About Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita is a Milton Hershey School student, tured 8 1/2 year wounded OIF/OEF veteran who grew tired of the system and became a  wandering, ultramarathon running, couch surfing, river guiding, salsa, bachata, Zumba, Masala Bhangra Workout, and body movements instructor.  She speaks Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and English (on occasion), and generally has an abnormal hair color.

She’s been to 14 countries, taught salsa in 7 of them as well as ran races in 7 of them.

Upon her ETS from the Army, she sold/gave away the majority of her worldy possessions in order to focus on what truly mattered…her happiness.  She moved into the back of her Rav4 and drove to Haines, Alaska to become a river guide for Chilkat Guides LTD on the largest bald eagle preserve in the world! She moved into a cabin with no electricity and no plumbing and connected with a war torn self with the ocean as a backyard.  She engaged in much introspection. She returned there for the three summers after her service ended, simply loving herself and nature.

Haines is where she met her soulmate, her (quite sexy) river guide instructor, Mr. John Binger.  They’ve lived, laughed, loved, and danced together officially since October 2011, unofficially since July 2011.

Epic roadtrips.

Epic Adventures.

Unemployed more often than not and remembering to enjoy life, Hurricane Rita is a huge supporter of doing what makes YOU happy when YOU want to do it.

In October 2012, she went on an adventure. From it, she brought home a brain eating parasite.  It resulted in six separate ER trips over 3 weeks before being admitted to the hospital for six weeks.  She nearly died. She went from easy 20 mile runs to barely being able to flex her feet. Her neurologist was doubting her ability to walk again. Her colon was shut down. Her bladder as well. In her first lumbar puncture her glucose levels were deathly low. Below deathly low.

Released from the hospital on her Dirty Thirty Birthday, Hurricane Rita is on a mission of recovery.

 

3 1/2 grueling months of work later, and she’s teaching Zumba, Masala Bhangra, and salsa again!

She’s technically on her 14th life.

Cats would envy!