Grand Canyon Sized Doubts

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Travel, United States, Weight Loss 3 Comments

Facing self-doubt and the physical toll of aging, Michele prepares for a demanding hike into the Grand Canyon, having previously completed it 30 years ago with much difficulty. After setbacks including an injury, motivation from friends and realization of her consistent activity help reframe her mindset. Despite enduring mental and physical challenges during the trek, upon reaching the bottom, she releases her self-doubt into the Colorado River. Emerging with renewed confidence in her body and abilities, she reflects on the empowering journey with her fellow hikers, overcoming her past limitations and looking forward to future adventures.

Women Who Explore: Backpacking Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Inspiring people, Travel, United States Leave a Comment

Glenn and I recently enacted a “two week cooling off period” after we finish adventures. It turns out that when we are riding high from our latest amazing experience, we can make somewhat questionable decisions about our next adventure. Case in point, before we had even gotten on our plane departing a recent visit to […]

What happens in the Azores, doesn’t stay in the Azores.

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Inspiring people, Portugal, Running, Travel 3 Comments

It’s important to lean into experiencing those things that simultaneously scare the crap out of you…and ignite your curiosity. My recent experience in the Azores was just that!

Fat Bodies Doing Things

Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Inspiring people, Running Leave a Comment

Moving through the world in a fat body can be filled with trials and tribulations…but it can also be filled with tremendous joy and adventure. I recently needed to remind myself of that fact.

Wakeup Call

Adventure, Argentina, Fitness and Activity, Healthy Eating, Hiking, Travel, Weight Loss 10 Comments

Life requires ongoing renegotiations with our mind, body and spirit. Of late, I’ve been on the losing end of that dynamic. I’ve arrived at a crossroads in my journey toward living a life more extraordinary.

Adventuring in Argentina

Adventure, Antarctica, Argentina, Biking, Hiking, Travel 1 Comment

The first time I laid eyes on Argentina, I knew it was a place I had to visit. We had taken a tour boat across the beautiful Chilean lake Todos los Santos (2015). From the boat I could see enticing glacier covered mountain tops in the distance and I learned that if we continued our […]

There and Back Again: A Trans-Canadian Roadie

Adventure, Canada, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Travel, United States, Wildlife 2 Comments

While we weren’t traveling in the company of twelve dwarves, and we didn’t have to slay a dragon to steal its treasure, we did find ourselves on an epic adventure driving across the entirety of Canada…and back again. 49 days — 11,050 miles (17,783 kilometers) — 5 ferries — 6 time zones — 2 sore […]

Meet Laverne!

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Travel, United States 7 Comments

Glenn and I recently became the proud owners of a campervan. Her name is Laverne, after the character “Laverne DeFazio” from Happy Days and later the Laverne & Shirley show…as well as Mork & Mindy for the trivia buffs out there. She’s adorned with a monogrammed “L” on her front lapel (which is a fascinating […]

Am I Worthy?

Fitness and Activity, Healthy Eating, Weight Loss 5 Comments

Like many of you, I’m beyond excited for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel. It means less worries about the health and wellbeing of myself and loved ones. It also represents the ability to safely and ethically travel again. Glenn and I feel confident […]

Gold Dust

Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Inspiring people, Running 6 Comments

I’ve never gone in for the whole peace, love and understanding scene. I’ve attempted yoga a few times in my life. No offense to my yogi friends out there, but it’s just not for me. In particular, I can’t handle the whole breathing, humming and chanting stuff – it makes me want to giggle uncontrollably. […]

Limbo.

Fitness and Activity, Inspiring people, Travel 10 Comments

(Trigger warning: suicide) I inherited my propensity for intense and vivid dreaming from my mother. We would often regale each other with stories from our previous night’s escapades, and it was typically a draw to determine who had the most outlandish dream. Like the time I dreamt I used the little salt packets I stole […]

Perpetual motion

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, United States 6 Comments

I’m at a loss for words when it comes to this blog post. Usually, my posts linger in the back of my mind as my subconscious thinks and ponders on things. When I’ve mulled things over enough my thoughts suddenly pop to the surface. I sit down to write and a blog post comes flooding […]

The Twilight Zone

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Travel, United States 1 Comment

Glenn and I went on a quick vacation to Hawaii last week and while we were away our world turned upside down. At the time we boarded the plane the coronavirus was definitely dominating the news, but still felt like a far-off hypothetical – a bit like previews for an upcoming paranoid disaster movie if […]

Serengeti by Foot

Adventure, Fitness and Activity, Hiking, Tanzania, Travel, Wildlife 4 Comments

“Is it safe to do a walking safari?” That is what I Googled…after I had already booked and paid for my trip to do just that. Doh! The answer from the faceless hordes of internet opiners was a resounding “no, it isn’t safe to do a walking safari” because most of the wild animals are […]

Uganda’s Mountain Gorillas

Adventure, Hiking, Travel, Uganda, Wildlife 4 Comments

I watched a lot of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom when I was young, and I think as a result I’m quite drawn to the idea of seeing wild animals up close. The bigger and the more dangerous, the better. The mountain gorillas are no exception.

A Life More Extraordinary

Category Archives: Fitness and Activity