How old were you when you started hiking?
It was August, right before ninth grade. I was 16.

Did you love hiking from the beginning, or was it more of a learned love?
I enjoyed the first couple of hikes, and I thought it would be more of a nonchalant activity for summers. But I later learned that my mom was crazy about hiking and I had to go along with it. The pure dedication is very tough because some hikes are short but rigorous, and some are fairly easy, but last up to 18 hours, so I would say it was definitely a learned love.

What is the furthest you’ve hiked?
In one hike it was close to 18-20 miles.

What was your favorite hike?
When you hike so much almost all the mountains start to look the same, but the first one I hiked had a beautiful view and finally getting to the top I thought to myself, “Wow I actually completed one”. It was called Cascade Mountain and it was easy, it was a very nice height, and it had beautiful views.

Weirdest thing that has happened to you on a hike?
Okay, this is more embarrassing than weird, but anyway I was going up this one mountain, and we veered off the trail. Keep in mind it had rained the night before, so we had to dodge mud puddles that were all around. I was walking on a dirt mound that seemed pretty dry until I came across some muddy ground, so I thought I would be safe and grab a stick to touch around and see how deep the mud would go. And it wasn’t too bad at all, so I found a spot that looked the driest and put my foot on it. My whole leg went into the mud, and the same thing happened to my other leg when I tried to take another step. I was covered in mud up to my waist, luckily there was a tree branch nearby that I used to pull myself out of the mud.

How many mountains have you hiked?
About 65

What was the hardest mountain to hike?
Algonquin Mountain was extremely steep, I was on a flat trail for three miles and as soon as I got to the base of the mountain it was basically stairs that you need to scale up. It was so vigorous, and it was wet at the time, so I could hardly get any footing. I was falling down every second, and my legs were burning. But going down was worse because it was so narrow, and there were people coming up so I had to wait for them, and when the path cleared I had to go down as fast as possible without falling, which was very challenging.

What makes the hike worth it?
When you get to the top. There were so many times I would get hit with a branch, or had what felt like a hundred black flies biting my neck, or I would trip over a rock or my own foot, or it would be pouring down rain, or it would be 100 degrees. There would be times where I would just fall down and beat the ground because I was so angry. But when I get to the top, I’ve finally completed something, and I’m happy that I get to enjoy the beautiful views around and I can see towns or lakes, and that’s what makes it worth it. I mean no sane person would hike a mountain if there was nothing to enjoy at the top. Although that did happen a couple of times, I hiked up one trail for ten hours and when I got to the top there was nothing to see, and that can make people feel like there’s no point. But most of them have a great, beautiful view.

Do you have any hiking tips for anyone who may be interested in taking up a new hobby?
Be prepared. I would say pack light, you should try to pack 5 pounds or less. I usually just bring a couple of water bottles, a few granola bars, and a sandwich. And you have to have good footwear. Your shoes need to fit correctly, and they need to have good tread.

Do you have a dream hike that would be your ideal hike?
The hike would be right in the morning, easy and relaxing, the perfect temperature, with my family or friends. Or a night hike, so I could see stars in the sky.

Any important life lessons you’ve learned through hiking?
Perseverance. As I said, there have been so many times when I wanted to give up, but I pushed through it and I did it anyway because, in the end, it is always so worth it!