ABOUT

People always are shocked that I hike alone. I am not sure if that is because I am a woman or if that is because I am a small woman or the combination. For full disclosure, I am 4 foot 10 inches tall and generally weigh in at 105 pounds. But I love climbing up on mountains, doing distance hiking, spending the night alone without luxuries like a tent. I always do this solo, just with my dogs. I refuse to take a cell phone, a GPS or any communication or tracking device. I refuse to tell anyone where I am going. My theory is that it won't be a true adventure if I am not all on my own. I only need God to know where I am. That is true faith. That is mustard seed faith. 

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Since 2020 my dog NovaLeigh and I have been hiking and backpacking together. Her and I can pretty much do anything on the trail and don't even need to speak to communicate. She knows what I want and need from her and is hiking perfection in a dog body.

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But then in 2022 a Wolf named JosieLynne joined us. She was 6 months old at that time …. and a bit of a mess. She was not housebroken, had extreme anxiety centered around humans and had no training or socialization what so ever. She is Arctic Wolf mixed with Alaskan Husky (these are the dogs bred specifically to do the Iditarod.) It is not an understatement to say that Josie loves and adores snow more than anything in the world. Adding Josie to our hiking team was quite an adjustment for both Nova and I!! Nobody really plans on a wolf as a hiking partner; at least I did not.

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We love finding adventure on the trail! As I look back, I remember some of the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets of my life, the hardest river crossings (deep fords across extremely fast flowing cold rivers of milky glacial melt), wild storms that made me question everything in life, some very, very close encounters with hunters, the most wild animal interactions, wild fires, once again eating my weight in huckleberries only to discover that my second bought of covid had stolen my sense of taste (the word disappointing does not describe that moment), several bucket list hikes, swimming in mountain lakes, and overall hikes with deep intentions to experience special circumstances and more of God.

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For me, each year just gets better and better as we hike together. Of course some of this comes from growing in experience in the woods and mountains….honing my skills, senses and instincts to a place I honestly didn’t think possible. Some of this comes from honing in on the best gear and combo of gear for any situation. Some of this comes from honing my body and more importantly my mind to handle anything that comes my way. I faced fear head on with courage and determination. But most of what makes each hike unforgettable is a deeper walk with God. I listen to Him on what hikes to take and He directs my path. He lights that path at my feet on fire and boy do we laugh and have a good time!! I hope that you will read and enjoy this blog about our hikes and see some very photogenic girls enjoying themselves on the trail!