The Neurotic Wanderer

Hanging Gardens (No Official Trail) I really tend to be a creature of habit. I often struggle to go outside of my comfort zone (part of that is fear which I will touch on in a later post). However, I know that variety is the spice to life so to speak and I'm grateful to have friends who challenge me to try new things. With that being said, I have create a list of trails that I would like to try this year, in addition to the trails I have found to be tried and true. New To Me Trails: Camelback Mountain (which I was lucky enough to complete with the family already) Wave Cave Trail- Superstition Mountains Hieroglyphic Trail- Superstition Wilderness Seven Falls Trail- Sabino Canyon Recreation Area Lava River Cave- Coconino National Forest Kendrick Mountain Southside Trail- Kendrick Mountain Wilderness Picacho Peak- Picacho Peak State Park Passage 1 of AZ Trail: Huachuca Mountains A lot of the trails mentioned I actually took from the 52 Hike Challenge Guide, so sho...

So I realize that we are half way through January, but I still wanted to get out my 2017 wrap up. This past year was the worst and most discouraging year I have ever experienced. My lost someone who I never thought I would be without and my career never really went anywhere. I started the year thinking that I knew that would happen and that things would just all fall into place; time kept moving forward but my plans did not. There were quite a few take aways from last year though and I think there was a fair share of growth. Books I met my book goal. My goal was to read 20 books and I completed that. I feel pretty good about the variety of books I read and part of that was thanks to the public library, I’m a sucker for all of those librarian recommendations. Here is the list of books that I read: A Case of Need- Michael Crichton The Martian-Any Weir Kite Runner-Khaled Housseini Fight Club-Chuck Palahniuk The Martian Chronicles-Ray Bradbury The Strain-G...

I have had the great opportunity to meet a fellow runner at my new job. I don't have many friends who run (and the few that I do have, also have busy lives so it's hard to connect), so it's nice to be able to discuss the ins and outs of races and running logistics. She invited me to run with her and her group called the "Back of the Pack", who's ages range from mid-40s to early 90's. Hearing about their stories and accomplished races really inspired me to get back into it ( I haven't run consistently for about a year and a half). But it also really made me reflect on the runner stereotype as well as the hiker stereotype. I think that when most people hear, runner or hiker, certain stereotypes come to mind: weight (thin but not too thin), peppy, rock all the high quality brands, be within a certain age range and even a specific skin color. Two bloggers that I think who both state these perspectives quite well are Carrot Quinn ( here ) and Vanessa ( here...

Was a huge success!     This was hike #25 of my 52 Hike Challenge  and I'm so glad that it was. I first attempted Mt. Humphrey's about two months ago and it was a bit of a disaster (more on that experience later). I hadn't done a hike that week and I could feel my moodiness returning to me, so I decided last minute to try this hike again. I did some research to better understand the hike and how best to prepare (last time I relied on the information of the other people in my group, which was a big mistake). My first attempt of the hike gave me some insight as to how the first, and easiest, leg of the hike was going to be, so I knew I just needed a bigger picture. View from "the saddle"     In my research I found that there were several "false peaks", meaning that you would look at a peak and think it was THE peak, only to get there and see more peaks beyond that. I would say that there were 4 to 5 of them in the last mile of the hike. That for...

    So, after the fiasco of my last hike, I knew that I had to get right back out there and work it out. Mend the relationship after an argument, so to speak. I've still been in a pretty bad head space and I can honestly say that I cried for like a solid mile out there, but the hike itself did what it needed to do. I felt better afterward and felt like I had created a plan to get me through my problems. It felt good to find a trail that was fairly challenging and required me to just focus the task at hand. Before I knew, my shoulders were no longer up near my ears, my face became less of a scowl and more at rest and my mind felt less restless. It felt good to be doing something where I had to push my body.     This was a hike that was 75% unfamiliar to me. I had hiked part of this trail before with my dog, so I knew the basics of the terrain. However, I went on a day where the day prior we had had some monumental monsoon storms, so I wasn't exactly sure what I ...

    I never really thought it was possible to have a bad hike...until a few days ago. I decided to take a hike after I got out of work. It was a hike that I was fairly familiar with, so I didn't really feel the need to look too much into it before heading out. My first mistake was opting to go the opposite way that I usually go. I thought that changing it up might be good. It was a hot, humid day, and I was already starting off in not a great head space ( I don't consider this depression as it is not often something I endure). But hiking is usually the best cure for that. After the first mile, all thoughts of the technical aspect of the trail are gone and I start to focus on the five senses, and I just find that I have a great appreciation for everything. Hiking is truly a meditative experience.      However, on this day, I just couldn't reach my meditative space. The section of the trail that I chose first, paralleled the busy road, so all I heard was the rush...

Queue 90's era Salt 'n' Peppa beats. I can't speak enough about what a good pair of boots will do for you. I had a friend/coworker who believed that you only needed some simple athletic shoes for hiking, and I generally felt inclined to believe him since I'd never really had problems with that. However, I started to doubt that reasoning on one of my camping trips in 2016, when I stepped on a rock and it flipped up and hit of the ball of my ankle. As I started hiking more, the brutal realization of just how clumsy I am, hit me hard... pun intended. So for Christmas I asked for a nice, high qualify (i.e. expensive) pair of hiking boots. Like a true VIP, my mom delivered. She bought me a pair of  Columbia Newton Ridge Plus  boots. Every time I wear these boots, I fall more and more in love. They are water proof with some serious tread. As someone who does mostly desert hiking, I though that maybe the water proof component was going to be excessive. However, in each...

So fast forward to hike 22 and I've had some really great adventures. I solo hiked the Grand Canyon, explored more of what my area has to offer and hiked with some new friends. I'm so awkward that I didn't even think I was capable of making new friends, let alone go hiking and camping with them, but I have surprised even myself. I have learned a lot along the way and made some pretty drastic changes. I feel more confident in my physical abilities, despite being at a heavier weight that I had hoped for at this point in the year. I recently went on a 15 mile hike and while everyone else struggled up the mountain, my legs felt eager to keep moving. It really gave me the burst of confidence that I needed and I really feel like for once I appreciate the size of my legs. I've also done some really deep self reflection. I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Ecology seven years ago. I have done NOTHING with that, to my utter shame. I was laid off from my corporate job ...

The Summit Trail This was a pretty local hike, maybe about one mile away from where I live. The hike itself was created out of the ruin of a dormant volcano. This time, I went with my dog, boy friend and his daughter. It was a pretty wet weekend, but we trudged the four miles up the side of the mountain anyway. It was really great! We probably got an extra work out due to the caked on mud, but the views at the top were worth it. The trail itself was mostly switch backs. We didn't see very many other people, just a few brave souls who also decided to venture through all of the mud. I have to say, the Columbia boots that I got for Christmas were perfect. At one point, my dog got excited and took me on a crash course through a large mud puddle and my book took it like champs. My feet stayed dry the whole time! We didn't take much in regards to supplies since it was just a quick trail, 2 miles up and 2 miles back. In hindsight, we should have packed a few snacks as a reward o...

January 7, 2017 My first hike! The Brownlow trail, nothing too strenuous but a solid four miles. I would rate the hike itself about a 3/10 in difficulty. There were some gentle inclines and declines but nothing major. The pup was happy to be out since we hadn't done a longer hike in quite some time. I don't take any music with me since I just like to listen to everything going on around me to and to make sure that I am interacting with my dog. Being the paranoid individual that I am, I also like to make sure that no one is sneaking up on me and to stay aware of my surroundings. This girl isn't going to end up on one of those true crime shows. I thank my mom for that particular brand of paranoia. As we were walking, I made some mental notes of things that I didn't bring but that I needed to make sure that I kept in my hiking pack for the future. Hand sanitizer Lip balm Hand lotion A notepad Pen On this hike, I just took my small hiking pack and packed with ...