I’ve picked up hiking as my new pandemic pastime. It started in July when I climbed the stairs at Tower Beach with a friend for a virtual Amazing Race challenge, and it led to more stair workouts to build stamina, new running and hiking shoes, and seven completed trails ranging from the charming and accessible Deas Island to the spectacular and challenging Stawamus Chief.
I want to keep hiking this year, because hiking is good to me. The exercise, the scenery, the quiet, the long conversations with my husband, and the sense of accomplishment all lift me up. When my depression was hammering me last summer and fall, hiking had my back. Having so many amazing trails available here in BC makes me feel rich and lucky, even when we’re under lockdown and staying close to Vancouver, so I want to indulge even more this year.
I enjoy planning and tracking my hikes in AllTrails (follow me here!), which records distance, time, and elevation, among other things. So, to add some structure to my general desire to “keep hiking,” I’ve chosen a couple of measurable results to support it.
- Distance
I wanted a distance goal that would be ambitious but doable, so I looked at how far I hiked in 2020, which was about 80 km. Considering I only started tracking in July, I figured I could do double that distance easily. So, I rounded up and landed on 200 km as my year’s distance goal.
2. Elevation
To balance the distance goal and help me get a good balance of easy, moderate, and hard hikes, I’m adding an elevation goal. The Grouse Grind is about 800 m, so if I do the equivalent of one Grind per month, I should be able to hike the elevation of Mount Everest in a year, which is 8,849 m.
3. Key trails
Finally, I’m choosing a few “crown jewel” hikes to add pizzazz and inspiration. Some of these will depend on travel regulations this year, but I’m hoping to do some dazzlers like the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail and Kain Hut in Bugaboo. I’m tracking this highlight list in AllTrails too.
As lockdown allows, I would love to hike with friends and family too, so I’ll be planning some excursions ahead of time and inviting others to join me.
I’d love to hear your hiking goals and challenges too. What have you done to keep getting yourself outdoors? Any suggestions for my crown jewel hikes this year?
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