About

Hi there, my name is Kathy.   6.5 years ago my husband Aaron and I picked up and moved from Chicago to Colorado.  Our goal was to hike, camp and ski as much as we could while learning every inch of the mountains that were now our backyard.  It didn’t quite happen in the order we planed, in fact it barely ever happened because the business of getting settled took over, before I knew it 6 years had passed and I had put on 60 pounds.  When I had already moved here 40 pounds overweight…..

Then something happened this past March, my niece Anne came out to visit and wanted to hike.  I picked what I thought would be a cake hike and while I was overweight, well really super overweight, I was still moving so I thought it would be ok.  It was just terrible, we barely made it a mile in on the Bluestream trail just outside Boulder.  It is a beautiful hike, you hike towards the flatirons and on a clear crisp morning it should be breathtaking, but the only thing I could focus on was how hard a relatively flat easy trail was proving to be.  We turned around shortly thereafter and headed back to the car with me making all these excuses to my niece that had nothing to do with my weight and health.  Inside I knew I had to make a change and start doing the things I loved to do, what brought us to Colorado and to do that I had to get healthier and lose most of this weight.

It is now 5 months later, we have hiked every weekend since that revelatory one in March and I have managed to lose 30 pounds so far while learning so much more about Colorado, yay me!  My goals have become more defined and the multitude of places we have hiked are starting to get jumbled in my head.  So I am starting this blog for a few reasons, first to have a record of where we have been with pictures and details about the trails.  To help keep me motivated and honest about losing the remaining 60 pounds before I turn 40 next December.  Finally to work up to doing 14-ners by next summer 2013 while seeing every inch of Colorado we can.

Just so you know, this is my first blog so please be patient with me while I figure it all out.

Thanks for stopping by!

103 thoughts on “About”

  2. I love the hiking to healthy inspiration. I grew up here and even though I have been on lots of hikes I still feel like I should appreciate and utilize what CO has to offer more. I had a goal of doing 5 14ers this summer. I did one in June, one in July, and have 4 planned for the end of September! My overall goal is to eventually do every 14er 🙂

    I also finally bought a pass…I am going to learn how to snowboard this winter! 🙂 Love your goals. Keep hiking!

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    1. Congrats on your achievement with the 14ners, that is amazing and I am sure you will hit your overall goal. With every hike we do, I often find myself wishing I had grown up here just so I knew more of the gems all you natives know about. We are going to work on our stamina and strength through the winter in hopes we can conquer a few ourselves next summer. Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my blog!

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      1. I am excited for you!! I wish you luck 🙂 Also, if you want to see the different peaks I climb keep checking back 🙂

  6. Good for you! Congratulations on setting a goal and “hiking” toward it. Congratulations on the progress you have made so far and good luck the rest of the way. You can do it!

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  8. I love your blog! I can so very much relate to your quest. In 2002, I began my long journey to losing 112 pounds (not quite goal, which was still another 30 pounds away). Did it in 2 and a half years, but put almost 70 pounds back on since 2005. I remember the celebration I had when I was able to hike the short Rock Cut trail on Trail Ridge, without stopping. The inner thrill, exhilaration, and sense of accomplishment was unrivaled. You are an inspiration for sure. Oh and yes, I’m back to my journey again…24 #s down and 70 to go. 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much! Our hike yesterday felt pretty awesome I practically ran the whole 3.5 hrs/10 miles and felt good all around. It is hard to keep the weight off, I hope I can stay on course and keep myself motivated! Good luck to you and congrats on the 24 lbs down that is celebration worthy!

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  9. That’s great that you’re almost halfway there! Very inspirational. Getting out there and enjoying nature seems like a much better way to do it than going to a gym.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I do perfer working towards a new hike then just another level on some machine, that’s for sure!

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  10. Thanks for the like on my blog. Always to happy to see such inspiration for the sport of backpacking. Congratulations so far on your progress and keep on trekking =)

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    1. Thanks Cameron! I really enjoyed your blog too! I think I can learn a lot from it!! Thanks for coming by!

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      1. Np! Let me know if you have any questions and I would be more than happy to try and help =)

  11. Such a lovely blog! Your photos are beautiful, I’d love to visit those places one day too 🙂
    Good luck with your goals, stay motivated!

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    1. Thank you so much Lyra! After seeing your amazing art and photos, you have given me a lot to aspire too! Thank you for checking out my blog too!

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  12. Way to go! You are certainly an encouragement to others. I started hiking with my wife 3 years ago to get in better shape and it has been amazing. Looking forward to your adventures.

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    1. Thank you so much! It has been a pretty amazing 7 months and the more I read, either through blogs like yours, or books of trails the more excited i get about how much there is to explore. I don’t think I will ever get tired of it!

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  13. Hey Kathy, Thanks for your follow of my blog too! I found that the outdoors (apart from being a great love of mine) is a great way to get in shape. About 13 years ago I lost around 33 lbs (15kgs) bushwalking and hiking. It changed my life forever!
    Keep up the great work.
    Cheers
    Caro

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    1. Thanks Caro! It is something about the outdoors and hiking that just makes me want to be able to do more and that is the motivation I need! Really enjoying your blog! Thank you for the follow as well!

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  14. Wow, and you have all the cool mountain trails, too! With your knowledge of the local trails, you could easily organize hikes for others! Having a bunch of others counting on you to be at the trailhead to guide them provides extra incentive…

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    1. The beauty of Colorado is what brought us here! The mountain trails are amazing here. Today I am not so sure I could guide others but what a dream life that would be to show others all this beauty first hand! Thank you so much for checking out my blog and be safe with that wicked storm!

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  15. Hi Kathy! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I just wanted to encourage you on your journey! How awesome that you have hiked every weekend since March… Way to go! I may stick around your blog to learn about more great Colorado hikes as we just moved here 4 months ago! Best wishes! 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much Cheril! It is so easy to find a great hike right around the corner, I am so glad we finally got out there and started exploring. Let me know if you have any questions on hikes or whatever, I don’t know a ton but I know some!

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  16. WOW! Inspiring journey. Thank you for visiting my blog because that brought me to yours.

    I look forward to following your hiking adventures because I’m sure they’ll inspire me to explore my own home area here in Brisbane, Australia even more.

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    1. Coming from you Andrew, that means so unbelievably much to me. After reading about your incredible courage and amazing journey, I was thrilled i had stumbled upon your blog! So WOW right back at you! I can’t wait to learn more about your healing process as you get back on track for your next ultra marathon! Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog!

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  17. What a great idea – I’m so impressed you hike so often! It’s inspirational, and I think you are brave for sharing your story. I’m looking forward to more!

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    1. At first I wasn’t sure we could manage it but there is so much to see here in Colorado, that the trails have been plentiful and we have barely scratched the surface! Plus the excitement of each new trail keeps me motivated to keep losing weight… Your story is pretty awesome and brave too! I hope you find your way out here to get your fill of the southwest. Thanks for the follow.

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  21. Wow! What an inspiring goal! You are a role model of determination.

    I moved to the Bay Area from Golden, CO a year ago. Much about it I miss. I’ll be stopping your blog to follow your success and enjoy seeing photos from home.

    Kudos and way to go!

    Heather

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    1. Thank you Heather!!!! I don’t feel very role model-ie, especially this week after the holiday weekend but I plan on fighting hard! Love love love Golden, I can imagine how you are missing it! Thank you for checking out my blog!!!!

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  24. Thank you for stopping by and liking my post. I am joining you as I am in need of getting my almost 62 year old but young at heart body in shape….

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  30. Thanks for following my blog! It seems we share the same passion for hiking Colorado trails. Perhaps one day we will cross paths!!!!

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  32. You should consider hiking Staunton State Park. You would really like the 11 mile round trip to see Elk Falls while it is at maximum runoff. 18 miles of neat, long trails to enjoy.

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    1. Ha! That is so funny that you say that, I was telling my husband how I was reading your blog and learned about it. We passed it today and I was planning on getting all the park details so we could visit soon! Excellent suggestion!!!!

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      1. Just ensure you arrive early on the weekends. We were at capacity (all parking lots full) before noon today. There were thousands of folks hiking at the park today.

  33. Love your blog! I love Colorado and though I live in Arkansas, I have just started a similar weight loss journey, I plan to do a lot of hiking to get fit.

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  34. Dear Kathy, what a wonderful blog you have! I have been browsing around: the photo’s are stunning, I like your down to earth and positive way of writing and how inspiring to share your story! You are a beautiful person in every ways! I have no doubts you will reach your goal.
    My youngest son had a bad start in live and his doctor’s advise: ‘go walking with that boy as soon as he has ‘the legs’ for it” That was a piece of solid advise! Hiking is a serious addiction since then for my husband and two sons. It brings us to most beautiful places, keeps us in shape and calms the spirit when needed;o)
    I will keep on following your blog and thank you so much for sharing! Love, Johanna.
    ps Our youngest is almost nineteen now and a healthy tall handsome fellow who starts college in August: yay!

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  35. The beauty about hiking for weight loss is that you are inevitably enjoying yourself so much that you don’t really think about the losing weight part until afterward.

    It does work though. I started hiking in the spring last year at a tender age of 44 and weighed close to 14 stone, after around a year of hiking I’m down to a mere 10.5 stone(!) And that’s without doing any real form of dieting.

    The weight loss part for me was almost incidental to the fun I was having doing the walks – hopefully it will be the same for you too! 🙂

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    1. It is the same for me Rob! The hiking is so wonderful here that during the week while I work on the next hike, each workout is easy because I know it will allow me to go further and higher!

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  36. Cruised through your blog, but didn’t find the answer to a question that’s been bugging me for some time. Ingrid over at http://livelaughrv.wordpress.com/ suggested you might be able to identify a hike off of I-70. I did check out the section of your hikes off I-70.

    Judging by your blog it looks to be way below your level, but my husband and I stopped on our way from Utah to Boston for a truly lovely little hike somewhere west of the Eisenhower tunnel (it was back in 1984, so the memory is a bit vague). What I do remember is that it started off just off a small parking area (next to the river) and climbed in altitude pretty quickly with lots of switchbacks. It ended at an idyllic tiny little lake with crystal clear water and a waterfall you could go behind.
    Any ideas?

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    1. Hi Gunta – I LOVE Ingrid and all that she has to share, I am surprised she was stumped as her Colorado knowledge is so vast! I think you may be thinking of hanging lake. Do you recall how far you went to the lake? Was it a beautiful shade of crystal clear green blue and in 1984 I doubt they had the chains to help you get up there but does that sound familiar? It is right off I-70, west of the Eisenhower tunnel. Not a long hike to the lake and falls and just spectacular. You should google it and tell me if that looks like it, I haven’t been there myself but have been planning a trip for this fall. If it is not it, let me know and I will find it! I definitely want to check a hike like the one you described!

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      1. Much like Oregon, Colorado is so loaded with treasures it would take a lifetime to explore them all. Headed out to the beach at the moment, but will check the site and I even have pictures of my own from that hike. Will get back to you! 😀

      2. THANK YOU, thank you, thank you! Yep, that’s the one!!! Recognized it as soon as I spotted that charming little waterfall. I’ll have to take another look to see if the scanned shots from that day are worth posting. If not, drop me an email (at my about/contact page and I can send them to you.) I seem to be up to my ears at the moment, so it may take a few days to dig out the old pics.
        One more time thank you for providing a location for one of my best memories with my hubby.

      3. Oh I am so glad I could help!!!! I need to check out your blog so I can see how your adventure was back in 1984! Thank you for reaching out!

  37. Hi Kathy! What a good story you have! We moved from MN a year ago and love hiking as well. It’s hard not to be healthy in this beautiful state. I found your site when I was googling waterton canyon…gonna go biking there today.

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    1. Hey thank you Shannon! I hope you had fun at Waterton it is a great place for a bike ride! Thanks for checking out my blog, it is REALLY easy to find good motivation to get outside in this great state! I am so glad we made the move out here!

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  38. Hey, were you guys hit by the flood? or something else..if it work stuff also, perhaps networking can help. All the best from a fellow Colorado blogger.

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    1. Hi Wendy!!! I am just getting to post on that hike! Meeting you and James was by far the highlight!!! Thanks so much for spending so much time chatting with us, I hope we didn’t ruin your hike or timing at all.

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  40. Because I enjoy your blog so much I have nominated you for a Sunshine Award! Just check out my blog so see how to accept it. If you don’t want it, no worries, just leave it 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!

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  42. Hello Kathy,

    So proud of what you’ve set out to accomplish. I am working with an organization called Second Mile Water and we are hosting an event here this August called The Colorado 54. Might be an excellent way to combine your goals with a philanthropic challenge! We’re going to have 54 teams summit EVERY Colorado 14ner in a single day to raise money to fight water poverty in Nicaragua. Check out our website and let us know if you’re interested in starting a team or participating as an individual! http://co54.secondmilewater.org/

    Thank you and good luck this summer!
    Kayleen

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    1. Thank you so much Kayleen for checking out my blog and letting me know about this amazing challenge. I am going to check it out and hopefully I can do it.

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      1. @hikingtohealthy Something as simple as hiking or even a short walk is better than nothing! It’s never too late to get back on track 🙂 Keep it up!
        XO!

  46. *high five from one former-Illinoisan-turned-westerner to another*

    Some folks I know here in the Scottsbluff-Gering area have hiked multiple 14ers. I’ve never done one, and I’m intrigued. Your blog may inspire me to give it a go one of these days.

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    1. High Five back at you! Thanks for checking out my blog! I have to tel you that I now love summitting and the higher mountains give the most amazing views. I hope you check one out!

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  47. Looks like a great blog, as well as a great achievement for you! Well done on your efforts, and I look forward to following your journey 🙂 Leah

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  48. Hi Kathy it was nice chatting with you and your sister in Frisco last Saturday.

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