inspiration

I took quite the hiatus from writing; however, I have been hiking, breathing, and discovering.

2012 in a glance:

My royal mutt, Laddie, and I section-hiked the Sheandoah.  It took us about 4 months, lots of car rentals, numerous weekend backpacking trips, but we made it.  Almost every weekend beginning in June, Laddie and I backpacked, one mile at a time with an attempt to cover about 15-20 miles a day.  During these quiet moments, I had the opporunity of discovering my personal interests, stengths, and weaknesses.  The hills were my struggle, the rivers were my freedom, and the valleys were my comfort.

During these solo hikes, I began to ponder the need to socialize, and break the comfort of living inside my personal bubble.  I joined several hiking clubs over the past few months, and started discovering new mountain ranges, state parks, national parks, and unknown trails with like-minded people that enjoy nature.  Since joining these clubs, I have participated in over a dozen, and was asked to be a hike leader.  I will be leading my first hike with the Capital Hiking Club at the end of January, which brings me happiness to share my knowlege and love of nature with others.

I have come to deeply and profoundly appreciate the need for a work-life balance, and have found hiking to be liberating, enjoyable, challenging, and stunning.  That being said, here is to 2013.  A year in which I will focus on being positive while hiking upward toward internal peace.

Photos from Shenandoah: