blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike
Long-distance backpacker Alison "Blissful Hiker" Young has walked over 13,000 miles on six continents including New Zealand's Te Araroa, Europe's Pyrenean Haute Route, Africa's Drakensberg Traverse and the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States.
In a series of personal essays coupled with found sound, this podcast explores her journey of self-discovery as a middle-aged titanium-reinforced cancer thriver, sharing the sometimes unglamorous but vital truth about empowerment, inspiring others to blaze their own trails in this journey we call life.
blissful hiker ❤︎ inspiring you to hike your own hike
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, "Never Quit on a Bad Day."
- It’s a reminder that it’s a good idea to hold off on making major decisions when things get tough and instead give yourself space to get some perspective.
- On day 100 of the Te Araroa, New Zealand's long trail, Blissful Hiker hits a wall, sitting down to cry and consider quitting. But once she lets it all hang out, she realizes how silly she sounds and laughs at herself.
- Laughing at yourself is one of the best tools in a resilient person's toolbox, because it keeps us from being narcissistic.
- When we have a bad day, instead of asking, "Why me?" we can ask "What now?" and get on with what needs to be done.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
