Three Ways the Trail Helped Me in My Professional Life
Hiking has played a role in my life for many years now. It’s how I get centered and find peace, and it’s how I challenge myself. When I feel tugged to explore a trail I haven’t seen, I listen to that tug and see where it takes me. That’s how I ended up hiking over 100 miles of the Long Trail in Vermont this summer!
Hiking can be quite challenging and there are a multitude of reasons to quit when you’re out there: too cold, too wet, too steep, pack too heavy, slippery rocks… the list goes on. I’ve had to dig deep to keep going on several occasions.
Over the years I’ve started to rely on some of the lessons I learned on the trail to keep me going in other areas of my life. In yoga they call it taking your practice “off the mat,” here’s how I’ve taken my hike “off the trail.”
Lesson 1: Sometimes you have to get creative, don’t take no for an answer.
There are lots of factors that make a hike easy or difficult. Sometimes they all come together to create the “perfect storm.” There was one day this summer where the weather was ridiculously hot for Vermont, we got started later than usual, and the trail was steeper and rockier than it had been. We had our hearts set on tackling more of the trail than was really reasonable, given the circumstances. Oh, and there was also this thing, called Covid-19.
We had to change our plans. That didn’t mean bailing on the hike all together, it just meant lowering our expectations and planning to cover the extra ground the next day.
Sometimes when you arrive at a shelter, there are no more spaces and you have to be creative. You either hike on or find a spot to pitch a tent. In this case, we pitched our tents and called it a day.
You can’t give up while you’re out there… it’s remote and there’s no real way to get home easily.
There have been so many times in my career when I could have thrown the towel in. The perseverance and creativity I learned on the trail helped me to pivot when I was told ‘No’ and find another way.
My original idea for a documentary of my third climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro was turned down. So I wrote it as a memoir. Guess what? That first memoir, Fat Woman on the Mountain, was self-published! I have reached out to countless apparel and gear companies over the years. None of this stopped me from going on. In fact, if I believed the first person who turned down my story as a documentary, I never would have gotten the opportunity to make it into a movie after writing my second memoir, Gorge! And now, I serve as an official influencer for LL Bean, a dream gig for me.
Lesson 2: Prepare for the journey and don’t be afraid of challenges.
When I’m planning a big hike I always start with preparation. I do shorter hikes to train and test out my gear. I plan out the distance I will cover and arrange for rides to or from the trailheads. I layout all my provisions and make sure it all fits in my pack (and that I can lift it)!
But sometimes things happen out there that you haven’t planned for and didn’t expect. On The Long Trail there are several small rivers that have i-beams for bridges. I usually rely on my Leki poles to steady myself, especially when I’m crossing water. There’s no room for your poles on an i-beam. Instead, I had to trust my gut. I have the balance to walk across an i-beam. The only person who tells me I can’t is myself!
On another day we had to summit Baker Peak, a spot described as a rocky outcrop in the Guthook guide. I wasn’t prepared for the steep rock face we had to scramble up (with 40 lbs on our backs)! Only, I also couldn’t go back. There was no way to go but forward.
If I listened to the ‘no’ when I was in the woods, I’d be stuck there! Don’t let yourself get stuck on the way to your dreams! Unlike hiking, there is no life-flight helicopter that can transport you to your dreams. You have to push through the discomfort yourself!
There have been times in my career when I was faced with an unexpected challenge that I had to overcome. I knew Chrissy Metz was coming to town during her book tour. Since I know how to ask for help now (if you’ve followed me for a while, you will know that’s one of the major themes in my life), I asked a good friend to come with me to the signing.
When I had my moment, as Chrissy was signing the copy of her book I brought to the signing, I slipped her my book and told her, “You told me you wanted me to tell you my dreams the next time I saw you? My dream is to see my book made into a movie.”
The fear was real. No one wants to be vulnerable like that. But I knew that the worst case scenario was that she threw my book in the garbage before she left the signing. If I had listened to my fears I would not be making a movie (starring Chrissy Metz)!
I prepared for the moment by bringing a friend and bringing my book, so when the moment arose, I was ready.
Lesson 3: Don’t forget to look for the kindness of trail angels.
One of the most magical things you experience while on a distance hike, like The Long Trail, is the sense of community amongst the hikers. You find that you travel with the same companions, often meeting up at the shelters for dinner and sleep, even if you hike at different paces.
Hikers look out for each other on the trail. If someone has a blister, another person has a blister kit. If someone runs out of water, another person shares theirs. But on top of that, sometimes you run across what’s known as trail magic.
Trail magic has many forms. It can be as simple as a spot to drop your garbage that someone else will take care of, or a crate of water bottles at a spot where the streams tend to run dry. Or it can be something as magical as a cooler of ice cold Cokes on the hottest day of the hike.
Trail magic is performed by the Trail Angels. They’re people who love the trail. Many of them have hiked it and appreciated the magic left by others, so they continue the tradition by offering little acts of kindness along the trail.
Always take the trail magic.
In my career, when there’s been a chance meeting or if someone comes on my radar, I accept it as trail magic. There have been several friendships and partnerships that have sparked up because I chose to explore why someone showed up in my life.
Not that long ago I came across Mirna Valerio, aka The Mirnavator. She’s this kick-ass trail runner who happens to be plus-sized. She has also written a book about her experience and been featured in Runner’s World, among other accomplishments.
There is a tendency to shut down when we see someone in a similar field enjoying success, as if there isn’t enough magic to go around. Instead, I chose to reach out to Mirna, to explore the things we had in common. She has since become a great friend and inspiration.
Mirna showed up in my life at a time when I needed to focus on accepting that I am an athlete, too! I learn so much from how she handles her training, her fans and her naysayers. We even partnered to create the Moving Mountains Retreat last year, hopefully the start of many.
Another trail angel I’ve met along the way was Dr. Carson. I met him through my job as a national recovery advocate for the Eating Recovery Center. The more we talked, the more I felt the tug to collaborate with him. We’ve been working on an exciting project that explores the science and patient experience of binge eating disorder.
Sometimes the tug you feel is small. No matter the size, take note, examine it. It might be trail magic.
