In my twenties, I set a goal for myself to travel as much as possible, and I feel really good about the results. I just checked my tally, and I have made it to 40 states. Forty! All but Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii - and I'm betting I can knock at least 5 more of those off pretty soon, given my current locale. I visited London, England, Paris, France and Warsaw, Poland. I also lived in five states in my twenties - Ohio, New York, Missouri, North Carolina and Washington. These are not shoddy numbers, people.
My goal for my thirties is this - and it's inspired by a lot of my friends: Ceylan, who recently hiked the Inca Trail in Peru; Marianne, who is currently biking through Tuscany. My goal is to participate in active, adventurous travel. Not that the travel we've done has been lazy, oh no. We have put so many miles on our feet. But my goal for this decade is active travel. I want to bike through Europe. I want to hike through national parks like Yosemite and Redwood and Arches and the like. I want to use my body more to explore new and different things. I want to commune with nature, people! Plus, the more active you are, the more you can eat and drink, which is always a huge motivation for me. (And fitness, that too, yeah yeah...)
I've never been a big outdoorswoman, really. I love camping, and as a kid we did a lot of what I like to call "Pennsylvania-Style Camping." This is where you visit a mediocre Pennsylvania wilderness or recreation area (in our case Pymatuning State Park or, if we were feeling CRAZAY, the Shenango Wilderness Area) and you "camp out" - in a tent, yes, and with a campfire, yes, and with campfire-cooked foods, but with plenty of facilities and RVs around. I loved it. I always craved REAL camping adventures, and I had a few when I did my cross-country drive back in 2002 from St. Louis to the Grand Canyon. But I'd like to do more of it, and look where I live, dudes! The opportunity is ripe. I'm down with getting dirty, sleeping on the ground and roughing it a little, communing with nature, peeing outside, eating trail mix. Bring it on.
I've also never been a real hiker, per se. Once again, I'll take you back to my childhood, the bulk of which was spent in a pretty but uninteresting (geographically speaking) part of Western PA. "Hiking" meant we got in the car and drove over to Woodcock Dam, which is apparently now lovingly referred to as Woodcock Creek Lake, and "hiked" on the Orange Juice Springs Trail - which is apparently formally called the Bossard Nature Trail (why is adult life so much less fun?!) - or just went roller skatin' across the mile-long dam.
I'm not really knocking it - we had a good time camping at Pymatuning and roller skatin' at the dam. My parents made the most of where we lived, and they made sure we saw everything there was to see for miles around. They also took us on trips to see other things, like Yellowstone National Park. But what we did growing up in Ohio and PA and NY, it was not REAL camping and hiking. As an adult, I've slowly begun to foray into real hiking, but it's way hard, man. You need gear, and stamina and shit. Living in North Carolina, I got into really good shape and attempted several hikes with my husband, who is very, very into the sport, but found myself limited by season. I just couldn't stomach a hike on a 100 degree day. Could you?
So it occurs to me - in between trips to Glacier National Park and Tuscany, I can live this adventure in my own back yard. In case you haven't noticed, the Pacific Northwest has some mountains. Big ones.
Mt. Rainier, el. 14,411 ft
And they're close. Rainier, part of the Cascade Range, is just 80 miles from Seattle. The Cascades in Washington also include Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baxter and Glacier Peak (over 10,000 feet).
Olympic National Park, over the sound, is 84 miles away.
Olympic Mountain Range from Seattle
These are my favorite mountains. I love how they look rising over the Puget Sound.
Mt. Olympus, el. 7,965 ft.
I live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by amazing mountains - some of the best scenery the United States has to offer, really. And I sort of decided, I'm ready to hike. For realz. I recently suited up with some new hiking gear suitable to my climate - sturdy, waterproof boots; breathable, convertible hiking pants/shorts; breathable rain jacket; proper backpack for shorter hikes. I've been working hard in the gym. I'm ready to go. Now all I need is a goal - and I have one.
This August, when we spend a week in Maine, my brother and my husband are planning to hike Mt. Katahdin. And I'm going with them.
It's small by PacNW standards, but tall by what-Sarie-can-hike standards. The tallest mountain I've ever hiked was Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, at just under 6,000 feet. But by all accounts, Katahdin, the origination point of the Appalachian trail, is a much harder hike. Plus, it just might involve an overnight camping trip, depending on how we time it. And I've got 2 months to get ready. More than likely, Jay and I can get a hike in once a week leading up to the trip at the end of August. Think I can do it? Tips for preparation?
Let the adventures of my 30s begin!