Big Idea coming up....

I’m ba-aack!  It’s been a few years (4!)  since I regularly blogged.  Life has been plugging along…

Hmmmm….  Where was I… I did not finish Lay Ministry Certification, my husband retired a couple of years early and our lives took a different turn.  We have been travelling a LOT, which hopefully you know because you followed the link from IG: @bylauramcfall, #bylauramcfall or FB: by Laura McFall.

Which brings me to why I’m picking this back up: next year is a big Milestone for me – I will turn 60.  If you look back through previous blog posts, you will see several referring to 50/50 2015.  That was the year I turned 50 and decided I would complete enough sponsored walks to equal 50 kilometers.  It was a pretty good year – I met my goal and even exceeded it by a little bit.  I also learned that I am NOT a “runner”, which I mostly already knew, but now I can proclaim it with confidence!

But what to do for 60 years?  I had entertained the idea of completing at least one “Try Tri” which is a mini triathlon – swimming, running/walking and cycling.  Biggest problem there is that I really don’t know how to swim.  Last year I thought I could join a gym with a pool and learn how.  But when I started looking at the cost and the likelihood of driving to the gym every day, etc., I talked myself out of it.  Perhaps I could do 60k – 6 different sponsored 10k walks over the course of a year?  Or 60 miles – 10 different 10k walks?  10k is just over 6 miles.  But that really didn’t feel “big” enough. 

In Dec 2023, I had total right hip replacement surgery.  You don’t realize how much discomfort and pain you’re really in, or how much it drags you down, until it is gone!  I remember first “training” for the 50/50 goal and my hubby and I walked 3.12 miles, or 5k, one day. And then he wanted to do it again the next day!!  What?  Every day?  THREE miles???  That’s nuts – let’s pace ourselves.

 Well… I’m here to tell you that not only can I easily walk 3 miles nearly every day, but I don’t even balk or think twice about going 5 or more!  Just today we hiked 6.25 miles and yesterday we hiked for 5!  We have been on a HUGE trip this year and have walked a LOT of steps, many many many hikes with lots of hills, mountains and some altitude.  I’ll share statistics in later blogs.  But for now, suffice it to say that I’m feeling great and totally ready to do something BIG!

{drumroll, please}

A Week-Long Back Country Hiking Trip.  Back Country means remote, hiking in & hiking out.  Staying for a week means sleeping bags and tent, eating dehydrated meals and carrying everything we need on our backs.  Getting back to the basics – no glamping, no campfires, no air mattress, no internet – really roughing it.   The exact destination is yet to be determined, the exact length and duration are not decided.  The goal is before my birthday, sometime next fall.

I (we) have about 8-10 months to train and ready supplies. I’ll need to get a backpack, new hiking boots, poles, sleeping bag, sleeping mats, etc.  There will be training and practice camping trips, we haven’t slept in a tent in about 15 years.  But it will be good exercise, good training, great for my self confidence and physique, great for us to work towards something together.  I couldn’t even think of attempting something this big without my coach and head cheerleader @flamingomooncampers! 

Stay tuned as this plan comes into focus and takes shape.  I will update with progress and challenges as we go along.  I have Never done anything like this my whole life!  Hopefully my family and grandkids (all eleven of them!) will see this #olddog learning some #newtricks and find their own sense of adventure and will be brave enough to face all of life's challenges, planned and unplanned.

Now….  I need a hashtag…..  ?  Any Big Ideas?