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“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” —Charles Dickens
Part four in the series takes us on a late-winter hike through Lake Maria State Park, a meditation on seasonal transition and the quiet resilience of a landscape poised between winter’s hold and spring’s emergence.
1. Late February in Minnesota is often a slippery in-between.
2. Sun, sleet, and shadow trade places on glacial hills shaped by retreating ice.
3. Hawks scold, woodpeckers shriek, and winter quietly gives ground to mud, streams, and the smell of thawing earth.
4. At dusk, the sky burns purple and red at a log camper cabin where a fire catches in the stove, feeling especially good on a winter night in Minnesota.
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Alison Young is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
"Fall is audacious, even if it marks an ending, a last celebration as everything prepares for the long winter, and the Sioux quartzite escarpment that makes up Blue Mounds, bear witness."
Part three in the series brings us to far, Southwestern Minnesota for a day of rock climbing at Blue Mounds State Park. The day unfolds as a contemplative journey through ancient rock, shifting seasons, and the resilient rhythms of prairie life.
1. A mile-long wall of Sioux quartzite rises nearly 100-feet above the prairie, a sentinel watching over the seasons passing over millions of years.
2. The rock appeared blue from a distance but it's really pink and very climbable.
3. An indigo bunting, roaming buffalo, howling coyotes and the fading prairie grasses and bright yellow flowers surround us as we enjoy the last warm days before winter settles in.
4. The day ends with the sweet burbling song of a rare, but regular visitor to this park, a blue grosbeak singing a final farewell before flying south.
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Alison Young is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Portage” means carrying a boat and its cargo between navigable waters. Thick forests once made overland travel in Minnesota and lands north slow and punishing, so lakes and rivers served as superhighways of the north. But moving from one lake to the next required hauling everything, canoes included...
Part two in the series takes us on a short hike in Grand Portage State Park revealing the forces that shaped the land as well as the enduring human respect for that land which has long dictated travel, history, and preservation along Minnesota’s North Shore.
1. Gichi-Onigaming is the "Great Carrying Place," a nearly nine-mile portage around Minnesota's highest waterfall, the High Falls, where the Pigeon River plunges 120 feet over over billion-year-old basalt cliffs on a mad rush to Lake Superior.
2. The mist-filled viewing platform under a permanent rainbow is easily accessed by a paved trail and boardwalk, crowded on this hot summer's day with tourists.
3. A more rugged five-mile trail heads deep into forest to Middle Falls, another obstacle on the river which separates the United States from Canada.
4. Grand Portage State Park was established in 1989 and is the only state park not owned by the state. Rather it's a cooperative effort with the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, shared stewardship, shared history, and shared reverence for the land.
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Alison Young is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” —Margaret Atwood
Part one in the series highlights a night of near-solitude at Lake Itasca State Park. The moment is a reflection on spring’s renewal and the fragile, hard-won legacy of preservation that allows this landscape to remain alive and vibrant today.
1. Camping alone at Floating Bog Bay amid the rich smell of earth, Alison listens as frogs, birds, and insects erupt in raucous celebration.
2. The episode traces the long, uncertain journey to identify Lake Itasca as the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
3. And highlights how spring's return to this beautiful place depended on a single vote that preserved the land from logging and development.
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Alison Young is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“The goal of life … is not happiness, peace, or fulfillment, but aliveness.” —Hubert Dreyfuss
1. Sometimes curiosity about what’s around the next corner is enough to keep us exploring and moving forward.
2. Life doesn’t end once you’ve done “enough.” It keeps unfolding.
3. I hike because I am curious and because I can.
4. Here's a mantra I'll take with me on my next hike of the Great Divide Trail:
You’re not hiking for records, for ego, or for others. You’re hiking because you still can—and that’s everything. Each step is a declaration: “My body is capable. My spirit is willing. I am still in motion.” There may come a day when this kind of journey is no longer possible. But that day is not today. Today, you hike.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
"You can think your way into a new way of acting, or act your way into a new way of thinking."
Sometimes we can’t wait for the right mindset to show up. Sometimes we have to step into the behavior first, and trust that the mindset will follow.
Credit is due James Loehr the author of "Mental Toughness Training for Athletes."
He says we tend to reside in three energy states: 1. Relaxed-Ready, 2. Positive-Energized, 3. Negative-Energized 4. and the dreaded Negative-Fatigued
To move out of the more negative states into the positive ones we need to use our emotions as data. What are they telling us?
Instead of resisting how we feel, we can respond with tools like: 1. deep breathing, 2. focusing on the next small step, 3. reframing self-talk 4. and leaning on others.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between is a great mindset when planning a major thru-hike – or any major life endeavor.
Blissful is planning a thru-hike of the Great Divide Trail, a rugged and remote route that winds through the Canadian Rockies, tracing the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia.
In getting ready, the best mantra is from Maya Angelou, “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”
Training to be unsurprised is not naive, but it's learning to be flexible and steady when things inevitably go sideways, while also leaving space for joy, wonder, and the things that can’t be plan for.
In your next big endeavor, what are you preparing for, and what are you hoping for? How can being open make for a more successful outcome.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
I didn’t expect much when someone asked to closely examine my deformed fingers—but the moment ended up teaching me about what truly matters – and what doesn’t.
I may be a Blissful Hiker, but my body is twisted and deformed from severe osteoarthritis.
I’ve learned to ignore their appearance and carry on with life, focusing on what they can do rather than how they look.
When someone asked to inspect then comment on my fingers, I realized not only was it impolite and uncalled for behavior, but that my interests lie in more meaningful activities like cultivating my mind, my curiosity and my capacity to feel empathy.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Let the Day Unfold! Let its gentle voice guide you toward unexpected surprises and open your heart to the lessons it holds.
The lowly New Zealand sandfly teaches us about impermanence, to keep moving forward and to stay open to possibility.
Letting the Day Unfold is a refreshing counterpoint to the classic carpe diem mindset.
Rather than gripping the day tightly and trying to control every moment, this phrase invites us to ease our grip, to stay present, receptive, and ready for whatever detours might appear.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
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.
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.
It’s all about staying present in the moment and not dwelling too much on the past or worrying about the future. To “be where your feet are” quite literally encourages us to stay grounded.
On an early spring hike through woodland wildflowers, Blissful Hiker considers the ephemeral quality of our own lives and it makes her appreciate even more the experience of walking with friends in this beauty.
MUSIC: "Introduccion y Allegro" by Carlos Gaustavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
It signifies the aid and assistance hikers encounter on trail, encouraging trust and faith that things will work out.
On a section hike of the Continental Divide Trail, Blissful encounters a miracle and realizes that allowing the trail to provide is part of successfully walking a long trail and also living life too.
MUSIC: "Poema del Pastor Coya" by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and was founded in 1984 to showcase the "most interesting people on earth and let them communicate their passion."
The tagline is "ideas worth spreading."
The talks are short (under 18 minutes) and all memorized, given on a red dot of a carpet in front of a live audience, filmed for later broadcast.
I was recommended for this particular organization, but needed to apply and convince those in charge that I was the best person to share this idea.
Blissful's talk is about resilience in spite of life's inexplicable randomness. You'll come along with her on trail as she lets go of her flute career and meets another Blissful Hiker named Beethoven.
MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
This was especially important when she needed to face down an irrational fear of falling out of her kayak and being upside down in the water.
Here are some of those skills:
Positive Learning Environment.
Encourage Risk Taking.
Provide Feedback and Guidance
Promote a Growth Mindset
Just wanting to get better and do something out of our comfort zone isn't enough. Sometimes we need guide who possessed strong leadership and teaching skills.
Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. Use coupon code "WILD" for a discount!
MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
On the Teton Crest Trail in Wyoming, Blissful decides to go for an "SKT" (Slowest Known Time) and surprises abound.
1. John Muir (and Henry David Thoreau) hated the word "hike" and preferred to saunter, entering beautiful natural places with reverence.
2. Physiologists tell us that walking at a turtle's pace releases endocannabinoids a kind of "persistence high" that elicits a state of euphoria.
3. But most important, going slow and leaving plenty of time allows us to simply exist and enjoy – explore off-trail, enjoy sights like a bull moose, pikas, and wildflowers, and nab the best campsites!
Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here. Use coupon code "WILD" for a discount!
MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Have you been wanting to do something a little wild and out-of-your-comfort-zone but were afraid to take the first step?
When it comes to dreams, don't let them become a broken record of something you'll do "someday."
In this episode, Blissful shares three reasons why we fail to act and keep our dreams to ourselves –
rules
fear
shame
Take your dreams for a spin, even if you fail spectacularly. Your future self will thank you because, afterall, we tend not to regret the things we did do but the things we didn't do.
Blissful will give her first TEDx talk this October in Manchester, New Hampshire! The subject is "Stepping into the Unknown." Get tickets here.
MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Blissful is given the "all clear" by her surgeon and gets ready to step into the rest of her life.
Surgery for breast cancer has completely changed Blissful's body, but has given her a new power of bravery and knowing herself better.
One friend calls her a "sur-thriver" facing down the situation directly, and trying to do what St. Paul said, to "rejoice always and not worry about anything."
Time is running out but wouldn't it be cool to live fully, audaciously, without fear – and with joy – even in an uncertain world?
Next week, Blissful heads back to trail in Arizona to finish a portion she had to skip when walking two years ago.
MUSIC: Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavino as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Blissful takes her first hike on a trail after surgery for breast cancer and decides she prefers to be described as a "thriver" – or even "aliver" – rather than survivor.
It's a hot, humid summer day at Lebanon Hills, a region carved by glaciers with kettles and eskers, plus the singing of numerous birds.
Blissful's surgeon tells her it's time to put on a backpack and get back on trail, even though she's isn't completely healed.
Illness humbles us and teaches us about our vulnerability and ultimate decline, and yet it opens us up to discover our superpowers, like moving forward to see what's next.
It's the price we pay for being alive, but it offers us a chance to appreciate what we have even more.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
As Blissful heals from a bilateral mastectomy due to breast cancer, she reflects on the person she wants to be going forward.
Blissful is incredibly lucky in only having to undergo a radical surgery to rid her body of cancer.
Step by step walking through her neighborhood, she slowly recovers back to her hiker self.
The American writer Joyce Carol Oates speaks of the moment we realize that loss is part of our experience. “When that starts to happen to you, it is quite stunning.”
Being out of control with illness is falling-to-the-knees humbling for Blissful and it's a challenge to stay positive and "bad ass."
But she's inspired by the late actor Julian Sands who spoke of climbing summits as "not so much a celebration of oneself, but the eradication of one’s self-consciousness. And so on these walks you lose yourself, you become a vessel of energy in harmony, hopefully with your environment.”
What a way to live!
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
When Blissful is diagnosed with breast cancer, she undergoes a bilateral mastectomy to save her life and secure her future.
A friend tells Blissful she has it easy because she has a partner in her husband Richard.
Indeed, she is incredibly grateful to be part of a team because it's helped her navigate some very tough times in her life.
Blissful's view of life is that it can be full of abundance and grace, but sometimes bad things just happen at no fault of our own.
Kind of like the children's book, Good Luck, Bad Luck, we shouldn't blame ourselves when life throws us a curveball – no, the universe is not sending us a "message," rather it's a chance for us to grow and stretch when we learn how to face difficulty.
Bad Luck came to Blissful with a diagnosis of cancer, but good luck was that it was caught quickly, so there's no need for chemotherapy – a moment of grace.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala,Suite by Ernst Krenek and Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavinoas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano.
Blissful spends the days before a bilateral mastectomy gathering together a team of supportive women who have been through the procedure.
She also walks, hikes, bikes, swims, kayaks all in an effort to calm herself – or running away from panic.
In looking forward to being flat-chested and "ultra-light", Blissful reminisces on becoming a woman from "sprouts" to a "mean girl" to a middle-aged woman saving her own life.
MUSIC: Suite by Ernst Krenek and Introduccion y Allegro by Carlos Guastavinoas played by Alison Young, flute
The two days between Monson and Caratunk are rain-free and magical with a winter wren, hermit thrush, northern parula plus warty frogs and a curious snake.
It's two big mountains with views including Moxie Bald and Pleasant Pond with glorious views of humpy green forested peaks like emerging leviathan in an even more expansive sea of green.
Camping is near a pond circled by summer homes and loud pontoon boats, only a few miles out of Caratunk.
Blissful meets a cancer survivor finishing the Appalachian Trail and is empowered by her healing and moxie to get right back on trail.
Then she heads home for a new and scary adventure.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful makes it out of the 100 Mile Wilderness and receives a call from her doctor calling her home to have a bilateral mastectomy.
It's wet and muddy but mostly road out to Monson, Maine, the first town in ten days.
She has to go home, but not immediately, and can head back on trail for at least a few more days.
And it's perfect timing in sunny weather at last and a long reroute around flooded rivers.
But it's a gorgeous hike through forest loud with birds and frogs.
And it takes her to lovely Moxie Bald Pond where the forest creatures enchant her even when distressed by her cancer diagnosis and the fact that she'll have to go home.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
The trail is hard in rain, mud and cold, but Blissful gets the boost she needs from hiker and creature.
It's mountainous now in the 100-mile Wilderness, revealing only misty views of distant lakes enveloped in thick forest.
The "Sibs", two thru-hikers also from Minnesota, plus "Shoes," a barefoot hiker, meet her and offer encouragement.
As does Fourth Mountain Bog, a stunning ecosystem crossed by boardwalk where a White Throated Sparrow greets her as well as giant. maroon-veined pitcher plants.
It's too hard to get to the planned shelter so she and Shoes stay next to Long Pond Stream.
They are rudely awakened by hikers late at night who warn them not to try to cross and instead offer directions for the reroute.
Blissful is grateful for all that happened today, even the rude hikers who ensure she doesn't get in trouble in teh flooded stream.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful crosses a high, exposed peak in fog and rain then discovers she needs to go further than she thought.
Hiking south on the Appalachian Trail, it's the first high mountains since Katahdin, but the weather is manageable.
And there are small surprises like twisted and stunted "krumholz" trees, wildly fluorescent fungus and wildflowers heavily laden with damp.
Even high up, the birds are loud including a new bird t Magnolia Warbler.
When Blissful discovers she needs to go further than expected, crossing a river and steeply up, she goes for it.
The "Sibs" – a pair of siblings also from Minnesota – give her courage as well as spotting her first Red Spotted Newt as orange as a gummy.
The river crossing is easy and the uphills go one and on finally ending in a rock fall to climb up Chairback Mountain to a shelter shared with a barefoot thru-hiker named 'Shoes.'
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful makes her first dangerous ford over a swollen and dangerous river in flood from the non-stop rain.
For a SOBO – or southbounder – on the Appalachian Trail, it's often wise to pay for delivery of a cache of food to break up the 10-day hike of the 100 Mile Wilderness.
Right after the cache, the trail gets harder, steeply uphill into real mountains, plus river fords.
With an unusual amount of rain, the rivers are in spate and dangerous.
Blissful is alone and carefully crosses the Pleasant River – less pleasant, but doable especially with affixed ropes, yet there's no information on whether the ropes are safe.
A Winter Wren congratulates her on a successful cross, and encourages a climb to Logan Brook right below White Cap Mountain, where a shelter awaits.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
When seeing two Pileated Woodpecker parents up close, Blissful learns that she is only passing through and to savor the moment while it lasts.
It's an easy enough day on the Appalachian Trail (AT) though rainy without any views.
Blissful stops at a lovely campground on the banks of Lower Jo-Mary Lake surrounded by pink Lady Slippers, as delicate as crepe.
These first days walking south through Maine have been hard and Blissful feels like an amateur muddling through.
While she licks her wounds, two woodpeckers poke out of a snag, chittering to each other and seemingly planning who will head out for food and how will stay with the young; it's magical.
The lesson that "we're only passing through" is made apparent as is that she will never pass this way again.
And this realization makes her feel gratitude for being invited into this wild world.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
In constant rain and cold, Blissful learns the power in facing her negative feelings and using them to spur her to action rather than resignation.
The trail has yet to get hard on the Appalachian Trail (AT) but the rain is drenching.
Blissful can't stop in the cold and swarms of mosquitos even to eat, and is full of frustration but fellow hiker Ingrid catches up and gives her courage, suggesting they sleep inside the next shelter to stay dry.
It's not far or difficult to the shelter at Nahmakanta Stream and she grabs a corner spot.
Wet and cold, she is reminded of the book Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales where he says, "“Stop denying and begin surviving. You don’t have to be elite or perfect, just get on with it and do the next right thing.”
And this is exactly what she does, focusing her negative emotions to doing the next right thing - to stay as dry and warm as possible, and to keep moving ahead.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
New friends of fellow hikers give Blissful courage and she makes it to the next site now with dried out gear – only to survive yet another night of soaking rain.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful leaves Baxter State Park to enter the 100-mile Wilderness, learning that "everything changes" including the weather.
Blissful is waiting a pathology report from breast surgery, unsure if she will get the all-clear or have to manage a cancer diagnosis.
Her surgeon encourages just to start hiking while she waits and here she is.
Lured into the lovely idyllic summer weather at the start of hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) Blissful gives away her plastic waterproof backpack liner to pack her gear in compression sacks that fail completely.
The walk out of Baxter State Park is flat and easy, the trail lined with wildflowers and filled with bird song.
At Abol Bridge, she meets other hikers and they look back at Katahdin as the air turns black, lightnings strikes the summit and it begins pouring rain.
Maine rain is different in humid, saturated air and she's almost immediately soaked through.
At the warning sign, three miles ahead of the first shelter at Hurd Brook, it begins to hail.
She sets her tent with new friends who offer dry clothes and to share their tent if she gets too cold, but somehow she sleeps well through the night in a lumpy and clammy down quilt.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful decides to put her feet on the Appalachian Trail, beginning from the north on Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Those in the know will laugh when the Appalachian Trail (AT) is described as a "footpath" as it's more a rock climbing challenge.
And it's tough to get to the start, 100 miles from any airport, then a 4,000-foot climb in five miles up to the summit and Mile 0.
The weather calls for unseasonably hot weather, over 90 degrees, so it's a very early start.
Planning two nights of camping at Katahdin Stream Campground, Blissful walks steeply up to spectacular views before hitting boulders requiring crawling, pressing, pulling and squeezing with only a few iron ladders to help.
The tableland is easy walking, but exposed and hot with no wind and swarms of flies.
At the top, Blissful meets a cohort of thru-hikers and carefully returns right before a loud thunder clap.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful Hiker is honored to have been named an "Artist in Residence" by the Friends of the Porkies and will live in a remote cabin this spring to create audio narrative essays in Upper Peninsula Michigan in the Porcupine Mountains.
In this episode, she revisits her fall backpack trip when she fell in love with the "Porkies."
Awakening to a spectacular sunrise on Lake of the Clouds, Blissful walks into a the magical and primeval hemlock forest.
She meets the Big Carp River and enchanted by its silvery cascades on volcanic rock.
A short walk along Lake Superior and she's back in forest following another river, the Little Carp where she camps next to a pool reflecting gold and red fall colors.
The next day she climbs to the high point at Summit Peak, then down to gorgeous Mirror Lake and finally a private site on a beaver pond filled with nature's sound including chipmunks, owls, beaver and a howling wolf.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful Hiker is honored to have been named an "Artist in Residence" by the Friends of the Porkies and will live in a remote cabin this spring to create audio narrative essays in Upper Peninsula Michigan in the Porcupine Mountains.
In this episode, she revisits her fall backpack trip when she fell in love with the "Porkies."
In this episode:
Blissful visits this magical place, a wilderness state park of 35,000 acres of primary stand hemlock amidst a massive volcanic uplift above Lake Superior.
Her first day is along the escarpment above Lake of the Clouds to her stunning campsite with a large rock apron looking out to the astounding view.
Birds and a wolf celebrate the setting sun and the stars coming out.
As she crawls into her tent, an acorn bombardment spooks her reminding her that this is indeed a wilderness.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasalaas played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
7) :38 Everything changes “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
8) 1:50 You will never pass this way again "Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip."
9) 3:26 Let go and forgive "Forgiveness is the economy of the heart… forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."
10) 5:41 You are stronger than you think you are "If I waited for perfection, I’d never write a word."
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
One year ago Blissful Hiker set her feet on the Arizona Trail and planned to return to walk the final 100 miles, but an injury interrupted the trip.
In this episode:
This time of year is called "Lent" and is all about waiting and preparing, as well as contemplating the brevity of our lives.
An injury is like that, a close up look at vulnerability. Learning to manage the frustration teaches us how to embrace our lives.
A long walk – and the weak place of injury – helps bring the hiker closer to the spirit, letting go of control and worry and trusting in the "peace that transcends all understanding."
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala and Milongs sin palabras by Astor Pizzolla as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
Blissful Hiker shares the reasons she hikes alone, to get grounded, to engage more deeply with the world around me and to do so at my own pace.
Being alone in nature has been practiced by all civilizations to build self-reliance and connect with the spirit.
As Emily Dickinson said, "The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
But that does not mean that you shouldn't prepare by taking the Ten Essentials including telling someone where you're going, and when to expect you to return.
I have added professional speaker to my "bag of tricks." If you'd like me to speak to your group, contact me!
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
1:26 – How do you secure your bag when checking it at the airport? 3:06 – Do you pack hiking poles on international trips or buy when you get there? 6:20 – How do you choose when to use rubber tips on your trekking poles? 8:36 – How do you take care of contact lenses on trail? 10:25 – How do you know so many bird names, plant names and tree names as you hike? 11:50 – How do you keep all your pictures straight in your mind and know what is out there in the woods, country, mountains, etc? 13:49 – No experience with long distance hiking. How did you prepare, to be sure you will make it?
After a night in the "cowpie" field – flat and squishy – Blissful sleeps well under moon shadows.
It's easy walking towards Vermillion Cliffs where she meets a couple of hikers who give her sage advice about making intentional decisions and looking for people who communicate with her in her emotional language.
Angry clouds build as a sandstorm builds and she races to the end.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano
With a snowstorm coming and temperatures dropping into the teens, Blissful decides to catch a ride and skip ahead.
It's just more ponderosa pine forest and straight to the national park permit office.
It's down hill, but steep and hard walking all in direct sun through layer-upon-layer of bright reds and oranges through tourists and rim-to-rim runners.
Her itinerary on the Kaibab Trail to Cottonwoods Campground is considered "aggressive" because she's all alone.
The path appears to hang in midair as it finally meets the Colorado River, then up to a site she shares with lovely AZT hikers.
The next morning is the opposite – finally alone entirely up to the cold and snowy North Rim, through a tight opening with only the song of a canyon wren.
After such beauty, the road is a let down and she accepts a hitch back to trail and a night in a muddy meadow.
MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, piano