This Year Brought Hiccups… and Hiking Saved My Sanity

So it hit me: for 19 entire years before I started hiking, I’d been walking around with my jaw clenched.

Then came 2025 (yes, I’m talking to you).

It didn’t just arrive - it burst through the door, kicked off its shoes, waited a while, and left a few “hiccups” across my timeline.

Maybe even a few… major ones.

Relax, Beryl. I am absolutely not unpacking that chaos right now.

But thanks to hiking, 2025 also handed me a kind of freedom I didn’t know was possible, delivered more peace than I thought I was allowed to imagine, tossed me into adventures I don’t remember ordering, introduced me to people I could actually relate to - and taught me how to handle those hiccups a little better.

Maybe.

Maybe it didn’t.

What I do know is this: on the trails - and later, fixing my content and reliving the adventures - peace showed up.

And honestly, that counts for everything.

Thank You, Hiking Community

For the first time in… well, forever, I actually did something I said I would do.

No procrastinating. No “I’ll get to it someday.”

I embraced camping (kinda), communal living (sorta), and yes - a bit of spontaneity.

I said I would, and I did.

I can’t take all the credit. It's also the hiking community. The Clubs and groups - those legends who dangled adventures in front of my face like carrots.

Every time I overthought things and sent paranoid “what if” messages, they’d either passive-aggressively blue-tick me or shut it down fast with a confident, “We got you.”

And you know what? They did. They actually had me.

Do they all fully embrace having me around? Maybe not. But who cares?

They have me, I have them, and that’s what counts.

Between them, my traitorous children and my small, beautiful tribe, I got to hike, laugh, and survive the trails with people who get it - the ones who understand the beauty (and occasional pain) of hiking life.

The Little Tribe That Could

And about that tribe… I treasure every step we’ve taken together.

You are my people, my joy, and the unexpected icing on the cake that hiking gifted me.

I can’t thank you enough.

The Following That Did

And let me not forget my social media peeps.

You’ve been there through the laughs, the overthinking, and the tiny victories.

You’ve inspired me, motivated me, and reminded me that my chaotic ramblings have an audience.

Thank you — from the very bottom of my boots — for being part of this journey.

Plans for Next Year: Because I Have to

So I did what I said I would this year.

And next year? I have plans.

Big ones.

I’m doing Drakensberg and at least one slackpack multi-day hike.

There. I’ve said it.

Out loud.

In public.

On the internet - which is basically binding.

How could I not follow through?

How could I ever face you if I don’t?

Exactly.

Lessons Learned

With every trail, I learn something new - about myself, the world, and the people around me.

But the most important lessons so far?

Hiccups are inevitable. 

Sometimes you trip, you fall, sometimes life drops a boulder on your path.

Hiking taught me that you can keep moving anyway.

Community matters. 

Even the snarky, chaotic, sometimes borderline annoying humans (yes, it’s me) you meet on trails somehow end up having your back when it counts.

Do the thing. 

Procrastination is the enemy. Commit, step out, and just go.

And Beryl, yes, I survived the hiccups. And yes, I hiked through them.

Happy New Year to everyone - see you on the trails… probably overthinking something, definitely holding up the group to take photos.