I Would Walk 500 Miles. And I Would Walk 500 More…With My Mom

Your Mom?

Yes, my mom! The first thing I am doing after graduating college is hiking 2,189.2 miles with my mom. While most people my age are trying to get as far away from their parents as humanly possible I am hiking 2,189.2 miles with one of them! And let me tell cuteyou, my mom is kick ass. Like seriously one of the coolest human beings on this planet and I am happy to have both my mom and my best friend all in one. I mean come on, how many people can say that they have the chance to have this experience with the person who brought them into this world? Not many, and I am incredibly grateful that I have this opportunity.

The Mom, The Myth, The Legend, The Hiking Buddy (Meet My Mom)

My mom is the reason I fell in love with hiking and the mountains. So how did she fall in love herself? Here’s how she got started!

  • TRISHA- what most people call my mom…mom-fav-pic
  • 49 years old- she’ll be turning the big 50 while we’re on the trail!
  • 1st mountain she ever climbed was Mt. Washington in 1996. After that she vowed she would never climb again. Guess where she was the following week? Back on top of Mt.Washington…
  • Started training with Adventures with Altitude, a mountaineering company and in 1997 she climbed Mt.Rainier with them.
  • In 1999 she won the Julie Cheney Culbertson scholarship- a scholarship they give to one female guide once every two years.
  • In April 1999 she left to climb with other fellow guides/ friends across the country. She was gone 5 months. (Travelled from NH to Alaska and back).
  • On the trip she climbed Mt.Rainier (again), Mt Hood, Mt Hunter, and various premier rock climbing spots including Arches, City of Rocks, and Liberty Bell in Washington.
  • Got her skydiving license in 2012 (Because why not, right?)
  • Finished her NH48 list in 2014 and finished the list a second time this month!

We’re The Two Best Friends That Anyone Could Have

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My mom is one of the most influential people in my life. We’ve done some cool shit together. We were the first ever recorded mother daughter team to summit Mt. Washington in winter. She was waiting for me on the ground when I skipped school and went skydiving for my 18th birthday. She’s working on my NH 48 list with me. We go glissading in the winter. She calls me at 3am asking if I want to go hiking in an hour (obviously, the answer is always yes).

She’s been there for me since day one. She is one of the most selfless people I know (she gave me her -30 degree sleeping bag when I was freezing the night we slept on Mt.Washington in winter). She’s been dehydrating spaghetti, veggies, and making fruit leather like crazy for the past 4 months and counting; which is the best because we’re gonna have a ton of wicked good snacks on the trail. And above all else I just really love her.

I am so beyond excited and grateful for the adventure we are about to have, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. Remember your parents are COOL. Love them as much as possible. Go do cool things. Go explore. Memories and experiences are far more important than money will ever be. Life is meant to be lived with people you love and BIG adventures.

 

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Comments 4

  • Linda vance : Nov 11th

    That’s way cool. I wish I had a daughter to hike with! You and your mom are lucky women.

    Reply
    • Alex Pellerin : Nov 12th

      Thank you Linda!

      Reply
  • Papa Steve : Nov 14th

    Very cool! I will turn 50 on the trail also, July 10th. My son is hoping to hike some of the trail with me as well. Hope to see y’all out there!

    Reply
    • Alex Pellerin : Nov 16th

      Awesome, Steve! I hope to see you somewhere along the trail! If not, Happy Birthday way in advance!!

      Reply

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