We All Hike On

This past weekend I led 28 women on a gorgeous riverfront hike near my home in the Hudson Valley, alongside my dear friend Cindy, who runs a site called Recla.ma, that aims to get WOC into nature. It was the very first day retreat I have led, and I was so psyched, and honestly nervous, when it sold out. I prepared like a girl scout, practicing the hike, and prepping my first-aid kit for any worst case scenarios.. And then the night before, I found out there was a brush fire on the exact trail we were to hike.. and it would be closed. (The fire has since been contained. 🙏🏼) We had two options: cancel hike, OR hustle to find another nearby, breathtaking, train accessible trail that could accommodate our big group. We hustled. A big part of me wanted to cancel. But, I knew I’d be disappointing many busy women who had carved out precious time for themselves, and I didn’t want my very first retreat to go down like this. Life had thrown me a curveball... and I wanted to throw that MF right back. We stayed up late notifying group of new plans, and the next morning I woke up early to do a practice hike, and then it was go time! And the day.. was magical: the weather was beautiful, the group of women were brave and vulnerable, and we held deep, sacred space for each other.

The theme of the hike was “groundedness.” And that day I TRULY learned we don’t root down into nature and our “self care” practices to avoid challenges. We root down because setbacks are inevitable, shit is gonna happen. But the more grounded we are, the less likely we’ll get knocked off balance, and the easier it is to find our way back home. When we set out to do something new, something scary, something we long dreamed of, stuff will probably go wrong, lead us off trail. That’s not what matters. The question is do we give up or do we hike on? I say HIKE ON, my friends!

What obstacles have you overcome on your path to fulfilling your dreams? LMK in the comments section below!