The Adventurous Reinvention

What happens when you actually listen to that inner whisper telling you something in your life isn’t aligned?

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and returning guest Marie-Pier Tremblay—coach, creator of Self Growth Nerds, and long-distance adventurer—to talk about the big leaps of courage she’s taken in both love and the outdoors.

Marie-Pier shares how leaving a long-term relationship led her on a path of deep self-discovery, dating, and eventually finding new love with her current partner.

And together? They jumped straight into his very first backpacking trip… which just so happened to be a 100-mile thru-hike across Norway’s Lofoten Islands.

We cover:

• Trusting yourself enough to leave relationships (even when nothing is “wrong”)
• How heartbreak became a catalyst for clarity, courage, and growth
• What it was like to date again, define her values, and find love that fully aligned
• Why she chose Norway’s Lofoten Long Crossing as her next big adventure
• Logistics, challenges, and highlights of thru-hiking in Norway (with no switchbacks!)
• How adventure and relationships can both be powerful training grounds for reinvention

This is a conversation about courage, new beginnings, and the wild ways the trail mirrors our personal lives.

Where to learn more about Marie:

• Marie's Instagram
• Marie's Website
• Marie's Podcast (Self Growth Nerds) - Episodes Marie-Pier referenced: Ep. 115, Ep. 124, Ep. 125, Ep. 161 of Self Growth Nerds
• Listen to our first conversation together: Ep 007: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with Marie-Pier Tremblay

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Ever stared up at a steep climb on trail and felt that sinking sense of dread? You’re not alone. For many new (and even experienced) hikers and backpackers, uphills can feel like the toughest part of the journey. But here’s the truth: it’s not just about stronger legs or more training, it’s about the mindset you bring to the climb.

In this episode, I’m sharing the exact mental shifts and trail-tested strategies I use (and teach my clients) to make uphill hiking not only easier, but even enjoyable.

We’ll talk about how to redirect negative self-talk, fuel yourself with powerful thoughts, and tap into that “let’s freaking go” energy that transforms hard climbs into moments of growth and empowerment.

Whether you’re new to backpacking or taking on your biggest summit yet, this episode will help you reframe the uphill struggle into something that builds your confidence and fuels your adventure, on the trail and in life.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The two different ways you can meet an uphill hike—and why one will always leave you drained.
• How to reframe “this is hard” into “this is hard AND I’m capable.”
• Simple mindset strategies that keep you moving forward.
• Why the mountains are the perfect training ground for building real-life resilience.
• How to shift from resisting the climb to embracing it as proof of your strength.

So the next time you’re staring up at a big mountain pass, you’ll have the tools to ditch the dread and step into your power.

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Learn more and join our waitlists for these programs here:

• BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST
• THE ADVENTUROUS REINVENTION EXPERIENCE WAITLIST
• ROCK CLIMBING RETREATS WAITLIST

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today was our final full day on trail—and the emotion is starting to hit. We hiked from Cathedral Lake to Little Yosemite Valley, a mostly downhill journey filled with sweeping granite views, quiet reflection, and a bit of unexpected bushwhacking.

We conserved water across a long stretch with no flowing creeks, battled through a burnt-out section below Clouds Rest, and finally rolled into Little Yosemite Valley—just five miles from our finish line.

For Allison, this campground marks a full-circle moment: it was the site of her very first backpacking trip. And now, many years later, she’s back—stronger, more experienced, and leading a very different outdoor life.

In this episode:

• Granite domes, sweeping views, and classic Yosemite terrain
• Conserving water and hiking through dry, exposed miles
• Surprise trail conditions in a fire zone (thorny bushwhacking!)
• Camp nostalgia and the memory of Allison’s first ever backpacking trip
• Astrophotography reflections from Cathedral Lake
• Smoke scare near Tuolumne Meadows
• Prepping for the final 5 miles and savoring one last night off-grid

🎧 Join us as we reflect on growth, grit, and the beauty of returning to where it all started.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today was what trail dreams are made of: sleeping in, resupply snacks, stunning views, and clear night skies.

We started the day with our coldest night yet, not crawling out of the tent until the sun finally warmed us up around 8:30am. With only 11 miles on the docket, we took our time hiking from Ireland Trail to Lower Cathedral Lake, stopping by Tuolumne Meadows for a well-earned treat break—kombucha, chips, and a Twix bar.

We chatted with curious day hikers, got our first bear can and permit check from a ranger (who welcomed us into Yosemite like border patrol), and reflected on our little trail detours along the way.

After a short but steep climb to Cathedral Lake, we landed at a beautiful campsite under epic peaks—and capped off the night with an incredible Milky Way display.

In this episode:

• The coldest night on trail… and our laziest morning yet
• Kombucha, kettle chips, and people-watching at Tuolumne
• Getting pulled over by a ranger (and proudly showing off our permit)
• A short uphill to Cathedral Lake with Dorito-powered legs
• Reflections on trail purity vs. fun side trips
• Campfire chats, double dinners, and banana pudding
• Milky Way photography and a sky full of stars

🎧 Come hang with us on a relaxed, joyful day filled with creature comforts and starry skies.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

After three early wakeups and back-to-back big-mileage days to outrun another forest closure, we finally made it to Yosemite—and slowed down for the first time in a while.

We climbed Donahue Pass in the soft morning light, soaking in alpine glow and still reflections in the high-elevation ponds. It was stunning, peaceful, and (finally) wind-free.

On the other side of the pass, we reunited with Twiggy for a few final miles together before parting ways again. Then we set up camp early—at 2pm!—and embraced an actual, honest-to-goodness rest day. Michael fished. Allison napped. And we both finally opened our Kindles.

In this episode:

• Crossing safely into Yosemite after a stressful few days
• Glowing alpine reflections and photo stops at Donahue Pass
• Reuniting with Twiggy and hiking into Lyell Canyon together
• Our first early stop and real rest day
• Fishing with a broken rod, naps, and reading time
• The strange joy of doing nothing on trail
• The magic of warm-feeling creek water (maybe a hot spring?)

🎧 Tune in to hear how slowing down gave our feet (and minds) a chance to recover—and why Donahue might be our favorite pass of the whole JMT.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

After an early morning descent to Red’s Meadow, we were ready for a true zero day—showers, sodas, and milkshakes in hand. We earned our trail names, did laundry in our sleep clothes, and basked in the luxury of a hot meal and real soap.

But the break didn’t last long.

Just as we were settling into camp and burgers, we overheard the news: all national forests were shutting down—again. Cue a sudden scramble to pack up and hike out, desperate to make it across the Yosemite border before the midnight deadline.

So much for our chill resupply day. We pushed hard with sore feet and heavy packs, camped just below Donohue Pass, and crossed our fingers that we wouldn’t get kicked off trail again.

In this episode:

• The joy of soda, milkshakes, and semi-clean clothes
• Our official trail names (meet Ankles, Trout Scout, and Twiggy)
• The chaos of resupply bees and shower token logistics
• A sudden forest closure throws everything off track
• Racing uphill toward Yosemite with tired feet and fading daylight
• Wildfire season realities and hard trail decisions
• The ant-infested “secret” campsite near Thousand Island Lake

🎧 Come hear the twist that nearly ended our JMT hike… again.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today we climbed Silver Pass, tackled nearly 13 miles of rolling terrain, and finally arrived at camp with time to spare—our reward after days of pushing hard. We soaked our feet in one of the coldest creeks yet, hiked through fish-filled rivers and steep switchbacks, and ended the day at the scenic (but misleadingly named) Purple Lake.

The heat still showed up for parts of the day, but Allison's heat rash had miraculously vanished, and our trail crew grew by one as we hiked all day with our new friend. Michael even tried his luck at fishing with his half-rod again (with one clever trout evading him at the last second).

We’re dirty, tired, and dreaming of Red’s Meadow tomorrow—burgers, laundry, showers, and maybe a little reset before our final JMT push.

In this episode:

• Climbing Silver Pass and easing into the rhythm of the trail
• Miraculous heat rash recovery and cooler trail temps
• The trout of Fish Creek (and Michael’s almost-catch)
• Painfully cold water, switchbacks, and beautiful alpine lakes
• New trail friendships and group hiking dynamics
• The promise of clean clothes and burgers at Red’s Meadow
• Audiobooks, nerd reads, and what we’re listening to on trail

🎧 Come along as we hike, fish, and daydream our way toward civilization—with trout rumors, icy creek dips, and some hard-earned trail joy.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today may have been one of our shortest mileage days, but it didn’t feel that way. The combo of relentless heat, sneaky elevation gain, and one of the longest stretches without water yet brought out all the grit—and some heat rash-induced tears.

A highlight? Discovering a pristine creek (Mono Creek!) with crystal-clear pools that felt like trail magic for our overheated, under-showered selves. We soaked, snacked, and recovered enough to take on one final uphill slog before landing at a not-so-great campsite... but hey, at least we got there early for once.

Also: the smells in the tent are officially getting out of hand.

In this episode:

• Endless downhill switchbacks on a non-pass (rude)
• Brutal heat + a dry 9-mile waterless stretch
• Heat rash takes over Allison’s legs—and morale
• Diaper smells, flies, and trail funk hits hard
• The unexpected joy of cold creek water
• Reflections on the real (unromantic) parts of thru-hiking
• Rumors of burgers, showers, and Red’s Meadow hope on the horizon

🎧 Join us for a sweaty, stinky, and very honest day on trail as we keep putting one foot in front of the other—rash and all.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today we tackled Selden Pass, hiked over 12 rugged miles with 3,200 feet of gain, and somehow ended the day feeling more human than we have in a while. Maybe it was the early arrival to camp. Maybe it was the peaceful solitude. Or maybe it was just finally getting into the groove of trail life.

Still, the day didn’t come without its chaos. Michael realized mid-hike that he left part of his fishing pole behind, making for some MacGyver-style angling at our evening camp. We battled heat, blisters, and sand-filled shoes—but also got to rinse clothes, meet a few solo northbounders, and savor a quiet creekside evening.

We’re learning (yet again) how much smoother trail life feels when you have time to breathe, soak your feet, and eat Oreos in peace.

In this episode:

• Climbing Selden Pass and descending into a stunning lake basin
• Michael’s fishing pole fail and trail improvisation
• Blister maintenance, sweaty shoes, and gear talk
• Swapping meals and rationing snacks (RIP Snickers)
• Making trail friends + solo hiker admiration
• Finding our rhythm again—and remembering why we came back

🎧 Join us as we hike, fish (sort of), snack (sparingly), and settle into our JMT stride.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.

Welcome to the John Muir Trail Podcast Series - I'm taking a little summer break from the podcast while I head off on some new adventures (and guide some epic client trips too!). But I didn’t want to leave you hanging—so I’m sharing something special: a never-before-released Trail Series from our John Muir Trail thru-hike.

Today was both beautiful and brutal. We hiked our longest mileage day yet—16 hot, rocky, and mostly downhill miles—and our feet definitely felt it. Blisters flared up, patience wore thin, and we found ourselves dreaming of our more relaxed pace from last year’s hike.

But the day wasn’t without its magic. We wandered alongside some of the Sierra’s most enchanting streams and waterfalls, dipped our aching feet in cool pools, and finally got in some backcountry fishing.

As we rolled into camp (exhausted but proud), we reflected on how fast-paced miles come at a cost—and how we want to rework the rest of our itinerary to slow down and savor more.

In this episode:

• Miles that felt like they’d never end
• Blisters, hot weather, and “soft” feet from Puerto Rico life
• Stunning canyon cascades and cool stream-side moments
• Michael’s favorite day yet—complete with fishing
• Honest trail reflections: pace vs. enjoyment
• And a possible John Muir Trail carving sighting (or was it?)

🎧 Come walk with us through the highs, lows, and blisters of a long day on trail.

JMT Resources on the Blog:

• The Stress-Free Guide to John Muir Trail Permits
• The Ultimate John Muir Trail Planning Guide
• 15 Reasons I’m Excited to Hike the John Muir Trail

Where to learn more about Allison:

• She Dreams of Alpine Blog
• Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎁 FREE GIFT: Grab the Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for FREE here to get started on your journey with backpacking.

🥾 BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST: This is our signature program where we teach you how to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient backpacker. It's an online course, coaching program, and community to support you in your journey to becoming a confident backpacker and step into your adventurous identity.