Hiking and Happiness in Phoenix

I’m sitting on the plane reflecting on an amazing trip with friends. It all started with a late-night text. I hadn’t seen my college roommates in years. We’d never done a girls trip. It was a cold November night, when on a whim I texted, “Ladies, is this the winter we finally take a warm weather trip together?” We quickly picked a weekend and made plans.

This trip was exactly what I craved. I desperately needed to slow down my life, get away, think, reflect and laugh. It was timed pretty well with a snowstorm and the polar vortex taking over our three Midwestern states.

We arrived in Phoenix and within hours we were hiking Camelback Mountain. After I decided I’d gone high enough, we found a new trail with a different landscape that didn’t make our heart rates skyrocket. We hiked many different places, all with spectacular views. We had a couple of breathtaking sunsets. I saw sun dogs twice, an amazing sight that I thought you could only see on frigid winter days up north. I always feel like my mom is with me when I see them.

Two of us got a bonus day due to the weather, and we made the most of every minute outside. We did one of my workout videos by the pool, hiked twice, had an early dinner on a patio and saw the most amazing sunset I can remember. We moved our bodies in ways we weren’t used to. We challenged our minds, lungs, and legs, and are heading home stronger, and mentally prepared for the snow and sub-zero temps.

I cannot wait to see my family, tell them my stories and show them the pictures and videos I took. The video of the crazy winding dirt road up and down the mountain. Finding yet another drivers license on the ground (I must look down a lot), and locating Kurt the poet from New York, who bought our breakfasts to say thank you for getting it back to him. The sunset that suddenly turned vivid colors before our eyes. I want to share all of this with them so they know how much it means that they held down the fort, and supported this important trip for my mind, body, and spirit.