From Insecurity to Conquering Mountains: A Year of Growth

Here it is folks. My worst ever hiking outfit of my life! This fabulous ensemble was donned at Mt St Helens this time last year. To kick off my birthday week I decided to summit the shortest and first of the Washington “big 5” Volcanoes. Here’s a testament that you can dedicate yourself to personal growth, heal wounds, and make fun of your terrible clothing choices a year later. The story behind “the outfit” I wore compression pants because i was terrified my knees couldn’t handle the elevation. They helped, however due to weight I had gained during covid, they were see-though 👀. As a fix, slapped on a pair of shorts over and walla! Hiking fashion at its finest 😂. Then… i wore a fanny pack! I went with friends that were fitter, taller, and YOUNGER lol. I was so afraid of being left in the dust, I didn’t want anything to cause me to slow. Solution, fanny pack! Everything is accessible at your finger tips and you look extra fabulous without missing any steps or time 😅. Finally, the gloves. I had lost my pair of arcteryx gloves. The oversized funny looking ones I had were a loaner from my boyfriend. I had warm hands the whole time 🙌. All of this together and I looked like an adorable hobbit as I greeted Helens that fine sunrise and never posted these beautiful pictures taken by 📸: @hellofrankenbery out of embarrassment. What’s the point of this? Well… first off, function over fashion. But more importantly… I took all these wardrobe precautions because I doubted my abilities and was afraid I couldn’t do it. I was about to turn 34 and had suffered knee pains the last 2 years. I thought there was no way. Fast forward a year later, and I have no knee pain whatsoever. I feel younger than ever. I have a younger mindset due to healing I’ve intentionally focused on the past year, AND I’ve climbed Baker, and Adams, the 2nd and 3rd tallest in the state with no knee pains. All of this without having to make any wardrobe concessions 🙋🏻‍♀️. We can grow. We can climb. We can heal. We can do hard things. AND we can look back and LAUGH at the funny moments along the path of progress as we reflect back on how far we’ve come 💪.