blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike
Long-distance backpacker Alison “Blissful Hiker” Young has logged more than 14,000 miles across six continents, tackling iconic routes such as New Zealand’s Te Araroa, Europe’s Pyrenean Haute Route, South Africa’s Drakensberg Traverse, Nepal’s Great Himalayan Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States.
An award-winning professional musician and syndicated American Public Media host, Alison approaches storytelling through a deeply attuned ear. Her series of intimate personal essays — coupled with field recordings gathered on trail — trace a path of self-discovery as a middle-aged, titanium-reinforced cancer thriver. They reveal the often unglamorous but essential truths of empowerment, inviting listeners to find the courage to blaze their own trails on the journey we call life.
Episodes
154 episodes
Art of the State (Parks): Winter at Lake Maria
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” —Charles DickensPart four in the series takes us on a late-winter hike through Lake Maria...
Art of the State (Parks): Fall at Blue Mounds
"Fall is audacious, even if it marks an ending, a last celebration as everything prepares for the long winter, and the Sioux quartzite escarpment that makes up Blue Mounds, bear witness."Part three in the series ...
Art of the State (Parks): Summer at Grand Portage
“Portage” means carrying a boat and its cargo between navigable waters. Thick forests once made overland travel in Minnesota and lands north slow and punishing, so lakes and rivers served as superhighways of the north. But moving from one l...
Art of the State (Parks): Spring at Lake Itasca
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” —Margaret AtwoodPart one in the series highlights a night of near-solitude at Lake Itasca State Park. The moment is a reflection on spring’s renewal and the fragi...
Aliveness
“The goal of life … is not happiness, peace, or fulfillment, but aliveness.” —Hubert Dreyfuss1. Sometimes curiosity about what’s around the next corner is enough to keep us exploring and moving forward.2. Life doesn’t end once you...
Mindset in Motion
"You can think your way into a new way of acting, or act your way into a new way of thinking."Sometimes we can’t wait for the right mindset to show up. Sometimes we have to step into the behavior first, and trust that the mindset wi...
Embrace the Suck
The trail—like life—may not always be what we want it to be, but it offers us the opportunity to choose how we respond to whatever it doles out.In the hiking world we have a saying, "Embrace the Suck!" It's a r...
Open to Awe
Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between is a great mindset when planning a major thru-hike – or any major life endeavor.Blissful is planning a thru...
Freak Show
I didn’t expect much when someone asked to closely examine my deformed fingers—but the moment ended up teaching me about what truly matters – and what doesn’t.I may be a
Let the Day Unfold
Let the Day Unfold! Let its gentle voice guide you toward unexpected surprises and open your heart to the lessons it holds.The lowly New Zealand sandfly teaches us about im...
Life is Wide
Blissful's Great-grandma Emma used to say, "Life may be short, but it’s also wide."It’s a shift in perspective – from focusing ...
Never Quit on a Bad Day
When everything goes sideways and you’re having a bad day, repeat the mantra to not quit today but instead give yourself the self-love, the break, the reset to get back on track.We have a saying in the hiker community,
Be Where Your Feet Are
Walking through woodland ephemerals in early spring reminds us to embrace impermanence and stay present in the here and now. We have a saying in the hiker community, “...
The Trail Will Provide
Hiking has a way of making us more resilient, not so much manifested as strength and persistence, but in developing trust and embracing the unknown.We have a saying in the hiker community,
TEDx excerpts: “How do you find your bliss? Take the long trail!”
On October 10, Blissful gave her first TEDx talk, “How do you find your bliss? Take the long trail!”Blissful shares the...
blissful TEDx speaker
WATCH TEDx On October 10, Blissful gave her first TEDx talk about Resilience as part of
The Grace of a Good Teacher
Taking a class this weekend, Blissful learns about the key skills of a good teacher. This was especially important ...
Life is Too Short to Waste on Speed
On the Teton Crest Trail in Wyoming, Blissful decides to go for an "SKT" (Slowest ...
Hiking While Old
On the Pyrenean Haute Route, an oafish American hiker questioned Blissful's ability to manage a route of this difficulty. “Even YOU?” he asked, his lip curling in disdain. “I haven’t seen man...
Don't Dream. Do.
Have you been wanting to do something a little wild and out-of-your-comfort-zone but were afraid to take the first step? When it comes to dreams, don't let them become a broken record of something you'll do "someday." In...
The Fear Factor
Blissful feels plenty of fear and anxiety before a thru-hike, but she manages her fears by asking, “If the worst ha...
Breast Cancer Trail: You're done!
Blissful is given the "all clear" by her surgeon and gets ready to step into the rest of her life. Surgery for
cancer thriver
Blissful takes her first hike on a trail after surgery for breast cancer and decides she prefers to be de...