Just Try
Soooo, I turned 51 in August and my body isn’t moving quite as easily as it used to. When I started on my journey in July of 2024 I had 2 big goals: 1. See as many beautiful places and National Parks as possible. 2. Improve my ability to hike.
Knowing that I was going to start this journey I decided in 2021 that I needed to get my physical health under control. I started exercising regularly and eating much healthier. I lost quite a bit of weight and improved all my blood levels. But, hiking wasn’t part of this new exercise routine. You see I am from South Florida and hiking is not something we have access to, other than walking in the sand on the beach. We don’t have inclines and rarely even use stairs so hiking was a newer experience for me and a big challenge.
When I started hiking I was really bad at it, like really, really bad. My leg strength was not great and my endurance, especially at higher altitudes was crap. In addition to my physical limits I was also struggling with some of personal fear. Things like bears and hiking alone terrified me.
Because of all of these things, my first few months of hiking were really frustrating. I felt like I was missing out on opportunities during my travels because my mind and body couldn’t keep up. So, I decided to change my perspective. Instead of the goal being to finish the hike, my goal became to do more than I did the last time. So, in Acadia National Park that meant trying a trail labeled moderate/hard that had a ton of rock scrambling. I made 1/4 of the way down the trail and scrambled over a bunch of rocks by myself. That was a huge win for me.
“Effort is the real measure of success not achievement.”
In Smokey Mountain National Park, that meant hiking to Kuwohi at 6600 feet of elevation straight uphill. This trail was sooo hard for me at the time, and I was embarrassed that I had to stop and rest so much. I felt like everyone was looking at me and judging me which is just crazy. No one really cares about what I’m doing or is even paying attention to me. They are worried about their lives. So I kept my head down, focused on myself, and made it to the top.
In Grand Teton National Park it meant hiking by myself down a trail known for grizzly bears until I couldn’t handle my own fear anymore. I pushed my discomfort to the max, and then said good job and turned around.
In a culture where perfection is the standard, I choose to say effort and progress are the actual win. Every time I try a difficult hike and every time I step out of my comfort zone it’s a huge win. A win for myself.
“In a culture where perfection is the standard, I choose to say effort and progress are the actual win.”
And the best part is that it’s working. I hiked 7 miles at 6000 feet of elevation a few weeks ago without any problem. I rock scrambled on my hands and knees without pain and without fear. Showing up for myself teaches my brain that I capable and my body that we can do hard things. So, my middle aged lady advice for you is just try it and know that effort is the real measure of success not achievement.
And in case no one has told you lately, You Are Enough!
Heather
