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This week, Blissful Hiker completes the list of ten lessons from the trail that are helping her now.

In this episode:

7) :38 Everything changes  “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

8) 1:50 You will never pass this way again  "Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip."

9) 3:26 Let go and forgive  "Forgiveness is the economy of the heart… forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."

10) 5:41 You are stronger than you think you are  "If I waited for perfection, I’d never write a word."

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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This week, Blissful Hiker shares some lessons from the trail that are helping her now.

In this episode:

:38 Let the day unfold  “I think that’s what I love about my life. There’s no maniacal master plan. It’s just unfolding before me.”

3:02 Trail Angels exist "That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing."

5:10 The point of a thru hike is not to triumph  "The goal of life … is not happiness, peace, or fulfillment, but aliveness."

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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 This week, Blissful Hiker shares some lessons from the trail that are helping her now.

In this episode:

1:30 Take Risks “The most hopeful thing you are doing is taking these months to repair your body for the next hikes.”

3:42 Stay in the Present Moment Experience fully what each day brings, the surprises and tiny victories. 

6:12 Practice Patience "Life is already too short to waste on speed." 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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One year ago Blissful Hiker set her feet on the Arizona Trail and planned to return to walk the final 100 miles, but an injury interrupted the trip.
 
In this episode:

1. This time of year is called "Lent" and is all about waiting and preparing, as well as contemplating the brevity of our lives.
2. An injury is like that, a close up look at vulnerability. Learning to manage the frustration teaches us how to embrace our lives. 
3. A long walk – and the weak place of injury – helps bring the hiker closer to the spirit, letting go of control and worry and trusting in the "peace that transcends all understanding."

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala  and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Regret can actually act as the motivating fuel to push us towards our goals.

1. Phrases like "no regrets!" are helpful in keeping us focussed on the future and not on mistakes from the past.
2. And yet, looking with openness at what we regret from the past can help us build up the courage  we need in our present to take risks. 
3. And then we are better able to choose what matters most projecting the idea of regret into the future. 
4.  See a picture from Blissful's past. 
5. Listen to the podcast episode all about taking risks.

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful Hiker shares the reasons she hikes alone, to get grounded, to engage more deeply with the world around me and to do so at my own pace.

1. Being alone in nature has been practiced by all civilizations to build self-reliance and connect with the spirit.
2. As Emily Dickinson said, "The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience." 
3. But that does not mean that you shouldn't prepare by taking the Ten Essentials including telling someone where you're going, and when to expect you to return.
4. I have added professional speaker to my "bag of tricks." If you'd like me to speak to your group, contact me! 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful answers burning backpacking questions in the first round of "Ask Me Anything." 

In this episode:

1:26 – How do you secure your bag when checking it at the airport?
3:06 – Do you pack hiking poles on international trips or buy when you get there?
6:20 – How do you choose when to use rubber tips on your trekking poles?
8:36 – How do you take care of contact lenses on trail?
10:25 – How do you know so many bird names, plant names and tree names as you hike?
11:50 – How do you keep all your pictures straight in your mind and know what is out there in the woods, country, mountains, etc?
13:49 – No experience with long distance hiking. How did you prepare, to be sure you will make it?

click here to ask your question 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful meets the Southern Terminus of the AZT just as a windstorm picks up on the Utah/Arizona border.

In this episode:

1. After a night in the "cowpie" field – flat and squishy – Blissful sleeps well under moon shadows. 
2. It's easy walking towards Vermillion Cliffs where she meets a couple of hikers who give her sage advice about making intentional decisions and looking for people who communicate with her in her emotional language. 
3. Angry clouds build as a sandstorm builds and she races to the end.

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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Blissful has one of the most extraordinary experiences of her hiking life – walking into and out of the Grand Canyon.

In this episode:

1. With a snowstorm coming and temperatures dropping into the teens, Blissful decides to catch a ride and skip ahead.
2. It's just more ponderosa pine forest and straight to the national park permit office.
3. It's down hill, but steep and hard walking all in direct sun through layer-upon-layer of bright reds and oranges through tourists and rim-to-rim runners. 
4. Her itinerary on the Kaibab Trail to Cottonwoods Campground is considered "aggressive" because she's all alone.
5. The path appears to hang in midair as it finally meets the Colorado River, then up to a site she shares with lovely AZT hikers. 
6. The next morning is the opposite – finally alone entirely up to the cold and snowy North Rim, through a tight opening with only the song of a canyon wren. 
7. After such beauty, the road is a let down and she accepts a hitch back to trail and a night in a muddy meadow. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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It's a long, undulating and dusty trail through more ponderosa pine where Blissful finally gets her first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. 

In this episode:

1. Blissful wakes up 100% free of bug bites and happily puts all that awfulness behind her.
2. It's up and down, but she sings as she walks recalling all the steps it took to keep moving ahead on trail.
3. Horses, fellow backpackers and incredible trail angels make the day one of the very best.
4. As does seeing the astonishing beauty of the Grand Canyon far in the distance, the ponderosa pine practically falling into them.
5. Wild and bitterly cold weather is coming more decisions need to be made about how to keep moving. 

MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano

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