I sit in a motel room in Cle Elum with my sister and granddaughter, Cupcake, and our dog Zillah. Down the hall in a room of their own are Andrea and Evie. Zillah is snoring contentedly away on the bed next to Heidi, who is working on her own blog, while 7-year old Cupcake slumbers next to me. In the relaxing quiet of the evening, I can't help but reflect back on my year.
This year I accepted a 52-hike challenge. The goal is to get people outside once a week. It sounds easy - until you consider I live in an area where it rains. A lot. Historically more a 'fair weather' hiker, I forced myself to go outside and play in the rain. As my mother assured me on more than one occasion, I wasn't going to melt. Covering my 52 hikes led me on an adventure where I explored 32 new trails and hiked 58 in total. I climbed up 13 mountains, taking me to four new summits. I left bootprints on 339 miles of trail, and ascended 68,703 feet of elevation. The majority of these miles where shared with friends, many who were new to hiking. Introducing them to the pastime and watching them grow was one of the highlights of my year.
2016 also took me on a multi-day trek into the Buckhorn Wilderness of the Olympics, where I faced new challenges and pushed my body's endurance. This trip revealed areas of strength I don't always see within myself, and pointed out some weaknesses I need to work on. It was quality time spent with my sister, whom I treasure more than she will ever know (or that I'm likely to openly admit). The trip was made more special by sharing it with friends Evie and Holly.
August saw me ascend to the top of Mount St Helens for the third time. Standing on the rim of the crater with my sister was a memorable event. As I stared down into the crater, I was astonished how much the dome has grown since I first looked down on it four years ago. I was humbled, as always, at the amazing forces of nature at work. Seeing her recover from such a devastating event as her 1980 eruption, restructuring and re-growing, serves as a reminder that, no matter what life throws at me, I can do the same. We are connected, St Helens and I. She humbles me. It was also on this trip that I stumbled on some loose scree and fell a few feet down the boulder field. I was fortunate that my sister was there with me - between the two of our cool heads and combined first aid kits, we were able to calmly patch me up and get me safely off the mountain.
I love sharing my love of nature, the outdoors and hiking. This year, for her seventh birthday, I took Cupcake on her first overnight pack trip. When you find yourself taking life for granted, look at it through the eyes of a child. The ordinary and mundane become fascinating and exciting. Run. Laugh. Play. Get sand in your butt-crack. Take off your shoes and bury your feet in sand, wriggle your toes in the mud. Splash in puddles. Poke the anemones. We only get one life - we should enjoy every minute of it.
Life isn't spent looking in the rearview mirror, so I turned my focus forward to 2017. I am excited about my plans for the new year. My goals for the year include:
- Accomplish the 52-hike challenge for a second year
- Meet a trail mileage goal of 500 miles
- Explore and play, learn, expand my knowledge of the outdoors
- Continue helping people reconnect with themselves and the natural world through hiking
- Spend more time sleeping under the stars
- Backpack a portion of the John Muir Trail through Yosemite with my sister
and, lastly... - Live.
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