First Month of Mini-Retirement

I am about a month into my mini-retirement and so far, it’s everything I dreamed it would be. With my AT thru-hike beginning March 16th, I had about a 6-week interim period between the start of my mini-retirement and leaving for Georgia. 

I had 3 goals for this period: 

1. Travel
2. Spend time with family
3. Physically prepare for the AT

So far, I’d say I’m nailing it!

First Trip – Nostalgia in New England Nature

Travel	Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont
Family	My parents and younger sister
Fitness	5 days of cross country skiing

Read about it here.

Second Trip – Active Alaska Adventure

Travel	Alaska
Family	My older sister and brother-in-law
Fitness	7 days of cross country skiing (and 1 hike)

My Alaska trip was fabulous and chockfull of Alaska-y things. 

✅ Saw the Northern lights

✅ Saw 5 moose

✅ Skied 7 days

✅ Climbed a mountain in the snow

✅ No injuries 

✅ Saw the start of the Iditarod 

✅ Went to a snow sculpture competition

✅ Completed a 5-day intuition challenge with a life coach

✅ Tried a barre and pilates workout for the first time

✅ Attended Banff Mountain Film Festival

✅ Visited a native Alaskan arts market 

✅ Ate tons of locally harvested Alaskan salmon, moose, rhubarb, and blueberries 

✅ Spent quality time with sister and brother-in-law

I have visited Alaska a handful of times over the years, but never before in the winter. The highlight for me was exploring the cross country ski trails around Anchorage. Cross country skiing, which is a full-body, high-cardio, low-impact workout, happens to be really good cross training for a thru-hike. It was great training, but really I just love it. Staying with my sister in Anchorage made an incredible launching point for multiple full or partial days of skiing. I was completely blown away by the quality and quantity of easily accessible free groomed trails within the city. 

Third Trip – Walking in Washington

Travel	Washington state
Family	Mother-in-law, father-in-law, and sister-in-law
Fitness	Local hikes and daily walks

I’m writing this post on the airplane from Anchorage to Seattle. The Washington trip will be my final full week before beginning the AT. Though the primary purpose of the trip is to visit family, I do plan to incorporate daily hikes and/or walks to keep my fitness level up as much as possible.

Though it is sometimes challenging having family scattered all over the country, it also makes for some good travel! I’ve gotten a lot of bang for my buck this month too. Not having to plan around a work schedule means I can pick the cheapest flight days, and the ability to stay with family keeps trip costs very low. But the best part is, without a job looming over me I feel more able to live in the moment. Mini-retirement gives me the relaxed flexibility to single-mindedly enjoy travel and time with family.