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EPISODE: 10

A San Diego woman is wrapping up a year-long hiking journey of 60 hikes — by her 60th birthday.

Lori Brookes says she didn’t want to just  “show up” for her 60th , so she came up with the idea which she calls her sixty/60journey.  But along the way to reach 60 hikes she found the trail not only pushed her to become her physical best – it also helped heal her emotionally and spiritually.

“I feel great when I’m in nature,” she said. “Natures such a great healer – she expects nothing from you and is always giving – and all we have to do is go out into it and receive.”

Recent years had taken its toll. In addition to seeing her parents’ health decline, she was grieving the loss of a dear friend. On the trail, “it became clear I was in the last phase of the grieving cycle”, she said. But that’s when she saw a shift.

“When his birthday rolled around…I was more in joy of having known him versus the last few years of how his birthday felt – which was just immense sadness.”

Just four months into her journey Lori reached her 60th hike atop Tahquitz Peak. That’s when she made a new goal of reaching 180 hikes by her 60th. She’s just a few hikes away from reaching it.

Since April 2016 Lori has hiked in ten National Parks, four National Monuments, five states and New Zealand and she’ll finish her sixty/60journey on a mountaintop in Peru’s Rainbow Mountains. She’ll be joined by one of her sons and his husband on the trek reaching elevations over 14,000 feet taking to reach the geological formations of striated colors causing the mountains to resemble rainbows.

Lori Brooks is a photographer, traveler, and does marketing. You can follow her adventures at Amusing Traveller and on Instagram

Lori has also listed what she calls her “unintended consequences” and hopes to compile them for a book.