2019 52 Hike Challenge

🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔

I can’t believe it’s 2020 already...but here we are! 2019 was a HUGE year for me and based on what I accomplished last year, I’ve set some goals that I’m really excited about for 2020. But before we get into ALL that madness, I thought I’d start this off by doing a quick recap of my journey to get here followed by a list of my 2019 hiking accomplishments for future reference.

Last year I set my focus on becoming a happier and healthier person, because in 2017 and 2018 I wasn’t doing a great job at either. Rewind back to the start of 2017, I had just wrapped up my common law divorce (as fun as it sounds), had to find a new house, was working full time in a job I wasn’t challenged by, and was taking care of a toddler nearly full time. I was doing *okay* with all of this for a while until I decided to start dating, because that’s a good idea when you’re stretchedfar too thin and have three free nights every two weeks. Oops. I became involved in an extremely toxic relationship and I feel involving myself in that this on top of all the other stress I was under (and an unknown sesame allergy 🤦🏼‍♀️) played a large part in triggering the onset of my autoimmune disease.

2018 was a blur. I lost a LOT of weight. I made unhealthy choices. I drank way too much. I was broke. I focused on the wrong things. I was stressed all the damn time. I didn’t know what I was doing and felt hopeless and alone, despite being surrounded by people nearly all the time. There’s a lot more to the story, but on New Years Eve of 2018 I quite literally left it ALL behind. I drove my happy ass home from Beaver Creek around 8:30pm and decided I needed to change. A lot.

At the time, I didn’t know it, but A BIG part of my journey in 2019 would involve completing the 52 hike challenge. I can’t tell you why or even when last year I decided to do this, but I’m so grateful I did (and plan to do it again this year). As corny as this sounds, nature healed me in a lot of ways which I’ll talk more about later. Even if hiking isn’t for you, I highly encourage anyone who doesn’t take time for themselves in some way to find something and JUST DO IT (mediation, running, knitting...whatever!). It’s worth it and you deserve it, because if you’re like me, you spend a lot of your time focused on others.

I did a relatively poor job tracking mileage and elevation last year as I was brand-spanking new to hiking, so I’ve included what is listed on AllTrails. But, without further ado or rambling, here it is, my 2019 hiking list:

1. Saint Mary’s Glacier (1.9 miles, 807ft)

2. Tent Rocks Slot Canyon and Cave Loop (3.1 miles, 839ft)

3. Bandier National Monument, Frey Trail (3.1 miles, 603ft)

4. Staunton, Elk Falls and Chimney Rock (11.6 miles, 2139ft)

5. The Manitou Incline (3.6 miles, 1922ft)

6. Alderfer Three Sisters Trail (6.7 miles, 1200ft)

7. Mount Falcon, Castle Trail (8.7 miles, 1916ft)

8. Curt Gowdy, Cow Creek to Hidden Falls (3.6 miles, 354 feet)

9. North Cheyenne Cañon, Seven Bridges Trail (3.7 miles, 1033ft)

10. Golden Gate Canyon, Beaver Trail (3.4 miles, 925ft)

11. Eldora Canyon, Fowler Trail (4 miles, 433ft)

12. Mount Sanitas and Sanitas Valley Loop (3.2 miles, 1256ft)

13. Green Mountain Trail (6.4 miles, 1010ft)

14. Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges (1.7 miles, 347ft)

15. Arenal 1968 Volcano Trail (2.9 miles, 570ft)

16. La Fortunata Waterfall (1.6 miles, 157ft)

17. Bogarin Trail (1.2 miles, NA)

18. Rio Celeste Trail (3.4 miles, 715 feet)

19. Mount Galbraith Loop via Cedar Gulch Trail (4 miles, 928 feet)

20. Chicago Lakes (9.1 miles, 2142ft)

21. Hells Hole (7.9 miles, 1912ft)

22. Chavez Trail and Beaver Brook (5.1 miles, 1105ft)

23. Continental Divide Trail near Twin Lakes (approximately 5 miles, unknown)

24. Mount Bierstadt (6.8 miles, 2719ft)

25. Loch Lomond and Upper Lakes (6.8 miles, 1475ft)

26. Hanging Lake Trail (3 miles, 1135ft)

27. Crater Lake Trail (3.8 miles, 692ft)

28. Blue Lakes Waterfall (1.1 miles, 82ft)

29. South Valley Park, Coyote Song and Prairie Falcon Loop (1.3 miles, 127ft)

30. Herman Gulch (6.3 miles, 1755ft)

31. Lost Lake via Hessie Trail (4.1 miles, 869ft)

32. High line Canal Trail (2 miles, NA)

33. Red Rock Canyon, Red Rock Rim Trail to Greenlee (5.4 miles, 849ft)

34. North Cheyenne Cañon, Lower Columbine Trail (2.2 miles, 308ft)

35. Florissant Fossil Beds, Boulder Creek (2.9 miles, 328ft)

36. Mount Falcon, Parmalee Loop (3 miles, 554 feet)

37. Booth Falls (3.9 miles, 1358ft)

38. Lake Isabelle (8.6 miles, 987ft)

39. Apex Trail to Enchanted Forrest (3.5 miles, 784ft)

40. Loch Lomond (4.6 miles, 895ft)

41. Red Rocks and Morrison Slide Trail (3 miles, 679ft)

42. Island Lake via Ice Lake (6.9 miles, 2670ft)

43. Lily Pad Lake (3.3 miles, 396ft)

44. Golden Gate Canyon, Horseshoe Trail to Frazer Meadow (3.8 miles, 944ft)

45. Abyss Trail to Helms Lake (11.7 miles, 2404ft)

46. Devils Head Lookout (2.5 miles, 885ft)

47. Red Rocks Trading Post (1.5 miles, 357ft)

48. Berthoud Pass backcountry (5 miles, unknown)

49. Roxborough, South Rim, Willow Creek, & Fountain Valley (5.7 miles, 777ft)

50. St. Mary’s Glacier Round 2

51. Bluebird, Royal Arch, Flatiron, Bluebell-Baird and Meadow Loop (2.4 miles, 734ft)

52. Sky Pond (8.1 miles, 1765ft)

53. Reynolds Ranch, Eagle’s View (4.2 miles, 1082ft)

54. Pence Park, Independence Mountain ( 2.3 miles, 761ft)

55. Winter Park backcountry (2.5 miles, unknown)

56. Chief Mountain (3.1 miles, 984ft)

57. Corwina Park, Panorama Point (2.9 miles, 649ft)

#hiking #shehikes #colorado #selfcare #52hikechallenge #staywild