2023 marks my fifth year in a row of participating in the 52 Hike Challenge.  I have always been a bit of a goal setter or challenge seeker.  When I commit to a challenge, with an end goal in mind, it pushes me to organize my life to meet that goal.  The idea behind the 52 Hike Challenge is to hike once a week, every week, for a year.  In this way, it makes hiking a regular form of activity with so many physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits.  It was started by two Americans, Karla and Phillip, as an individual challenge.  Realizing how awesome the challenge was, they wanted to share the benefits of regular hiking with the world.  Now, the challenge is truly a global phenomenon.

As I am a professional hiking guide doing hikes on a very regular basis as part of my job, I was really drawn to the Explorer Challenge option, which was to explore 52 DIFFERENT hikes, with no repeats.  Most of these have been  hikes done on my personal time.    I have chosen not to repeat any of the hikes logged for the 52 hike challenge in subsequent years.  That means to date I have explored 227 different hikes over the course of four years.   Fortunately, living in Canmore, Alberta, I am surrounded by an endless number of hiking trails.  In addition to that, hiking is a major activity undertaken on vacations.  2022 was a great example as many new hikes were recorded on our two week camping trip to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks in the U.S.A.  

I have enjoyed so much recording my different hikes in a Facebook album each year.  Indeed, as I love photography and as I only post ONE photo from each and every hike, it has been a huge challenge for me to select just one photo to represent each hike.  I am very proud of my annual 52 Hike Challenge photo albums.  If you would like to view them, here they are:

52 Hike Challenge: 2022 - 60 hikes as of December 28th. May have time for one more!  I was delighted with the slow but steady improvements made after last year's back injury.  I was elated to stand on mountain peaks again! 

52 Hike Challenge: 2021 - 52 hikes completed. This was a big challenge this year as I was plagued with sciatica for four months (Sept - December)!

52 Hike Challenge: 2020 - 55 hikes completed

52 Hike Challenge: 2019 - 60 hikes completed 

What am I looking forward to for my 2023 Hike Challenge?  I already have a good list of hikes that I would like to record that I have never, ever done.  I am looking forward to recording a number of hikes when we visit Vietnam & Cambodia in March.   I am looking forward to recording hikes when we go weekend camping with our teardrop trailer, Farley.  

But most of all, I am looking forward to encouraging YOU to join me in completing this challenge!  I have registered this year to be an official affiliate of the 52 Hike Challenge.  How would you like to go on a year long journey with me that can change your life in a positive way? From bonding with friends/ family, creating new friends, building confidence, increasing physical fitness, relieving stress, anxiety or depression - these are all things finishers have told us the 52 Hike Challenge gave them! The goal is simple, sign up and commit to a hike a week. That's it! Best of all it's FREE to join.  Or you can choose to register for package which provides you with some pretty cool incentives and swag.  Sign up and learn more at my affiliate website.  Let's go!  Let's hike like never before!