There are a-lot of blogs out there on where to hike and inspiration of beautiful photo galleries to jot down on that never ending list you have. It's why many of you read my blog and while I have many of those on here, I wanted to share why I love hiking and how it changed my life.
I'm sure there are many reasons people get into hiking: it's great for your well being, it's mostly a free recreational sport (except the thousands of dollars of gear you need once you really dive in lol.) and for a lot of us it's our therapy. I started hiking in gosh, what's it been? Almost ten years! I was in a few relationships before I met my now husband. I actually remember getting an overnight backpack from an ex-boyfriend and thought when the hell will I use this. To give you an idea of who I used to be - my weekends were basically filled with dinner dates, getting dressed to the nines, I wore probably 5 pounds of makeup on my face and thought the idea of fun was going downtown Nanaimo for a drink. Don't we all in our young twenties? Maybe you skipped that phase in your life, or maybe you were just like me and when people kept letting you down - you thought you needed something for just yourself. Something you could do on your own and something that would challenge you.
Hiking is that for me, it's feeling brave on the trails alone, it's being able to drive somehere you've never been before. It's navigating yourself on trails and getting as far away from people as possible. Being happy with just yourself and knowing you are capable of simply "being"out there. The thought of where I am now, if someone would have told me back then "You are going to climb LITERAL mountains one day." I would have not ever believed you. I was in such a different world back then. Thought the world owed me something when in-fact it didn't owe me shit. I had to get off my ass and create my own damn happiness.
That's excatly what I did - I just got off my ass bought a pack and started downloading apps like AllTrails and learning how to read a topo map. I started off by knocking off all of the pavement trailheads with my Toyota Matrix. God I loved that car, I even slept in it. RIP little blue. I found new friends, you know the ones who didn't want to get shitfaced every weekend and didn't have hangovers on a Saturday & Sunday. We were this little trio, I have fond memories with these two. They ignited my soul to explore beyond those paved roads. We went everywhere, sadly all great things must end. So Alyssa, you're back on your own. Time to carve your own path and be the leader you are today. I stopped relying on others completely to show me around this island and really started to learn even more maps, downloaded every single app there was to find new trails, read every blog possible on what to pack, what LNT meant and more. I was determined to find things on my own that were equally as cool and venturous as my old crew.
I decided I didn't need anyone to help me find cool places, I was going to find them all on my own. So I did, I can basically determine a place in a matter of hours now. It's a gift, or maybe all that research paid off. People always ask me how I find things and I always say "Well I spent most of my Saturday night with a glass of wine, zooming in on Google Earth and wondering what logging road I need to get onto to approach this mountain. Oh interesting there is a canyon here that appears to have a waterfall, wonder what that is all about." I got pretty damn tired of asking the fellow Instagrammer's "WHERE IS THIS" and they would reply "You'll figure it out." Thanks that's literally no help but I can appreciate it now as I never would have taken it into my own hands, had they just given the location up. Now that I've done the whole micro influencer bullshit (no offence, if you are, I'm just over it) I can appreciate why they didn't tell me and to many god damn people don't know what the hell they are doing out there lol (true). So I can respect that it has shaped me - into the determined person I am to figure it out myself today. Plus the reward of finding a place on your own is something unmatched. Knowing I have bush-whacked without much to go by to some places THAT - even my old crew had never been able to get to, honestly was so fucking amazing. It taught me I can do anything I put my mind too. It's pretty liberating for someone who relied on a person my whole life, considering I am a twin and I have been co-dependant since the beginning of time. (Ya'll I'm surviving the apocolypse, if we ever have one.)
I want this blog to inspire you that you can do anything you put your mind to as well. If you think you can't you can. We can all do hard things. I saw during my Golden Hinde trip two older men who were out there and probably in their early seventies. That is where I willl be or at least hope to be at that age. It was very inspiring to see that.
You see the mountains teach me something every single time, that no matter what your problems are - it doesn't mean anything out here. That mountain will show you exactly who you are. If you are not thinking straight, they will show you that life is precious and I think that's why I love the challenge. I have been through some pretty heavy shit and way too many heartbreaks to realize that's why I love to push myself and feel that adrenline. I'd rather feel this than anything else. Having a bad day? Hike it out. I am currently going through some type of situation break up and the only thing I can think about is getting out and climbing a god damn mountain. My friend recently told me "You just need to climb a mountain to get over it." He is damn right, that's where I will be this summer, is out there - getting stronger than ever and feeling the most alive. I love the rush, I love seeing the rocks, the beautiful sunrises and be reminded that life is so beautiful, it's just how we view it.
The trees, the mountains - they will always be there for me when nobody else might not. I can always rely on mother nature. In my life, I've been judged, been doubted as a woman out here and so many other things. I THRIVE out here, and guess what? I'm really fucking good at hiking and climbing. I don't know half the things about climbing but I know the basics and one day I'm going to have more time, to learn & climb even more mountains. I dream about it almost everyday, and you know why I'm good? Because I am determined, whenever it gets hard - I think about everyone and everything that has ever done me wrong and that right there ignites me, is my motivation, my fuel and why I keep going. Because when I get up there - I overcame my demons in the most healthiest way possible.
So enough about that, if you've ever hiked with me and see I'm in the zone - that's why. I'm fighting my own battles and fueling my body with the best endorphines I've ever felt. There is nothing like coming out of a 4-5 day grueling backpack trip and feeling like you just conquered something you thought was not ever going to happen. It's why I got the Golden Hinde tattooed on my arm to remind me, never stop believing in yourself. That trip was written on my bucket list way before I got into hiking and I actually laughed at the thought of me doing something like that. I had a client of mine ask me that summer before I did that traverse say, "why would you want to do that?" Because I can. Here I am now, doing things I'd never even dream of. It's a monument of something I did to challenge myself. Your bucket list doesn't have to be extreme but I challenge you to write something down on yours and try to achieve it. You'll feel so damn good. I believe in you and you should go for it. We don't have much time.
I'm out hiking or chasing waterfalls on most of my days off, being outside is truly my happy place and I'm so grateful to have built the community I have to insipire others to do the same. I come back to real life feeling rejuevenated and not pissed off at the world. Being out there I don't have my phone to doom-scroll and the signal is off. Completely unplugged and that is slowly becoming a thing of the past. I love that I can be out in nature and all of my friends and I are just enjoying one another's company and really connecting. So maybe this will answer some of the questions of "why are you always hiking." It's healing me, it's my safe place even when it's not. I feel safer out there than anywhere else. This world is absolutely insane and I feel calm out there. I'd say I trust the bears more than actual people. I want to forever frolic in green forests, swim in blue turquoise waters, watch a pretty sunset up top a summit, drink coffee in the mountain air and talk about how the small things in life are the best and not gossip about whatever the hell people talk about in a bar. (however if we've ever talked in a bar, it's been actually pretty funny and we laugh a-lot about dumb shit.)
So get out there, get into your car and just drive. Take the scenic route, book the flight and go explore that trail. You never know where you'll end up. Life is full of suprises and one grand adventure is waiting for you.
"Because finding yourself is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning and excavation, a remembering of who you were before the world got its hands on you." -Emily McDowell
See you on the trails and thanks so much for reading. If you've gotten this far, I appreciate you and your loyalty to me is everything.
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