Month: September 2017

Find your tribe or create it!

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We belong to a great group…or tribe….many of the members have been friends since their babies were infants and now few have kids left in the family nest. Whether we are all together on a day hike or just some of us can meet up, having someone to hold you accountable on the day you’d rather sleep-in but instead planned a crack-of-dawn hike early to beat he Arizona heat always keeps you moving.

Given that the great outdoors offers adventures near and far our tribe does regular day hikes on trails we know like the back of our hands. (We can do the whole trail or go for just the amount of time we have available that day). Or plan a weekend getaway to a place we have only seen in pictures and go to explore! Some of the group has even done international travel together on a journey to far away places in Europe.

A tribe of women can be tricky because we are not all made out of the same mold but a common like of the outdoors and the enjoyment of our spirits naturally being lifted usually makes for lots of laughter and easy flow conversation. Our common love of hiking is simple but the distance we like to go can sometimes be uncommon among us. We try to maintain flexibility with a buddy system so whereever we go if someone doesn’t want to go the whole way then we can break into groups. Everyone stays happy by doing the distance that is best for them.

Our group size waxes and wanes with regulars and guests here and there. Having a tribe provides comfort in knowing that we will always have a hiking buddy and a sounding board for whatever we might need to discuss “with the girls” to get clarity.  Given that not everyone is available everyday having as many as ten women in our group has made availability pretty good for a few of us to consistently match up our schedules.

A couple of us have cabins in the high country in the White Mountains of Arizona. It makes for a cool retreat with a variety of hiking trails when wanting to get out of the Sonoran Desert HOT summer temperatures sounds like a cool idea. This October, eight of us will be seeking aspen-Fall-leaf color while hiking the beautiful mountain trails together. I’m looking forward to exploring trails I’ve yet to see and to share the adventure with the tribe. I’m sure that there will be laughter and humming chatter bouncing off the trees as we walk about them.

Find your tribe….join a hiking club…enjoy what you love with others who feel the same!

Kat

PS. Pics of tribal toe tattoos! and some of the TRIBE .

 

Gwens Introduction 

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I’m Gwen and I am the other half of wildsideof50. I once was a 20-something with a terrific husband and 2 sweet babies whom I was blessed to stay home with. But as the saying goes, “The days are long but the years are short”…here I am a 50-something with the same terrific guy and 2 incredible young adult children. These 3 offer me non-stop support for all my whacky adventures and projects. I am grateful for this. 

My interests are broad; I hike and I backpack. I am a frustrated painter. I can knit a scarf but crocheting is a complete mystery that I will conquer before I take my last breath. I sew. I dabble in jewelry. Im always up for Ceramics. and I “do” interiors. I am neither great, nor tragic at any of my interests, but I enjoy it all and it keeps me coming back and it keeps me trying new things. Kat and I both hope our blog about women our age trying and doing will both inspire and challenge. 

~Gwen

Kats’ introduction

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Taking in Havasupia!

Hello I’m Kathleen (called Kat). I am a 54-year-old wondering where the years have gone. I feel like I just turned 50 and thinking it’s not as old as I thought it was when I was 12! The clock is ticking and I want to live as much as possible doing the things I love to do and to do the things I’ve always dreamt about. Fortunately I have a few adventurous friends willing to go for it with me!

I have grown children with my youngest who just graduated from college in May ’17 and is establishing himself in Northern California not far from where I grew up in Napa. (California’s Sierra Nevada’s were my first true love affair with nature.) My children seem to have flown successfully from the family nest into their own and are thriving in the lives they wish to create which makes for a very happy momma.

At 49 I suddenly become a widow and have had to do some re-establishing and adjusting in an attempt to find myself again. Blessings come in many ways; my kids, my family and my friends have more than once provided the missing link to help me find my way to today!!! Regardless of life experiences life after 50 looks a lot different to most of us seeing the golden years creep a little closer. So I’ve tried to keep my big girl pants on and pull up my boots while embracing life’s ups and downs including it’s wild adventures.

I want to share all that’s coming and revisit some of the past with you. I’m hanging on with a warm heart, a big smile and a huge welcome to the ride…..lets go!

~Kat

So happy to be here…

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Our first blog entry is exciting……living on the other side of 50, the ‘new’ 30 (at least that is what we think) lets us use what wisdom we have gained through the years and follow through on our desires for the remaining ones we have left. We are wanting to inspire and support adventure seekers who love the outdoors, travel, and the creative spirits looking to express yourselves in DIY projects, be it in the arts, crafts or food, and to share our own ideas, adventures and thoughts about all of it with you! Life is worth living to the fullest potential and that can mean many different things to all of us but hopefully with the like minded “Wild side of 50” followers we can explore and uncover the likeness between all of us looking to be all we can be after 50!

We are here to share our experiences and insights while doing our hikes, from a day hike to a 20-day back-pack trip, including photographs of the beautiful places we visit. Our world travel experiences and why we keep going back to favorite places and continue to explore new ones. We will show you our creative side and sometimes the silly to extravagant DIY projects we undertake. We will include the artistic side of us and the projects we complete. We all have to eat; while sharing some baking or cooking ideas maybe you will try what we think is yummy! Being 50 and embracing what everyday brings with its own aches and pains we will share some of our secrets of will power to just keep on going and live life with passion.

The writers, explorers, artists and creators behind Wild Side of 50 will post their  personel introductions next…

Until then …

~Kat & Gwen