The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins

Rattlesnake Mtn Trail, WA - July 30, 2011

Earlier this month while reading a post on one of my favorite hiking blogs, The Adventures of Jobiwan, I learned about an ambitious group who was starting a 365 day 1000 mile challenge. Sonja Behnke and her aptly named blog, Overly Ambitious Me, lays out a deceptively simplistic framework that credits participants for mileage covered in a variety of outdoor activities (i.e. hiking, backpacking, walking, running, biking, kayaking, etc.).

1000 miles…sure, no problem! How hard could it be, right? Think again. Walk aross the massive state of Texas, from its eastern border with Louisiana all the way to the far western reaches of El Paso, and you would still be more than 100 miles short the 1000 mile journey. Put another way, it’s like taking two round trips from Florida to the International Space Station.

Backpacking Glacier National Park, MT

Make no mistake about it; unless you have the stamina of Forest Gump, this is a BIG challenge. I’ve had a long and well established track record for biting off more than I can chew so naturally I felt an immediate affinity with other members of the challenge group. The timeline for tracking mileage officially started on July 1st but Sonja allowed me to join late and I’ve already started stacking up the miles. I’ll need to average a little over 80 miles per month if I’m going to make it.

Sonja is still accepting requests from any other gluttons for punishment…I mean interested participants who feel up to the challenge. Visit her 1000 Mile Challenge page for guidelines and rules. If you decide to join, you can email her directly at overlyambitiousme@gmail.com.

Happy Trails!