Warning lights appeared just as Jon and I were leaving the Wall for Sheep Mountain Trail—but that wasn’t the hardest part of this day.
As we explored the Badlands and headed into the Black Hills, severe storms were moving toward my family back home. I could feel the old pull toward anxiety, fear, and trying to control something hundreds of miles away.
This episode became a lesson in being responsive without surrendering the present. It is about slowing down, leaving camp on foot, reconnecting with a friend, exploring with the dogs, and realizing how much I had been missing by always rushing toward whatever came next.
PNW 2026 is a documentary journey about overland travel, healing, connection, and learning to be present wherever the road leads.
Featuring Charlie, Jon Tate, and Athena.
WEATHER COVERAGE
Max Velocity – Severe Weather Center:
https://www.youtube.com/@MaxVelocityWX
https://www.maxvelocitywx.com/
GEAR SEEN IN THIS EPISODE
Alu-Cab rooftop tent:
Neither Max Velocity nor Alu-Cab sponsored or endorsed this video. They are credited because their coverage or equipment appears naturally in the story.
CHAPTERS
0:00 What I Was Missing
0:21 Leaving the Wall
0:37 The Moment of Truth
1:25 Sheep Mountain Trail
2:15 Invited to Explore
2:55 The Overlook
3:53 Wall Drug
4:12 Storms Back Home
4:46 Learning to Let Go
5:50 Into the Cold Black Hills
7:15 A Colder, Slower Morning
7:57 Exploring Above Camp
9:18 What We’d Been Missing
10:58 Plans Change
11:17 Choosing Presence
If this story connected with you, tell me in the comments: What have you discovered by slowing down?
#HealingTrailsOverland #PNW2026 #OverlandTravel #Badlands #BlackHills
THE RIG
This journey is being filmed from my 2022 Ford Ranger overland build, equipped for extended travel, remote camping, and off-road exploration.
Key equipment includes:
• Dirtbox Overland bed-replacement tray and canopy
• Alu-Cab rooftop tent
• Dobinsons IMS suspension
• Alcan rear leaf springs and sway bar
• ARB bumper, snorkel, and dual compressor
• Method Race Wheels with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tires
• KickAss 12V lithium power system
• Starlink and Midland GMRS communications
A complete build breakdown is coming separately.
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