Last March my friend Woody posted a request on facebook that it was on his bucket list to hike the West Coast Trail and who wanted to go with him?  My longtime friend Theresa said she would go.  It’s a 47 mile hike off of Vancouver Island with miles of coastline and forest hikes.   (There is a great West Coast Trail Documentary of a Canadian reporter doing this hike. ) Only 26 people can be on the trail at a time .  You can either begin in the north at Bamfield, which an easier stretch or begin in Port Renfrew and do two days of 100 foot ladders and slogging through the mud.  Extreme fitness at it’s best.

So I responded to his post saying Theresa said yes to this hike?  Never imagining in my wildest dreams I would say yes.  I was a shopping mall walker at the time and not nearly in the physical shape needed to participate in a hike like this one.  The last time I had hiked was in the late 70′s in Yellowstone National Park.  Woody and Theresa are both experienced hikers and as it turned this was on Theresa’s bucket list as well.  And so the enrollment began… After a coffee date and many concerns, (read FEAR) I said yes to this adventure.

Fast forward 3 1/2 months after having trained — hiking twice a week, strengthen training with my fabulous trainer Emily Jennings, worked on strengthening my knees and hips I was ready to carry my 40 lb pack 47 miles to victory.  If I died climbing all those ladders I had lived a good life.  Something was compelling me forward to try something impossible,  In my mind I couldn’t see myself succeeding and I was determined to try despite my fears.  My son Zach has a bumper sticker in his room that says “Fail until you Suceed”.  That was my motto so off we went.

Where does fear stop your life?