Growing up in Washington State, I never really took to hiking. I went on a few minor hikes when I was in my 20's with my 2 cousins, but that was about it until moving to San Diego.
For my first few years in SD, I went on a few local hikes from time to time like Cowles and Iron Mt. They were easy and close to where I lived and I enjoyed being outside and getting some good exercise.
It wasn't until I was laid off from my job in 2006 that I discovered my passion for hiking. I had heard of Half Dome from some friends that it was a "must do" hike. Since I now had ample time, I scheduled a trip to Yosemite in June.
It was tough and took 4 1/2 hours to get to the top, but once I was on top marveling in the great views of the surrounding beauty of Yosemite, the hard work it took to summit was all worth it. I was hooked! That night back in Yosemite Valley, I was dead tired, but I realized that I had found a true passion.
I followed the Yosemite trip with trips to Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, Zion, Sequoia NP, Kings Canyon, Grand Canyon., and ended the year on my final state that I had yet to visit, Hawaii.
In the years following I have been on over 400 hikes, climbed the highest point in 31 states, 128 county high points, and 18 14,000 foot peaks. Outside the US, I have been on top of Kilimanjaro, Fuji, Olympus, and hiked the Inca Trail in Peru.
I was a late bloomer, but I'm just now scratching the surface of my hiking destinations and goals. I'm happy that I found a great hobby that I can enjoy wherever in the world I happen to be.
