Wednesday's Walker- Happy Walker

Aaack! This will be the last the of the Wednesday Walkers! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed. It isn't too late if you still want to- let me know. Also, if for some reason I failed to include your Wednesday Walker response, please let me know. I think I got them all in the posts over the course of about half a year. Thanks again, I have enjoyed them all!

Wednesday's Walker- Happy Walker

This "Happy Walker" is a close friend of mine. We worked together and fortunately have stayed in touch. I love to hear her walking adventures. The other day I ran into her at Buffalo Park, she was at the tail end of a 12 mile walk, smiling and happy to see me.

I have a part time job that pays me money, but mostly I am passionate about people, specifically family. And if I like you and love you, then you are my family. I want to always be involved with people. After caring for 'blood family' for years, in the form of raising my children and then as caregiver for aging/dying family members, I voluntarily care for others I have come to love. There are no set hours and no end in sight. It fuels my soul to love and share life with others. I have been and am loved, and cared for by others. How can I do otherwise than to love outside myself.

And another passion is being out in God's creation. I started walking when we were needing to mind our money, use our discretionary funds for children's activities. Previously, our family belonged to the athletic club. Since I had always exercised I knew I would have to find an affordable and satisfying form of exercise. One of my dearest friends, in her 80's, advised me to walk. Her example of fitness as an octogenarian got me thinking that maybe walking would work. I started about 1995. At first, it was rather unsatisfactory...difficult to get aerobic, a bit boring, missed the camaraderie of a class workout. But I carried on. 2 miles, then 3, soon 4 miles. Partners came and went. The dog died. I needed to walk early in the morning because of familial obligations. Not many people cared to go out in the dark. But I still moved.

In January 1998 I set a goal to hike the distance of the circumference of the earth, about 25,000 miles. I completed the goal in February 2009, 10 years and 1 month from the beginning. And I'm still walking. I have over 30,000 miles logged since I began. No injuries, most every weather, in any city I find myself in. It's a great, affordable and healthy activity.

Today I walk because I MUST. I clear my thoughts. I pray. I dream. Sometimes I argue. I listen to music, or radio, or not. I hear and see birds, dogs, deer, elk, skunk, possum, porcupine, fox, cats. I notice, or not, people...on foot, in cars, on bikes, on unicycles, laughing, crying, chatting, scowling, all living life.

I walk on streets, in the woods, at the beach, in the desert, in the dark, in the sun, in the rain, in the snow, but not in the sleet. I walk up hills, down hills, on flat land, in canyons, on mountains. I walk with walking shoes, hiking boots, ice grips or katoolas if the conditions necessitate. Sometimes I walk with poles depending on where I am going.

I walk 6 days a week. I always walk at least 6 miles, and often many miles more. Fast. I walk fast, but I am willing to slow down to accommodate a companion. I rest one day every week, because God gave us a day to rest, and my body needs it. Maybe that one day of rest is why I still love to walk. My mind and body get refreshed and I'm ready for yet another week of walking.

My first trip into the Grand Canyon began my love affair with "the Hole". It may have been in 2000 that I began day hikes, going to the river and back out using corridor trails, almost always alone. My first Rim to Rim was in 2005. I was so invigorated by the experience that I continued to do R2R's and soon began to dream of a Rim-Rim-Rim. My training for the endeavor began in earnest in late 2006. April 2007 I hiked a solo Rim3(cubed) in 14 hours and 25 minutes. In 2008, in honor of my 50th birthday, I hiked my first marathon in 5 hours 23 minutes.

I enjoy hiking with others and have come to savor the solitude of my regular walks. I've never depended on others to motivate me to hike. If I had to rely on the companionship of other people, I suspect I would have not completed my original goal of 25,000 miles. But walking/hiking has many benefits. Along with mental and emotional outlets and health, consistent walkers tend to have good bone mass, smaller waists, lower blood pressure, functioning metabolism, weight management, and other physical benefits. Not much in the way of equipment is required, so it really is affordable and portable. Every society walks, so I can do it everywhere, and always with pleasure.

I really enjoy exploring new places. Since I hike even when I travel, I make many discoveries. Seeing a new place on foot is entirely different than by car, or video, or photo. I've hiked in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho; at Lake Powell, in the Colorado Rockies, around Central Park in New York; in Hawaii, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Virginia; on the Appalachian Trail, and along the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Well, I explored a lot of places on foot.