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.
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.
