February 2019 I aspired to achieve 52 hikes in 52 weeks. I’m a little behind and a little surprised. I’m surprised by how inspiring such a goal can be. I found that it focused me to achieve that weekly goal. To keep myself from downing in unachievemnent guilt, I built some gaurdrails based on the 52 Hike Challenge website where I borrowed the idea.

First I realize, given the area I reside in, that I cannot easily hike year round in the sense of just hiking on dry ground. So here are the rules I made for myself.

1. The hike cannot be a repeat of exactly the same trail done previously.

1. I count a sport trail (snowshoeing, cross country, downhill) as a hike.

1. I don’t have a prescribed length but general target for more than 2 miles.

With that in mind, I have been logging my hikes in my book to try to keep true to my goals.

So here’s my update.

It’s week 41 this week and I’ve documented 34 qualifying hikes. So I’m a little behind on my target at the moment. My shortest hike is 1/4 mile. My longest is 15 miles with a typical mileage of about 6 miles.

Next week starts my Camino Portuguese. The typical walk ranges between 10 to 13 days in length to complete. So I estimate by week 44 I’ll be on hike 44. It isn’t why I’m doing the Camino, but I’m happy I’ll be back on track!

Aspiration to realization is just one step at a time with some self forgiveness and a joyful step.