Hiking

I started hiking on a regular basis in early 2019, after my mother was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. Spending time out in the natural world was the only thing that helped take the edge off the anger and sadness that seemed to follow me everywhere.

It was slow going at first. Although I loved hiking and being outside, after years of working desk jobs I wasn’t in great shape. It took an entire year of hiking semi-flat local trails and small mountains before I was fit enough to attempt hiking anything taller than 3,000 feet or longer than five or six miles.

In July 2021, my husband and I finished hiking all forty-eight of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers. Since then, we’ve hiked those mountains numerous times, in all four seasons. We’ve also hiked many other mountains in New Hampshire as well as mountains in the Massachusetts Berkshires, Vermont, Maine, and Quebec. We make an effort to hike in the mountains a few times a month. When we’re unable to make the trip up north, we hit one of our favorite local trails.

If you’re ever hiking in the mountains of New England and see me on the trail, please stop and say hello.

ENP