This year (2017) I decided to participate in the 52 Hike Challenge. The founders, Karla and Phillip, started the challenge after personally experiencing the benefits of hiking once a week for a year. Not only has participating in the challenge helped me mentally and physically this year, but keeping track of my hikes also motivated me to explore new trails.
So far I have completed 24 hikes in 7 different states! Some highlights have been:
Arches National Park, 
Canyonlands National Park, 
Mammoth Cave National Park (x2); 
Cuyahoga Valley National Park;
Watkins Glen State Park;
Radium Hot Spring;
and Starved Rock State Park Mega Hike.
I am excited to see where the other 28 hikes lead! Learn more about the 52 Hike Challenge here.
Update: I completed the challenge on December 10th and loved every minute of it!
