Meet the Slow Hiker

How I Got Here

In 2024 I moved from the beaches of Southern California to the mountains of Northern California, what a change! Gone are the sunsets on the horizon with all the cotton candy shades of pink and purple and orange peeking through the marine layer. They were replaced by rivers and streams and more green than I have seen in decades. When 2025 arrived, I decided to do a little traveling, expanding my adventures to the Arizona desert, the mountains of Alaska, and beyond.

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Originally from Michigan, the scent of pine trees and sound of the water trickling in the streams took me right back Up North. I have fond memories of cookouts over the campfire at the church cabin in the woods, walking through Hartwick Pines as my dad and brother-in-law carry my girls on their shoulders, and many Friday afternoons spent on the beach with my sister and step-mother. I have to admit, I'm craving a campfire, s'mores and a Red Pop right about now. Even with those fond memories, ​I am a city girl at heart. I'm used to being surrounded by lots of people, I have quite a few years under my belt, I could stand to lose a few pounds, I'm out of shape, and, even at my leanest, I have never liked cardio. But I LOVE nature. I will stop under a tree in the middle of downtown to admire the contrast of the leaves and branches against the blue sky. I'll pause to compare the different types of bark on similar trees. My kids were bored out of their minds by my discussion of the fact that water is forceful enough to have created the Grand Canyon. And just about every day for the past four years, my girls and I would stop what we were doing to see the sun paint a picture as it set over the Pacific. I am a Nature Nerd and I am proud of it.   

​With so many different climates in this country of ours, and such variety in geography, the hiking options are limitless, so I decided to explore. In one quick search I have a list with more trails to check out than I could possibly visit...but I'm going to try. And I'm going to do it my way, by stopping to enjoy the view, to thank Mother Nature, to look up at the sky peeking down, to catch my breath...I'm still hiking, I'm just Hiking Slowly.

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