The 52 Hike Challenge: Halfway There

We just completed hike #26 ! We are officially halfway through the 52 Hike Challenge we began in January and I thought it might be fun to give you, my faithful followers, an update.

To go along with our challenge, and to prepare for the writing I’m doing in tandem with the hikes, I’ve been reading Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. Though he beat me in publishing (his book was published in 1998 and was made into a movie in 2015,)our stories are very similar… except that Ed and I are not hiking in heavy backpacks, haven’t seen any bears, aren’t on the Appalachian Trail, haven’t hiked in snow or rain, aren’t sleeping outdoors and our longest hike has been 3.3 miles. OK, so not very similar, but here’s our version, to date, of a walk in the woods.

The idea for the challenge came to me on New Year’s Day. Too much food and late-night celebrations with the family left me tired and melancholy. The last of our kids and grandchildren had returned home, and we would soon be returning to Arizona. I always feel a mix of emotions during this time. Saying goodbye is never easy.

               Perhaps that’s why the Facebook ad attracted my attention:

The 52 Hike Challenge

A challenge where you gain physical fitness, mental well-being, make new friends, explore new places and connect with friends, family, and yourself through nature.

This sounded like a fun way to break out of our routine, get some exercise, spend time together, and find new trails, but would Ed go for it? Much to my surprise, he said yes.

So begins our adventure.

Unique Hikes

We began our challenge on January 6 by hiking the B-Line trail while we were in Bloomington Indiana, our holiday hometown, and have done 26 unique hikes–meaning someplace different each time. Since we live in Arizona, most of our hikes are desert terrain. We have enjoyed the opportunity to explore new trails in our area as well as visiting old favorites through new eyes. In addition, our hikes have taken us to the top of Mt. Lemmon, a sandhill crane observatory, state parks, botanical gardens, a zoo, the green hills of Southern Indiana, and the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Physical Fitness

This is one of the main reasons I suggested we start this challenge. Ed and I are in relatively good shape, but were looking for an opportunity to get outdoors and add some novelty to our weekly routine. What I like about this challenge is that you can start at any level. The guidelines simply state that a hike must be at least one mile long and be done outdoors. Most of our hikes have been between one an a half and two and a half miles. We would like to build on that, but are being challenged right now by the brutally hot weather here this summer.

Friends and Family

Our hikes have included family members visiting our home in the Southwest during February, and friends from my writer’s group. We’ve also met some interesting characters on our adventures, like the spry, silver-haired woman on a strenuous hike up the Tumamoc Hill in Tucson who was channeling her spirit animal ( a wolf) and passed us at a good clip. “Don’t worry hun, it’s not a competition,” she told me. Then there was a “wine-pourer” in Wilcox Arizona (Don’t call me a sommelier, he said). Dare I mention this hike ended at a winery and another one led to a brewery? For the record, I checked the official rules. Nothing forbids it.

Quilting the Hike

If you’ve been following me, you know that I am ‘quilting the hikes to add a creative element to commemorate our year. One triangle earned for each hike. Not sewn together yet, I’m waiting until all 52 are there to see what sort of pattern I’m inspired to make, but here’s a peek at what I have so far:

Halfway there and it’s been fun so far. Will we get creative and find ways to hike in the summer heat? Will we be hiking on our trip to Portugal and Spain this fall? Will we get in 26 more hikes before the year ends and will any future hikes end with wine? (or whines?) Stay tuned…