Not Ladylike Hikes – 2023 Recap

I do not remember creating this post last year – Not Ladylike Hikers 2022 Recap and Goals for 2023 – but it does seem like something I would do. I love a good “year in review” post. Even though they are a BUTT to write!

Thankfully in 2023 I did ZERO tracking for our hikes! I have no data. No kilometer totals, or average temperature. I have no lists of hikers, and have no idea what our biggest group was.

Truly these numbers don’t mean much to me anymore. I can’t put a number on the goals I have for this group.

I like tracking the growth in this group in other ways.

• I started doing mindfulness exercises with the group before we start and that was really fun (and well-received!)
• I realized that it is super important for me to remind everyone about our goals every time we meet – because if I don’t, then someone else’s goals take over
• I started including more thorough accessibility info on my posts because so many of our trails and parks are inaccessible and that’s annoying!
• We had a lot of new folks come out this year!
• Krista-Lee and I got our traditional photo up at End of the World!

WHAT’S TO COME IN 2024

To be honest, I don’t know. But I do have some specific and also general (ugh) goals for this group. The general goals will have to be tightened up if I want any hope of completing them. But here’s what I have so far:

• Go beyond land acknowledgements and dive into how I can use this group as a vehicle for personal/local decolonization
• Communicate the values and mission of our Community more often (every chance I get really)
• Examine my personal role in accessibility and advocate for more within the systems I operate within; extend that to our group’s voice
• Add creativity to these slow and nature-centered hikes
• Use our collective voice to advocate for access to these spaces by all folks, but specifically the ones we never/rarely see out here
• Find more like-minded hikers to join us on these weekly adventures
• Keep it simple (stupid)

Oh, and those mindfulness exercises are here to stay.

TO ALL OUR HIKERS

Thank you so much for coming out! Even if you only came once, I appreciate it. Taking a chance on a new group of people is not an easy task and I commend you for it.

For my regulars, my bread and butter, you are so lovely and perfect and I could just kiss you! You are the reason that Not Ladylike Hikes still exists.

To JoAnn, Don, Myron, Heather, Arlene, Krista-Lee…this is all for you. I appreciate you, and can’t wait to see you next week.