Lessons from Ajax, Pratt Lake, and Gooky
I didn’t expect my injured dog Ajax, a spring snow hike to Pratt Lake, and an outdated inner critic named Gooky to teach me the same lessons. But this week,…
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When Plans Have to Change
This week has been all about the Conditioning Hiking Series including a CHS-1 lead Tuesday to Saint Edward State Park and a CHS-2 co-lead today to Wallace Falls. With two…
You Don’t Have to Do Everything On Every Hike
This morning, I took my dog for a birding walk to Twin Ponds, where 10 ring-necked ducks, 4 gadwalls, and a pair of green-winged teals surprised me. I had assumed…
Why Celebration Isn’t Optional
I had a week that, by any measure, was a win. And I still woke up the next morning questioning myself. From the outside, it was daunting: six Mountaineers engagements,…
The Freedom of “Oh Well”
When I started my blog about change 199 issues ago, the world was shutting down from COVID. My daughter’s high school band trip to Ireland, for which my husband and…
Belonging without Shrinking
Recently, I noticed something unexpected: I am the same person whether I’m leading, co-leading, or learning, but I am not the same version of myself in each. I’m most familiar…
Trust What the Trail Teaches
Last Tuesday, on a hike I led to Rattlesnake/Grand Prospect, one of my participants asked me about my upcoming seminar on “Strategies for Effective Feedback.” She privately shared a publicly…
Trust Defeats Eek at the Edge of Change
This week has felt like standing at a trailhead with multiple signs pointing in different directions. There’s tonight's Volunteer Celebration, my first podcast conversation Thursday, an upcoming talk in nine…
Beginning Again, Right Where I Am
On January 6, eight of us enjoyed a snowy hike up from Teneriffe Trailhead over to Mt. Si's summit in a "lollipop loop". We found ourselves battling horizontal snow that…
Awe, Agony, and the Space Between
On Friday I lived two different lifetimes in one day: awe on a ridge and agony on a vet clinic floor. The contrast hit with a force that surprised me.…