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On paper, my longest hike of the season looked perfect: 18 miles, 5,000 feet of elevation gain, and a creative route I had cobbled together for my Mountaineers CHS-2 graduation students. The plan was ambitious but manageable — a true capstone hike, ending the season with pride. In reality, we faced wildfire smoke in the air. High winds that forced us to turn back short of one of our destinations. And a leader (me) who forgot two-thirds of her food in the car. And yet, it turned into my most memorable, proudest hike of the year. Not despite the obstacles, but because of them.

Desire: Why We Begin

For graduation, students in the Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series (CHS) need a hike between 17–20 miles and 3,500–5,000 feet of gain. I wanted to give them a solid, safe challenge that would also be fun. So I stitched together a route from the Granite Lakes Connector Trail up to Thompson Point, then down to Thompson Lake, and finally across to Granite Lakes. Three destinations, one big adventure, all within easy reach of Seattle.

My desire for that Tuesday was simple: safety, fun, and connection. I wanted my group to finish strong, with smiles at the trailhead and the satisfaction of meeting the graduation criteria. Underneath that goal was my deeper mission: helping people not only survive but thrive in the mountains.

The Obstacles Arrive

The first curveball hit before we reached the trailhead when I pulled over at a gas station so we could use the rest room. The smell of faint wildfire smoke had us checking Windy.com to learn that the winds would be shifting around 10 a.m. and we should have better air quality. The second arrived at minute twenty-three into the hike. As dawn gave way to gray light, I realized most of my carefully packed food was still back in the car.

I had that sinking feeling of, oh no, now I have to go back. But leaving the group leaderless wasn’t an option. I did a quick inventory of what I had on hand: an orange, a mango bar, a protein shake, extra electrolytes for my water, and a bag of chips. Enough to survive, but nowhere near my usual spread. And not enough for 18 miles.

So I made a choice — stay, joke about it, and let the day play out. My students immediately reassured me they’d share, and it turned into a running gag that lightened the day. Instead of embarrassment, I modeled something more important: leaders are human, mistakes happen, and sometimes those mistakes end up being the best teachers.

Mighty Winds

Obstacle three was the wind itself. When we reached the ridge above Thompson Lake, the gusts were strong enough to make me stare up at the dancing boughs, wondering whether any of them were about to topple down on us. Safety always comes first. I gathered everyone together for a “teaching moment.”

One student asked what I was concerned about. Another shared that she was nervous about ME being nervous, and a third turned the question on me, as the leader: What did I feel was right? With a deep breath, I told them I thought we should call that our “second summit” and spend time at Granite Lake swimming, instead.

When one student pointedly asked when THE REST of them were going to stop for lunch, I sheepishly conceded. Oh, right. So we stopped for 20 minutes at the junction between Thompson Point and Thompson Lake and refueled. It was absolutely the right call, but it was not easy to disappoint people who’d been looking forward to reaching that specific destination.

And, of course, on any hike past fifteen miles, fatigue creeps in. Aching feet, slower paces. But those challenges felt normal, part of the expected wear and tear of a big day out. What surprised me was this group kept getting faster and faster. We did the last 5 miles at a 3.2 mph pace. Blistering on an 18-mile hike.

From “Oh No” to Gratitude

That first “oh no” moment of leaving my food behind could have set the tone for failure. Instead, it became a thread of humor, resilience, and generosity that wove through the day.

By the time we returned to the cars, sharing cold drinks, banana chips, and gluten-free macaroons, I was filled with gratitude: for my students, who had cheered me on and shared snacks; for the quiet trail we had nearly to ourselves; and for Mother Nature, who had given us both challenges and blessings.

The moment I knew this was the hike came at Granite Lake. One of my most frequent hiking partners — disappointed at missing Thompson Lake — cajoled me into joining her and another student for a refreshing swim two-thirds of the way across the lake. As we laughed and splashed in the chilly water, a great blue heron soared to the shore directly in front of us. For me, it was a sign from Spirit that every decision I had made that day was the right one. Gratitude welled up: I could feel Spirit affirming that even imperfect days are filled with perfection.

Desire vs. Obstacles

Lately, I’ve been listening to Tama Kieves, who speaks often about the tension between desire and obstacles. Her message is that obstacles aren’t failures; they’re the very curriculum we need to receive what we long for.

That truth was alive on this hike. My desire at the start was to get everyone safely to the summit and back. By the end, it had expanded into something richer: creating nurturing community. The obstacles gave me teaching moments I couldn’t have scripted — how to improvise when things go wrong, how to honor safety over summit fever, how to laugh at ourselves, and how to trust our intuition.

What I learned, and what I hope my students carried home, is this: desire doesn’t disappear when obstacles arrive. It becomes sharper. Clearer. More true.

Trust Yourself

If there’s one reframe I’d offer readers, it’s this: trust yourself. Trust your intuition. Trust that even when things don’t unfold exactly as planned — when the food is forgotten, the wind sends you back, or the path changes mid-hike — there’s still richness to be found.

My mission in the mountains, and in coaching, is to help people thrive, not just when the weather is perfect, but especially when the obstacles roll in. Because those are the days when our deepest desires come alive.

P.S. Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Speaking of new challenges, my husband and I will be leading three seminars this fall and winter at the Mountaineers clubhouse in Seattle. These talks are designed to help hikers, backpackers, scramblers, climbers, and trekkers improve their balance and prevent falls (October 8), move beyond Physical Therapy to sports performance following injury (October 29), and change habits for good (November 19). If you’re interested in going deeper on any of these topics, register through the Mountaineers website for our talks from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Magnuson Park. Space is going fast!