Hike 9 | I was free of the soul sucking sadness that comes with stepping on the scale and watching the number climb or trying on everything in my closet before determining that nothing will hide my pregnant looking belly. I was free.
Read MoreBeing Lost (in Life) isn't the Worst Thing
Hike 8 | You know when you suggest a hike to a group of friends who you’ve never really hiked with before – and then you realize that you don’t really know where you’re going? Yeah. That was this hike. But it’s also pretty much my whole life.
Read MoreTaking a Break and Falling in Love at Brohm Lake
Hike 7 | Part way through this hike – it was a slow amble at best, I had to cut it short. I told Stu that it wouldn’t count, that it wasn’t long enough, I hadn’t achieved enough, it wasn’t. . . enough.
Read More7 Things I Learned at Baker Lake
Hike 6 | Even though we were disappointed to miss out on completing the whole Skoki Loop, the smoke did clear enough for us to spend two days on it. I learned a few things on this hike - from the practical to the ridiculous - and here there are!
Read MorePrairie View Trail to Jewell Pass
Hike 5 | Expectations can be both motivating and devastating. No matter how much we try not to anticipate something, try not to get too excited, or try not to think about what the future holds, we can still find ourselves completely disappointed when our Tinder date spends the night talking about his mom – or in this case when wildfires threaten to cancel your hike.
Read MoreMulti-Day Hike Packing List
Below is a look at what I've packed for a multi-day hike of the Skoki Loop. This is by no means a minimalist hiking list. I've carefully balanced comfort and weight while planning out what I would take.
Read MoreAl Habrich's Trail: A Cautionary Tale About Hiking with PMS
Hike 4 | I have always hesitated to mention PMS in any of my writing because it’s a bit of a polarizing topic. Some doctors don’t believe in it. Men don’t get it. Some women have it, some claim they don’t have it, and well, there isn’t another category there. I land in the category of women who get it – and get it in an exceptionally bad way.
Read MoreThe Three Sisters with the Whole Family
Hike 3 | We set out from Nitinat on Saturday for a day hike; thirteen of my cousins and aunties and three dogs in all. My family has been hiking on the West Coast for the last five generations and even though it was previously out of necessity, I can’t help but think that it’s in our blood to explore.
Read MoreReflections at Brew Lake
Hike 2 | Our drive to the trailhead for Brew Lake was a bit like a live action version of the Telltale Heart. Being a Poe fan, you would think that I would have thoroughly enjoyed a game of ‘what’s making the knocking sound in my truck?’ But by the time we got home, we would have pulled apart everything that could possibly have been loose, only to discover that it was the bike rack. . .
Read MoreI Survived Wedgemount Lake
Hike 1 | Monday wasn’t an auspicious day or an anniversary of any kind – it was just the day I decided that I would complete 40 hikes over the next 16 months. For the last nearly five years I have struggled with my health. I have dealt with depression, exhaustion, and digestive issues that have left me feeling powerless over my body. As a result, I decided to make a goal that allowed me to have some control over my physical wellbeing (and as a by-product, my mental wellbeing also).
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