The 52 Hike Challenge Archives - Seams Like a Story

December 2, 2024December 2, 2024

The Day After Friendsgiving

Hike 44/52

a Thanksgiving plaque that reads "Gather here with grateful hearts

Ed opened the paper and announced the weather as he does each morning: 50 degrees in Atlanta, 27 in Chicago, 29 in Indianapolis, 30 in Grand Rapids, 73 in Tucson. We won the temperature wars here in Tucson, unless you like cold weather. Some do. I’m not judging.

The cities he called out are significant. These are the places where our family–children, grandchildren, and siblings–live. It’s a morning ritual that, in some small way helps us feel connected.

It was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the day when, traditionally, shoppers get out to hunt for Christmas bargains, or browse for deals online. But not us. Instead of Black Friday, we searched for Blue Skies as we set out for hike #44.

We were on the Mariposa Trail in Oracle State Park. Mariposa, the Spanish word for butterfly, is also the name of a desert lily, a deep-orange, three petaled flower that graces the trail in the spring if the temperatures and rainfall are just right.

We hiked along, our boots crunching on the dry, gravely trail. I looked up for birds–ravens and hawks that often soar high and effortlessly on the thermals, but instead, people were flying! Three distinct stripes of white headed east across the turquois sky. Friends and family, no doubt returning home after the Thanksgiving holiday.

My heart ached, just a little, feeling sorry for myself that I hadn’t hosted the family as I had done in years past….when we lived in Indiana…when our kids were young, and our parents were still with us. Traditions change, families grow and scatter, new members join the family, and others leave precious memories.

One year, the first year after Ed and I moved to Arizona, I cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. It was a lot of work, too much food, and what I realized, it’s not about the food, it’s about the company. For the past several years, we have been inviting friends over for dinner on Thanksgiving. We have found that we aren’t the only ones missing family on that day. We call it Friendsgiving and it fills my heart with joy.

So, these past few days, Ed and I have been eating leftovers from Friendsgiving: Mediterranean beef stew and mashed potatoes, ( No turkey. Ed makes one of his signature dishes each year for Friendsgiving) and the salad, bread and cheesecake that friends brought.

I am thankful my family members had wonderful gatherings in Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Grand Rapids, and I am blessed with friends to share a meal with in here Tucson.

I was thinking this as we finished our hike ( number 44 out of 52!) and my heart was full.

… And in just a few days, Friendsgiving leftovers will be gone and I’ll be putting up the Christmas tree and adding all the leaves to the dining room table. You see, my kids and grandkids, will all be here for Christmas!

(By the way…we are trying to finish our 52 Hike Challenge by the end of the year. 8 hikes to go! Can we do it?! I’ll keep you posted!)

Threads of Thought

How have your holiday traditions changed over the years? What do you look forward to the most?

author sitting a a table behind her books at a book fair

My holiday signing events are “in the books!” If you missed out, you still have a chance to order before Christmas. Both books are available in paperback, eBook and free on Kindle Unlimited! Find them here!

August 12, 2024August 12, 2024

Kartchner Caverns

Exploring the world beneath our feet

a picture of a hiking shoe on a desert trail

We limit our world to what can be seen…the ground we stand on, the sky above us, and all that lies in between. Did you ever stop to think about a world we don’t often experience? The world beneath our feet?

Hike #27 on our 52 Hike Challenge takes us to Kartchner Caverns State Park about an hour’s drive from Tucson.

The history of Kartchner Caverns

Imagine walking along the limestone hills of the Whetstone Mountains in Arizona, you come across a sinkhole. Could it be? You squeeze into the narrow slit in the earth and discover what you have been seeking for years…a cave! This is what happened to two University of Arizona students Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts in 1974.

For 14 years they kept the discovery to themselves, mapping and exploring in secret. Realizing that secrecy alone would not protect the cave from vandalism, litter, and theft, they set the wheels in motion for the state to purchase the property from the Kartchner family in order to develop the cave as a state park. Kartchner Caverns State Park was officially opened in 1999.

The sign at Kartchner Caverns State Park

A Visit to Kartchner Caverns

For our visit, we didn’t have to wiggle through a sinkhole; we followed our guide through a set of sealed, stainless-steel doors and walked under misters at the entrance to preserve the 99 percent humidity of the caverns. I have no pictures of the inside of the cave, as visitors may carry nothing inside including phones, food, or water bottles.

Unlike Randy and Gary, we didn’t crawl on our bellies guided by headlamps. Instead, we walked upright along paved pathways with guardrails and amber lighting that our guide controlled. At one point in the tour, he turned off the lights plunging us into total darkness.

“Cave-dark is unlike any darkness you have experienced,” he said. “It is the total absence of light. Your eyes will never adjust, you can never see your hand in font of your face.”

It was unnerving as I lost my sense of sight, and we stood in total silence except for…

“Listen.” our guide continued. “Do you hear it? Water dripping. This is the heartbeat of the cave–how we know it’s alive.”

He turned the light’s back on to reveal one of the cave’s famous residents, a slender, twelve foot long soda straw formation. A droplet of water glistened at its tip, lengthening the straw one miniscule bit at a time.

Our tour culminated in the Throne Room, a breathtaking cavern where a 58-foot high column named Kubla Kahn reigns. We sat on stone benches while soft music played and a light show highlighted one spectacular formation after another.

I was enveloped in a sense of calm and peace, sheltered in this underground sanctuary that was unconcerned with the world above where life flies at us so fast we struggle to keep up or make sense of it all.

Here, in this place, change occurs over eons. Patience in a drip. A heartbeat.

At the end of our 90 minute tour the steel doors closed behind us, sealing the cave once more. We are, after all, above-ground creatures who need sunshine and fresh air.

Yet, the world beneath our feet has much to teach us.

Threads of Thought

In 1969, Neil Armstrong put the first footprints on the moon, exploring the world above us.

In 1974, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts put the first footprints on the mud floor of Kartchner Caverns, exploring the world beneath our feet.

2 Books, Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life...and Until Italy: A traveler's memoir

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July 29, 2024July 28, 2024

The 52 Hike Challenge: Halfway There

a man walking down a wooded path — A Walk in the Woods ( June 21, Mt. Lemmon )

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.

a woman and man hiking in winter clothes — January 6, A cold morning in Bloomington, IN

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.

a woman standing on the shore of Lake Michigan — June 11, Enjoying the Chicago Lakeshore

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.

two long shadows on a desert trail — July 7,Long shadows cast on an early morning desert hike.

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:

a patchwork quilt — 26 triangles earned…halfway there!

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…

Threads of thought

What are your favorite walks or hikes?

Make up a chant or cheer to keep us going in the comments below !

Planning a summer trip? Be sure to bring along a good book or two!

Find these titles here

June 17, 2024June 17, 2024

Saguaro Blooms

Hike #19 of the 52 Hike Challenge

Late May to early June is Saguaro blooming season and hike 19/52 of our yearlong hike challenge took Ed and I to Saguaro National Park East in Tucson Arizona. At 7am we gathered at the Broadway Trailhead to meet Ranger Don, the park’s resident biologist, and a small group of visitors who had gathered for a nature hike.

photographing Saguaro Blooms — I helped photograph the Saguaro blooms from a bird’s eye view.

Having lived in the area for ten years, Ed and I thought we knew a lot about these iconic cacti, guardians of the Sonoran Desert, but we learned a lot from Ranger Dan. Here are some fun facts:

Flower buds will first appear on the east facing side of the cactus to take advantage of the warmth of the sunrise in early spring, then move in a counter-clockwise ring at the growing tips as the blooming season progresses.
The waxy-white flowers open at night and begin to whither during the day—each bloom only lasts 24 hours.
The cup-shaped blooms are filled with nectar, enticing bats, birds, and many insects to aid in pollination.
Saguaros can live to be 150-175 years, yet are slow growers and have a better chance of surviving to adulthood if they grow in the shelter of a nurse tree (usually a Palo Verde or Mesquite). As the Saguaro grows, it doesn’t kill the tree, but simply outlives it.
According to Ranger Dan, a stressed or diseased saguaro will put its energy into survival and may not bloom.

Take this guy for instance…stressed, diseased, filled with way too many woodpecker holes…and yet Saguaros are resilient creatures. Look closely. It’s growing new arms and…

it’s blooming!

Against all odds, it’s BLOOMING! A small gesture in the middle of a desert perhaps, yet I can’t help feeling there’s hope for the world. Find your way to bloom!

Threads of Thought:

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”-Mahatma Gandhi

The 52 Hike Challenge: Memorial

Hike 17

52 Hike challenge mural yellow sun, cactus

Memorial Day. In the strictest sense, it’s a day to honor those in the military who died in service to our country. After visiting the Christina-Taylor Green memorial park in Tucson Arizona for hike #17 of our 52 Hike Challenge, I would like to broaden that definition.

Christina-Taylor’s life was book-ended by tragedy. She was born on 9-11-2001, the date of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. The signage at the park states that “From a very early age she was aware of the significance of her birth date, which in turn inspired her interest in politics.” She was a lively, creative child who loved to dance, sing, and take part in sports. Her butterfly drawings and paintings were memorable.

52 hike challenge Christina-Taylor Green Park Sign

The plaque goes on to say, “Sadly, Christina-Tayor Green was taken from her family on January, 2011 in Tucson Arizona.”

On that day, 9-year-old Christina-Taylor went with a family friend to see US Representative Gabrielle Giffords speak at a shopping center in Tucson. Christina was one of six people killed as a gunman fired into the crowd in an attempt to assassinate Representative Giffords.

The Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Park was dedicated in 2017 and is located close to the Green’s home and where Christiana and her brother used to play. As we wandered through this tribute, references to the butterflies she loved so much were seen in the murals, butterfly garden, and a large sculpture modeled after one of her last paintings.

The park is next to the Tucson Loop Trail, 137 miles of biking and pedestrian paths that connect the wider Tucson area. After visiting the memorial, I walked quietly along the Loop for a mile or so and back, trying to make sense of the tragedies that framed Christina’s life. I could not. I cling to the message of hope on one of the park’s beautiful mosaics. “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”

Walkers, joggers and cyclists were making good use of the Loop trail, enjoying the cool desert morning as they passed by Christina’s park. I wondered if they were aware of this quiet stop along the trail, or of the child it memorializes.

Life goes on for some. For others, we are left with a memory.

Threads of Thought

Debra VanDeventer is the author of two books: Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life and Until Italy: A Traveler’s Memoir available HERE.