A mountain just exudes inspiration. It can’t help itself. Beautiful tiny delicate flowers bursting from the moist green earth, doe-eyed squirrels and birds twittering about, alpenglow slowly painting snow capped peaks. It’s just down right magical.

I’m at my absolute best when flanking the flowery alpine slopes of a beautiful mountain. I feel strong, powerful, all mighty and conquering. The pine fresh air rejuvenating my lungs. My senses are heightened. This is exactly when the flurry of inspiration comes. Thoughts and ideas explode in my head. Things like, “this is totally the week I’m going to stop eating froyo and use that groupon for barre classes,” or “surely I can quit my job and hike everyday AND still pay off my crushing student loan debt.” My mind can’t keep up with all these amazing revelations!

I linger at the summit, smiling at the other hikers, wondering if they can sense that I’ve become a brand new person on that long windy trail. I pull out my giant knife that says “don’t mess with me” and cut slices of apple I share with my dog. I take a deep breath. Ahhh, life is good.

On the way down I plan out healthy meals for the week and try to remember that great salad dressing recipe I heard on a podcast. I’ve got that new catchy Taylor Swift song stuck in my head and instead of trying desperately to remove it, I embrace it just a little.

Suddenly I’m back in the parking lot, sweaty and tired. I sit in traffic getting into the city. Ugh, back to reality.

Upon returning home I do not spend hours preparing that kale salad I found on Pinterest. Instead I collapse on the couch and binge watch Orange is the New Black on Netflix while finishing off a bag of Pirate Booty cheesy puffs. I don’t follow through on any of those great ideas I had. Where did all that inspiration go? Do I really need to climb a mountain to get it? Why can’t I be my best self while at home or at work?

In this blog I will share my journey on the trails so far, explore these tough questions and much much more. Stay tuned.

Hikes Featured in this Post:

Skyline Divide, North Cascades, Washington

Rock Mountain, Stevens Pass, Washington