Hiking began as a young girl when my parents would take my sister and I on hikes in “the gorge” by our house and camping for vacation during the summer.  My first backpacking trip was in elementary school for one night in the Adirondacks.  As the dark closed in, we curled up in the tent, this horrible screaming started and we could hear animals scurrying about while we were trying to go to sleep.  Talk about terrifying for a young kid.  When the sun finally came up we awoke to find that raccoons had found our eggs hidden in the river and destroyed them all!  Note to self for future trips –  do NOT hide food in the river!!

In high school my family moved to Washington and my dad would take us hiking up at Mt. Rainier National Park.  It was something that was okay but it always seemed harder for me than everyone else so I never considered it as something that I would enjoy.

Fast forward to after college and wow did I change!  I started walking a lot after work and looking at my dad’s pictures of him hiking and climbing thinking if he can do that so can I!  Gradually my workouts went from walks to run/walks and then runs.  While sitting in traffic looking at the YMCA every day I decided to join and started working out more consistently.  Saturdays I started to explore the outdoors hiking and snowshoeing.  Dad would give me ideas of where to go.  During this process I fell in love with snowshoeing and loved being out in the snow.  After taking an intro to snowshoeing at REI it was off to buy some gear and get outside.  I caught the bug and couldn’t stop from there.  It went from snowshoeing and hiking to climbing Mt Adams and several other major Washington Mountains. 

As life changes so does my hiking and climbing.  Now my son and I enjoy exploring every chance we get.  Our new theme is “adventure is everywhere.” Even easy hikes, exploring local parks, and the zoo.  It takes a bit more planning and patience but always worth the work!  In reality we need to get out because it bonds us together, fresh air gives a new perspective on life, and it is good for the soul. Follow our journey as we figure it out day by day!

Hopefully you can find some inspiration here and feel free to ask questions!