Hiking Brings Visibility

Hiking is visibility.

I am on week 7 of my "Why Women Over 50 Should Hike" blog. Do you believe the stories we have been fed about women over 50 being invisible? I get that we are certainly underrepresented in many things, such as marketing, voting, and business, and yet I mostly feel visible. There certainly are times when I don’t see many women over 50 in advertisements for activities not thought to be for the older woman. So how about we change not only what we are fed by the media but also what gets given and repeated for younger women to see? If we feel that after a certain age we are no longer useful or able to continue our lives, what will we do when we reach that age? I think it's so important to remind ourselves daily that no matter what stories we're fed or how underrepresented we may be, especially in marketing, we—women over 50—are not invisible. We have all lived, loved, lost, and persevered, and we have the physical and emotional scars to show for it. But yet, here we are still standing. Not just standing, we are hiking, climbing, running, biking, and being badass adventurous women. We test not only our bodies each and every time we go out, but our whole selves. Every time we lace up our boots, grab our packs, and hit the trails, alone or in a group, we are taking a stand for women, young and old, everywhere. We need to create opportunities to help other women see that getting outdoors and challenging your body to do things you may not have thought were possible anymore is a gift. Let’s treasure it and not allow the media or others to miss our presence and what we have to offer. We will not squander this life by sitting on the couch and missing out on the amazing gifts that the outdoors have to offer.