I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time now as I’ve received comments, emails, texts, and Facebook messages saying how I’ve “inspired” some of you.  Wow – that is incredibly flattering to think I’ve inspired anyone but, at the same time, it’s the entire purpose of this website.  I hope that reading about this hike does inspire you to get outside and have some fun, perhaps push your boundaries and comfort levels, or try a completely new activity.

Mom was telling us a story over lunch about how she was out doing some of the smaller, day hiking in the parks in Sequoia National Forest.  The one hike in particular involved some elevation gains and she was recounting how, in order to propel herself up this climb, she specifically envisioned Firefox and I.  She thought about how we had hiked (or would be hiking) past 600 miles and all of the climbing through the mountainous terrain we’ve been doing:  there was no way she could give up getting up her “little” climb.  And so she hiked on.  She was able to pull inspiration from us to reach her goal and she was so proud of herself (as she should be!).  I thought that was pretty cool.

Inspiration can come in many forms and although I had never intended for MY actions to be the source of that inspiration, perhaps me hiking the PCT is for some of you.  My intention was to showcase other people doing super cool things, promoting Awesome Active Women (I’m so sorry I couldn’t get more done prior to the hike!), and sharing videos of other women to show us all that, if you want, you can do super cool things too.  And that MAY mean running a sweet, new rapid or hitting an awesome jump but it can equally mean putting on your running shoes and going for a slow jog around the block.

I sure don’t expect too many people to read this blog and decide to take up long distance hiking!  Upon reflection of your comments, what I DO hope for is that I can take some of that fear you may have of backpacking away, shed some of the mystery, and perhaps you’ll try backpacking for the first time or attempt a slightly longer/harder trail.

I’d love to know if hiking the PCT has helped to inspire your outdoor pursuits.  Please leave me a comment here or email me on my Contact Page.  Perhaps I can feature you as an Awesome Active Woman upon completion – I want to hear your stories!