From the Editor

I was so stoked to join a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon until the director asked, “So, how long does it take you to hike to the top of Squaw Peak?” I told him that I didn’t know because I’d never attempted it. He sighed and said, “If you can do it in under an hour, then you may join us.”

I was fit, but I wasn’t a marathoner and opted for easy hikes. Known today as Piestewa Peak, the mountain is the secondhighest in Phoenix at 2,608 feet tall and a nonstop climb to the top. Think of it as nature’s StairMaster.

So on a crisp winter weekend (in Phoenix that meant a high of 65), I took my fitness test.

I expected the super fit outdoor lovers would fly past me as they ran up the trail (they did). It seems silly now, but at the time I didn’t feel as if I belonged on the trail until I noticed that the chatty seniors, enthusiastic kids and other ordinary-looking folks were there with me, too.

That hike changed my perceptions of what an outdoor enthusiast looks like. Turns out there’s room for everyone on the trail. Reader Christine Powers learned that lesson when she returned to the outdoors after recovering from a motorcycle crash. On page 52, you’ll meet her and, hopefully, be as inspired by her as I was.

We’d love to hear more stories from readers like Christine who have triumphed through their travels—maybe it was riding a horse for the first time or paddling a kayak. Share your stories at country-magazine.com/ submit and select “I Did It” from the drop-down menu.

I reached the summit of Piestewa Peak in about 50 minutes. Not a stellar time, but it got me on the trip of a lifetime. You never know what you can achieve until you try.

P.S. Your travel photo could win $1,000! Enter your images in the Great American Road Trip Photo Contest. See page 14.