The 52 Hike Challenge Archives - Seams Like a Story

September 4, 2025September 3, 2025

Quilting the 52 Hike Challenge

a quilt commemorating my 52 Hike Challenge

The idea came to me on New Year’s Day, 2024 when I saw a social media post for 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.“

The program encouraged one hike a week (described as any walk outdoors for a mile or more) for 52 weeks. After conferring with husband Ed, I signed us up. The challenge was on!

The inspiration…

As a writer, I planned to track my hikes through journaling, but wanted a visual record as well. What if I sewed something? A quilt or small wall hanging? I could use a color or pattern for each type of hike, or maybe select a fabric to represent each experience. The pattern would be random, patchwork, but yes! This could work!

The plan…

Full disclosure: I’m a sewist, but not a quilter. I would need some help. I called on a friend , who just happens to be a quilter and a mathematician. Over lunch, she drew a series of squares and measurements on a scrap of paper while we ate our sandwiches:

“Triangles make an interesting pattern. Let’s see… 52 triangles would make 26 squares. If you added two accent squares you could do a small quilt with 7 columns and 4 rows. It would make a nice wall hanging.”

Yikes. Lots of math but I had a plan.

The Fabric

At the Cactus Quilt Shop in Tucson, I spent a glorious morning picking out fabric. With a color scheme in mind—desert hues of rust, gold, umber, sage, with splashes of turquoise—I filled my basket with bits of prints and solids, sunbursts and tiny cacti, abstract lines and dots. I couldn’t resist buying a fat quarter (a pre-cut quarter yard) of whimsical black fabric with wild suns, and lizards. For accent borders and backing material, I purchased two yards of cotton in a rich shade of cinnamon.

Measure twice, cut once

A rule for carpenters, it works for quilters as well. Back at my friends house, I measured and cut the fabric into 4.5 inch squares, then cut them diagonally into triangles. Interior border strips were cut in 1.5 inch widths, outer border in 2.5 inch strips. I also decided to add accent squares in a neutral beige leaf pattern. I cut these in 1.5 inch squares.

Construction

At the completion of every 2 hikes, I used my machine to sew a pair of triangles together (using a quarter-inch seam) to make a square. As our hiking year progressed, it was satisfying to see the patterns of squares and triangles emerge. To make the math come out even, I made two additional squares using the “badge” I’d earned from the 52 Hike Challenge, and a small embroidery piece I stitched up from a kit. Once we had completed all 52 hikes ( no small task, mind you and that’s a story for another day), I laid the squares out in various configurations with the borders and accent squares until I found the design I wanted, then began to stitch the quit top together. With the help of a YouTube video, I assembled the finished top, batting, and backing using the “envelope method.”

Finishing touches

sewing a button on the 52 Hike Challenge Quilt

To finish the quilt, I top-stitched the edges of the border with my sewing machine. Since this was a small project, I decided to “tie” the quilt by sewing a vintage button onto each accent square.

Ta-da!

I’m happy with how the quilt turned out! I have a few ideas on where to display it in my home. We’ll see where it wants to live. But wherever it ends up, it will be a beautiful reminder of the year we hiked.

More to the story?

As I stitched my quilt together, I was also piecing together the stories that each hike had to tell. Like the hikes themselves, this work is taking me to unexpected places. A third book? Hmmm…

Threads of Thought

Let’s get creative! Sewing, knitting, painting, writing? In what ways have you , or could you imagine yourself, interpreting a life event?

author holding two books, Until Italy and Out of the Crayon Box

Read on! My first two books Until Italy: a Traveler’s Memoir and Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement, and Life are available in paperback, eBook, and Kindle Unlimited. Click here!

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025

The 2024, 52 Hike Challenge: Trail’s End

holding up the 52 hike Challenge Badge with a cactus backdrop

In a January,2024 blog post I wrote:

Christmas was over, the kids and granddaughters were on their way home. Post-holiday lethargy had set in and I was mindlessly scrolling through my phone when an ad for the 52 Hike Challenge caught my attention. I thought it might be a fun way for my husband and I to get out of our routine, get some fresh air and exercise, and spend time together.“Hey, would you like for me to sign us up for this?” I showed the ad to Ed. “Sure, why not?”

Ed and Deb, wearing winter gear get ready for hike #1

Why not? So, on January 6, 2024 , a cold and frosty morning, we bundled up for hike #1/52 along the B-Line trail in our hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.

One Year Later

Ed and Deb cross the finish line of the 5K walk

On January 1, 2025 we crossed the finish line of the Hot Cocoa 5k run/walk in Oro Valley, Arizona, with our family cheering us on. We had completed the 2024 52 Hike challenge!

During the year, with only a few repeat hikes, we walked on 44 different trails and covered a total of 104.6 miles in three states and three countries. We walked through woods, along rivers, lakes, and ponds, through many dusty desert trails, up hills and mountain tops, and underground caverns. Our urban hikes took us to botanical gardens and zoos.

While traveling in Spain and Portugal on our 50th wedding anniversary trip, we logged many miles on sightseeing tours through Lisbon, Seville, and Barcelona. (Now that I think of it…this could have been a “50 hikes for fifty years of marriage event” –plus two extra hikes!)

Along the way, we enjoyed hiking with friends and family and even made a few new friends on the trail. We pushed ourselves, and learned our limits. Favorite hikes? Experiences? Lessons learned? Meditations along the way? Yeah, it’s all in my hiking journal.

You knew I’d be keeping a journal, right? Raw material for book #3? Possibly. The wheels are turning…

Quilting the Hikes

Along with my journal, I wanted a creative way to document the hikes, so I’m making a quilt/wall hanging. One triangle for each hike. Right now, it’s in pieces, the triangles sewn into squares waiting to be stitched together. Seams like a story in action. Watch this space for updates on my progress!

Threads of Thought

Thanks for following along this year. You may be wondering…Would she do it again? Would she repeat the challenge in 2025? Hmmm. I think I need to process my 2024 accomplishment first. But the bigger question…will you join the 2025 challenge? https://www.52hikechallenge.com/

News Flash!

UNTIL ITLAY: A TRAVELER’S MEMOIR was recently listed in the Arizona Daily Star’s top ten memorable books by local authors in 2024! One of ten “noteworthy titles that made a lasting impression on the reviewers.” You can get your copy here!

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

To get a copy of Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement and Life, or my latest release Until Italy: A Traveler’s Memoir click here!

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!

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