52 Hike Challenge
Yesterday I had a little fun with resolutions and setting goals for the new year. Today I want to be a little more serious. Last year I joined the 52 Hike Challenge and it was an amazing motivator for me. I enjoyed it so much that partnered up with them! Disclaimer: if you sign up by using one of these links I may receive a small commission.
The concept is pretty easy at the 52 Hike Challenge. Do one hike a week for the year. It is a wonderful way to be outside and get some exercise at the same time. There are several options to join but for my first year I signed up for the Standard Package of the Original Challenge.
By signing up you get a printable journal to keep track of your progress, a patch and some stickers and a sealed envelope. The sealed envelope was the most important part for me and I’ll explain that in a bit.
Is it hard to do?
The best part of the 52 Hike Challenge for me was that it is super easy to do. You can do it on your own schedule and are responsible to self report your hikes on social media. So all you have to do is go on a hike. Take a picture of yourself or the hike and then post it Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
There are also group outings and social media groups if that is more your style. I did most of my hikes on my own because that is more my thing. No matter what you enjoy, you should be able to participate in the 52 Hike Challenge.
What the 52 Hike Challenge meant to me.
There were really three parts for me on the 52 Hike Challenge. The first and most interactive was the posting my hikes on Instagram. It was a reminder every time I was on the trail that I wasn’t doing it alone. I would finish my hike and find the picture to post. Then I would see other people who were in the challenge and follow along their journey through the wonders of the internet. It was great to get comments and encouragement or reposts from other challengers or even the 52 Hike Challenge themselves!
The part that really touched me was on a random day when I checked my Instagram account and saw I was in someone’s mentions. Another challenger had finished his 52nd hike and thanked a lot of people. Then he thanked me for helping motivate him to finish. I had never met him. He lived in Ohio and I live in Colorado but I inspired him by finishing myself.
That was a big moment for me. I realized how small the world was in one post. I didn’t realize how much I was motivated by watching other people’s stories and I surely didn’t think that I would be motivating someone by finishing my own challenge. It was really an amazing feeling.
The Yellow Envelope
The third motivator for me was that little yellow envelope. Like most exercise programs, I started fast and then had a bit of a lag. It was hard to keep going at times. I mean how many walks alone in the woods can you take?
Then I would look over and see that little yellow envelope just staring back at me telling me to finish. It’s silly but I got to the point that I wanted to open that so bad! It was like 36 weeks of waiting to open a Christmas present! Here is my moment.
My Interview with the 52 Hike Challenge Co-Founder
Can you do it?
Of course you can!!! I am lucky enough to live in Colorado where there are about 5 million places to hike. But a hike can be a walk around the neighborhood park or river walk. The challenge does set the minimum at 1 mile so as long as you can find a few mile long hikes you will good to go.
You can also check on Facebook for group hikes if that will help motivate you. If the goal is to be active, this might be the perfect organization for your to join. It meant so much to me and really helped me to finish my goal.
So if you think this would be a great way for you to hit your new years resolutions click on this 52 Hike Challenge Link to get more information and sign up. Good luck on your challenge and happy hiking!