Hi Reader!

I love days like today with dates that form a satisfying series of numbers like 5/15/25. It also happens to be the birthday of a couple people in my life 🎂 (Happy birthday, Vanessa! Love you, girl!!)

I hope you're finding joy in all the big and small things today. If you're in need of a little break, I hope you find that here in the newsletter.

Grab your favorite beverage and let's dive in! ☕️

Adventures

I’ve gotten a lot of hiking advice over the years — some of it useful, some of it… not so much (looking at you, guy who told me shouting "you're almost there!" to other hikers is encouraging).

But a few nuggets of wisdom have stuck with me and shaped the way I move through the outdoors today. Whether you’re just getting started or have been hiking for years, I think these might resonate with you too.

1. Don’t wait until you’re “ready” — just start.
This one hit me early on, when I kept putting off hikes because I thought I needed more gear, more confidence, or more wilderness experience. A friend finally told me: you’re never going to feel 100% ready, and the only way to build confidence is to go anyway.

Start small, be smart, but don’t wait. That advice helped me get out the door — even when I was nervous — and I’ve never looked back.

If you're putting off hiking or solo hiking for any of the same reasons, it's not as scary as you think! I put together some tips on choosing your first backpacking trip that are just as easily applied to regular hiking.

2. Know your “turnaround time,” and stick to it.

I learned this from a previous manager who has a deep respect for nature and awareness of her level of risk tolerance. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of making it to a summit or a viewpoint, but this advice reminded me that no goal is worth risking safety — especially on solo hikes.

Setting a turnaround time (based on daylight, weather, or much water I have left) helps me hike more confidently, because I’ve already made the hard decision ahead of time.

3. Don’t forget to look behind you.
This one sounds simple, but it’s stuck with me for years. It started as a practical reminder — pay attention to the trail behind you so you’ll recognize it on the way back. But it turned into something more. Some of my favorite views are the ones I would’ve missed if I hadn’t turned around.

It’s a little metaphor for life, too: progress doesn’t always look like a straight line forward. Sometimes you gain more in the present by taking a moment to reflect on what's behind you, or just waiting to be noticed from a new angle.

4. Hikers aren't people with tons of spare time -- they make the time.

I used to think people who were constantly hiking were like this meme:

Then I learned that it wasn't about having oodles of spare time sitting around, it was about prioritizing getting outside. This is a piece of advice I need to remind myself of over and over when it feels like life is getting in the way of spending time on the trail. I'm definitely in one of those phases right now where it feels difficult to make it outside until I actually sit down and plan out exactly when and where I'm going to go.

These tips might not be flashy or revolutionary, but they’ve shaped the way I hike — and how I show up for myself outdoors.

Got a favorite hiking tip that’s changed the game for you? Hit reply and share it with me — I’d love to put together a bigger list with everyone's favorite advice!

& S'more

I made the difficult decision of canceling an upcoming backpacking trip for a few reasons:

It was scheduled too close to my half marathon and interrupting my training schedule in the weeks leading up to race day was giving me anxiety. 🫠
I felt bad about leaving Pico with a sitter again so soon after our Vegas trip.
I planned to leave the same day (coincidentally) that my boyfriend is leaving for almost a month and I realized I'd rather spend those first few days relaxing and catching up on work at home.

Fortunately, I was able to get a refund on my reservation fees and I'm already massively relieved knowing I have those days back. Since I had also requested those days off work, I now have a wonderful chunk of time all to myself. The world is truly my oyster.

I'm still planning on spending at least some of that time outside. I was thinking I could swap out my longer, solo backpacking trip for a shorter, dog-friendly trip with my boy. 🐶 After his exhaustion during last week's long hike, I'll be spending the next couple weeks building up his endurance again before trying anything too challenging. 😅

Look how happy I am with my bff by my side 💚

I guess I can add one more piece of advice to my list above: listen to your gut and know when to stay home.

I'd been looking forward to this trip, but mostly because it would have been an impressive accomplishment. A satisfying checkmark next to a cool through hike. ✅

I was looking forward more to the end result of having finished the trip than to the trip itself. That's how I knew it was time to call it off and postpone until a better time. I might tackle it in the fall or wait until next year. Plus, there are other trails closer to home that I'm more excited to visit at the moment. 🤭

I hope you have a fantastic rest of your week and I'll see you here for the next one!

Happy adventuring,

💚A