It’s been awhile. And this week, I was finally honest with myself about why.

I’m about 4 hikes behind (from 1 hike per week), but I know warm weather will give me time to catch up come Spring.

Despite a little snow, I decided to use a free hour of mine to hit a trail.

I originally intended on hiking the Mirabeau Trail. It’s a beautiful trail with a waterfall that I really wanted photos of. Unfortunately, due to bad trail signage, and me being lost in the moment, I found myself a mile down the Spokane Valley Centennial Trail.

But let me tell you, this is such a gem to find in the middle of a city like Spokane!

While on my hikes, I try to give myself a mental break to process. That’s one of the biggest reasons for the challenge! From this hike, I took away two big things.

Fear holds you back.

I almost didn’t go on this hike. You see, I hike alone. It terrifies my family. There’s just not many people that want to hike at the drop of a hat and on my schedule, plus I like the freedom of hiking alone.

When I pulled up to the trailhead, a man pulled up right after me. I thought I’d wait for him to get out so he didn’t realize I was alone and follow me. I waited for 10 minutes and he finally just drove away. So I hit the trail.

I don’t tell you this to freak you out. I tell you this to show that the world is full of good and bad. If we spent our whole lives believing that there was nothing but bad in the world, we would never experience anything fun!

I passed plenty of people on this hike. They all smiled and said “hello” as I passed.

Never let the fear of what might happen, hold you back.

Get off the pavement, even if it’s not recommended.

The big thing that frustrated me about this hike was that the majority of it, or at least the part I accidentally traveled down, was paved. This is not what I wanted. I want to hit a game trail somewhere no body knows. It’s just not as easy when I’m not as familiar with the area.

There were a few opportunities to take a side trail and taking them dramatically enhanced my experience. It took me out of Spokane and made me feel a little more at home.

Stats: 2.0 miles / 62 feet / 36:08

For more information about the 52 Hike Challenge click here or follow along as I log every single hike to come right here and on my Instagram!