Hiker at Heart: A Year of Adventures, 2015

As 2015 is drawing to a close, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the last year and think about the opportunities, adventures and accomplishments I have been blessed with.

This year, I started my Hiker at Heart blog as a means to connect with people over a common interest, to re-live my adventures in a creative way, spread my love for exploring and encourage people to get outdoors.  But most importantly, I wanted to show my fellow adventurers, that even if your job or life’s obligations are overwhelming, IT CAN BE POSSIBLE to find opportunities to fulfill your dreams for adventure.  I share these photos of my 2015 adventures to illustrate (literally) that although I may have a full time job that requires me to work half my weekends a year and most of the days in-between, I’ve been able to use every opportunity granted to find my way into the great outdoors. I have managed to clock almost an entire month (yes you read that right) of nights spent under the stars.  By taking a weekend here or a week of vacation away there, I have been able to visit some old favorites and explore new places and trails. This year I completed my first long distance hike, my first solo backpacking trip and taken more adventures than I had dreamed I could do in a year.  I’ve pushed my limits and gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the mean time.  I’ve checked off a bunch of items from my bucket list (but added a hundred more in the mean time).  I’ve been able to convince friends, family, my boyfriend (and our new pup) to go on these sometimes nutty but worthwhile adventures with me and made new friends along the way.

Half of the battle of getting out there is knowing where to go or what to do. So I hope that over the last year, I have been able to share some great opportunities near you that you may not have known about, and helped encourage you to get outside.  Whether you have 1 month, 1 week, or 1 day, there is always an opportunity to take an adventure and enjoy the benefits that being out in nature will bring you.  As I always say, “adventure is out there, you just need to know where to find it.”

Thank you for sharing these adventures with me over the last year and  thank you all for an amazing 2015.  Here is to a New Year filled with more adventures than the last.

Zion Narrows

Height of the Rockies Provincial Park, Alberta

Hoist Lakes, MI

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Path of the Gods, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Algonquin Provincial Park

NCT, Jordon River Pathway, MI

Xel-Ha, Mexico

Banff National Park

Empire Bluff, MI

Red River Gorge, KY

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Manistee River, MI

AT, Blood Mountain, Georgia

Dominican Republic