Meet Josh Murphy

We were lucky to catch up with Josh Murphy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Purpose was something I lacked for most of my life. I grew up in a small rural town and was extremely overweight, clocking in at over 446 pounds at my highest recorded body weight. I never thought I would become healthy, and I never thought I would leave my small town. After a series of achieving goals over the course of several years, I lost 200 pounds so I could achieve a lifelong dream of military service. Military service was my driving purpose: to serve something beyond myself and help people who need it.

My military service was extremely short-lived, as a pre-existing medical condition rearing its head resulted in a swift involuntary medical separation. After that, I found myself without purpose again and lost more in life than ever before. Through pure chance, I discovered the existence of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile trail system running north to south along the American Pacific West mountain ranges. I decided that hiking thru-hiking that trail was a way for me to use my story to inspire others by showing them you can go from 446 pounds and hopelessly out of shape to walking across the United States.

Throughout hiking for nearly 6 months straight across some of the most pristine nature imaginable, I discovered myself and a new appreciation for life. I found a purpose in pushing myself to new limits to inspire others to fight through their own struggles. Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail also introduced me to the severity of wildfires in the modern age, and the following summer, I began my career as a wildland firefighter in Washington State. This career gives me purpose in doing something necessary for the greater good and serving something beyond myself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My camera is always with me throughout my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and even when I’m fighting wildfires. Before I embarked on a weight loss journey that led me to where I am today, photography was my first passion as both a creative outlet and a career to aspire to. I have worked in various capacities for many years, from photographing weddings to working on remote location shoots for outdoor companies. Still, my true love of the craft lies in photojournalistic or documentary-style work. My favorite projects in recent years have been documenting my backcountry adventures, travels abroad while living in East Asia, and day-to-day operations on wildland fire assignments.

The juxtaposition between professional creativity and the raw physical nature of wildland firefighting is unique. Wildland firefighting means your summer is consumed by campaigns against wildfires across the American West. Assignments can last up to 3 weeks, with a few days off between. As a wildland firefighter, you exist on the periphery of conventional society. During fire season, you spend more time at a remote fire camp or sleeping on the ground than with friends and family. It is a job that requires all of you and gives you little in return within the confines of the ever-expanding season. It’s the kind of job that, when you look at it from afar, you wonder why anyone would want to do it. Still, when you’re in the thick of it, you embrace the suffering and experience moments you will remember as some of the most important of your life, with men and women who become brothers and sisters. What the job lacks in good pay or benefits, it’s made up for with sunsets and a clear conscience. And if you’re designated “crew historian,” as I have been, you capture some of the most raw and authentic imagery a visual artist could hope to.

Losing over 200 pounds, walking across the United States, fighting wildfires, and living abroad to train in martial arts have all led to a story worth telling, and I’m currently writing a book that tells that story. The book starts from my humble beginnings in the forgotten lower class of rural Pennsylvania, where binge eating and intoxication were the only things that made me happy. It chronicles overcoming physical and mental health struggles that have led to a life of adventure but at the price of physical and psychological suffering along the way. The book will show others what they are capable of and that it is possible to change the outcome of your future. In addition to writing my book, I have conducted live speaking events where I tell my story. Few things are more rewarding than hearing from participants long afterward about how my story inspired them to reach a goal or live a fuller life.

My focus as a visual artist has primarily shifted to personal projects. Seasonal Wildland Firefighting allows me to travel uninhibited throughout the fall and winter. My current focus, creative or otherwise, is on expanding my worldview and connecting with people of all nationalities, faiths, and backgrounds as I travel the world between fire seasons.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

First and foremost, Embracing Discomfort: At the start of my journey to lose over 200 pounds, I had to drastically shift from a sedentary lifestyle where I ate and drank whatever I wanted. I sought comfort at every chance I could. To fix that, I needed to get uncomfortable and get used to it. Discomfort is something we naturally avoid, but nothing worth achieving will happen inside our comfort zone. Once I stopped viewing discomfort as a negative thing and a means to achieve change, I embraced it, which changed my life. When I began to feel uncomfortable, whether from physical exercise or being nervous about being in a gym as someone severely overweight, I reminded myself, “This is where most people quit,” and it fueled my positive transformation.

Setting Small Attainable Goals: From developing a healthier lifestyle to walking across America and even writing a memoir, starting small was my most sustainable method of reaching goals. Biting off more than one can chew will lead to burnout and frustration more often than not. If I said I would run 5 miles and lift weights daily when I started working out at 446 pounds, I would have crashed and burned. Being able to hike for 6 months straight meant starting with small mileage days and slowly acclimating to the desert heat.

It’s OK to Be Wrong: It’s okay not to have all the answers. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t set aside my ego at various points and viewed things through someone else’s lens, especially those more knowledgeable. The line between independence and stubbornness is often blurred.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for ways to spread my message and help others. I would love to do more speaking events, especially for groups that need to hear a real-life story of positivity and personal growth.

I would also love to work creatively with brands or organizations in the outdoor space. Whether that be recreation, conservation, or work on projects that help spread awareness of and expand access to public lands in the US and beyond.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joshmurphyimaging.com/
• Instagram: @ill_walktheearth

Image Credits

All photos taken by me, self-portraits via tripod and timer