about
50 something, thrill seeking, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants adventurer exploring the wildest mountains and searching for the coolest adventures on the planet.
Flying By the Seat of my Pants started at 19
On Peak Performance
Exploring peak performance is a big part of my adventures. My interest was born out of experiencing these beautiful states of flow through various adventures in my life. One of the most profound states I experienced was while backcountry skiing in Whistler. Flow is this short period when time appears to stand still and the task at hand seems effortless.
In my Master’s Degree I studied the “Psycho-Philosphy of Peak Performance.” I looked at both Western thoughts behind the concept as well as Eastern. The fascinating part for me is the unknown. Peak Performance is not a linear equation. we cannot do a certain amount of training and practice and expect great results. Mother Nature has a big hand in forcing us to change our direction on adventures.
Read more about states of flow in my article, Mindset of Winners: Confidence
On my Peak Performance page I look at what it means and takes to achieve peak performance in adventure, sport and life.
In search of a little fun and sun in Australia
After three years of a four year university program I had enough and decided my new mission was to find a little fun and sun. I landed on Australia and this is where my thirst for adventure began.
And what a year that turned out to be! I met so many friends along the way as I hitchhiked and worked my way around the continent. I picked up bartending jobs but one of the coolest things I did was live on a farm with a slew of other backpackers and picked grapes. We also drank wine for the month we all lived in the south of Australia! Our crew was known for being the first group to last the entire month as picking grapes in the Australian sun was anything but easy. I also learned to drive standard as weaving through the grape vines to the local watering hole was a much quicker option than walking.
Bucket list adventure with a disclaimer
I crossed off a bucket list adventure while living in Nhulunbuy, an isolated mining town east of Darwin in the very north of Australia. Living in this town was such a fantastic and unique opportunity that I was able to do because my aunt was working for the mine at the time. She had ended up living in Australia after she went backpacking many years before me.
While there were many drunken nights with the crew from the local pub where I worked, this one adventure stands apart from all the rest.
This was indeed the wildest thing I did in Australia.
I had met a fellow adventurous sole and four of us headed out on a boat one glorious day to a very small reef island off the north east coast of Australia.
Myself and the captain were going diving. I feel like I have to write a disclaimer at this point – something to the effect of “under no circumstances should anyone dive solo especially not in shark and crocodile infested waters.”
That’s exactly what I did. It was thrilling and eye opening and exhilarating as I was deep under the Arafura Sea experiencing what few have or will ever experience.
Best beach in Moorea (Tahiti)
In my opinion there is no best beach in Moorea (Tahiti) as the entire island is stunning! At least this was the case in 1990 when I stayed for a week en route to Canada from Australia.
Adventurous Hike in Ushuaia Argentina
Adventurous Hike in Ushuaia Argentina
In the nineties I ventured solo down to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. It was an absolutely breathtaking week of hiking. After the hike, I hitchhiked across the Chilean border into Argentina and made my way to the last town at the southern end of the world.
Ushuaia is a cute little ski town with a laid back vibe. After checking out some of the local hikes I headed up into the mountains., again solo. I remember going over a pass and feeling exhilarated and not wanting to turn back. So I kept going. I descended the steep mountain and finally arrived on a paved mountain rode. I was pretty relieved that I had found civilization again.
What followed next was terrifying. I encountered German Sheppard guard dogs waiting for me at the end of every driveway. I recall bending down slowly and picking up a fairly large rock as I really feared for my life. Evidently I made it down that lonely country road and escaped any harm. I laugh now as I ended up in a very wet field where cows were grazing. This hike was definitely high on my badass babe rating scale.
Annapurna Circuit Solo
It’s the “Nepali sickness” I was told. The longer foreigners stayed in the country the more chance they have at becoming sick.
Running 100 Miles
“Only those risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go” ~T.S. Eliot
You can read more quotes that inspire adventure in the blog post on Inspirational Quotes.
Hiking Solo
I think that running 100 milers introduced me to the world of hiking solo. I did a fair bit of learning and travel in the mountaineering world when I lived both in Whistler and Banff. In these places I was usually in a group, either ski mountaineering or climbing. The odd time I found myself venturing out into the mountains solo. You can read about some challenges I had hiking solo near Fernie B.C. in this article, “Short Inspirational Stories.”
My husband loves the mountains too so we’ve done a lot of hiking together. Although his preference is not to travel in the alpine as he has a fear of heights. This is how I’ve ended up doing a fair bit of hiking solo as I LOVE the alpine zone.
You can read about some of these hikes here.