance training hikes at Pilot Butte, Black Crater, Upper Chush Falls, Umbrella Falls & Sahale Falls, Angel’s Rest, Horizon Hill, Broken Hand, Riley Ranch Nature Preserve, and Lava Butte. Sometimes, even doing double-headers—yes, two hikes in one day—for the necessary mileage and elevation gain. All possible due to the surprisingly mild and short wildfire season, which I intentionally missed the worst of while traveling back East, allowing me to be outside so much more than the past two summers.
All the while, I was meeting even more new people here, while hanging out with my local friends, and seeing close friends passing through town, as well as visiting with so many long-time friends and family during my trips.
It was a reminder that it doesn’t matter if I’m traveling internationally or walking around my neighborhood; exploration amplifies my ability to be present. I can’t help it! What’s around this corner, I wonder? Oh wow, look at this!
See photos visiting family and friends on Instagram.
Since my climbs were intensive, all-day adventures that only lasted four days of the summer, and my exploring was squeezed into days off, there was still plenty of time to travel to visit my family and favorite places. I spent a day with my Spiritual Director at Breitenbush Hot Springs, a day at Mount Hood, a weekend in the Columbia River Gorge with my immediate family, as well as celebrating our 30th anniversary with my high school best friend, and a few days visiting another best friend’s Mom in Yachats at the Central Oregon Coast before I flew back East for two weeks to see extended family and friends in Denver, Washington D.C., Boston, Cape Cod and Charlotte, plus visit Charleston for my birthday.
In Yachats, my favorite town on the Central Oregon Coast, where I’ve stayed half a dozen times or more, I visited my favorite grotto. From an obscure pull-off, there is a tiny trail down to a clearing within a sacred circle of trees with log benches and a statue of an indigenous woman in the middle surrounded by hundreds of offerings—dreamcatchers, knick-knacks, beaded necklaces, cups, shells, trophies, and so much more. As I kneeled before her and prayed for strength, clarity, and presence before my trip East, I realized I didn’t bring anything; I had nothing to offer in return for her blessing. Or did I?
There was a singing bowl filled with bracelets, and so I took off the beaded PRESENCE bracelet that I made for myself on retreat in March, set it in the bowl, and walked away. It felt counterintuitive. To let go of the very thing I was seeking to understand and master. And yet, a few days into my whirlwind trip of seeing 33 people in 8 places in 16 days, I noticed an unexpected sense of peace and clarity.
Yes, I took two weeks off work, but I wasn’t sitting in a cabana by the pool with a Mai Tai in the stereotypical, privileged vision of “vacation.” And yet, I was living the purest kind of presence: No plans, no calendar, no To Do lists, little stuff, and few mementos. Living one moment, one day, one flight at a time.
I could focus all of my attention on the people and places that I rarely see and had traveled so far to connect with and to be with, while they are all healthy and alive—especially my elderly relatives. It didn’t matter whether we saw eye-to-eye on politics, prioritized the same core values, or had any shared interests. Our common ground was our shared history, our bond, and love. This was why I came. I no longer questioned or doubted my ambitious trip, especially when I’m living so lean. I knew it was the right thing to do this summer.
While spending time with my people, I also savored exploring new breweries in Denver and Boston; playing at the playground in D.C. and braiding my friend’s daughter’s hair for the first day of school in Wellesley, Mass.; visiting art galleries in D.C., Rock Hill and Charleston, S.C.; seeing the Mayflower replica and walking the G.R.A.C.E. trail in Plymouth; enjoying one of the best lobster rolls on the Cape at Sesuit Harbor Cafe, an over-priced resort beer at Chatham Bars Inn, and an ice cream cone at Sundae School; bringing flowers to my uncle’s grave; helping my aunts hang their artwork in their homes and studio; playing at the apple orchards and a favorite nature preserve with my cousins; walking around Charleston’s French Quarter; sunbathing on the South Carolina coast, and so much more.
And as soon as I returned from the East Coast after Labor Day, the Universe held me to my promise. My job and housing search picked up like clockwork, and things are quickly falling into place for a fresh start this fall.
“Even with the abundant harvest list, we still feel less pressure in the fall than we do in the spring and summer months. There is a calm in the air, and those heavy feelings that we’ve been carrying around in our chests all year begin to lift,” wrote Parkdale, Ore., farmer and blogger Andrea Bemis in her seasonal cookbook, Dishing Up the Dirt.
The calm that comes as the sun starts to set, and we know rest is near.
The awe when we stop and really watch the sun set.
When we stop and are alive with what’s alive around us.
So that we might fall forward, not back.
May you be present this week.
Love,
Jules
P.S. Since I’m not a travel blogger, and there would be 100+ links above, please search for any place you’re curious to know more about in your favorite browser, or comment below, and I’ll reply with a link! 🤓
As always, your writing is so inspirational and touching. What a summer, what presence! :)