About Hiking-For-Her's Creator

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to tell you a bit about myself.

First off, my hiking credentials.

I grew up in a very small town in the middle of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I was surrounded by forests and lakes, and as an only child for 10 years, I spent most of my time playing in the dirt while developing a keen eye for plants, animals, weather patterns, and anything else related to being outside of four walls.

Back then, I was called a "tomboy".

I still am! And proud of it!

My initial hiking experience developed over several consecutive summers of attending a youth camp. During our daily hikes, the Nature counselors opened my eyes to how plants and animals lived in certain areas, dependent upon access to food, water and sunlight, and were vulnerable to human traffic patterns.

During the long cold winters between summer camp, I devoured books on rocks & minerals, animals, insects, and botany, trying to answer all of my questions. I couldn't wait for spring, to go exploring in the woods behind my house.

By the time July rolled around, I was more than ready to go back to camp for more hikes.

From quick little nature strolls, I graduated to week long backpacking expeditions with organized groups, including the Girl Scouts of America.

That led to going off with just one trail buddy for extended trips, tackling more adventurous terrain.

Looking back at how naive and unprepared I was for the challenges and unexpected hurdles on the trail, I'm thankful to be here!

After I moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest about 20 years ago, my hiking knowledge expanded by huge leaps and bounds.

I became a strong day hiker, meeting and conquering the challenges of weather, terrain, insects, navigation, safety, and animal encounters.

I met people who challenged me to go into the back country and melt into Mother Nature, leaving no trace.

At this point, I've hiked in Washington, Oregon, California (Northern and Southern), New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and various places in Canada, picking up different skill sets according to the terrain and climate I find myself in.

I'm eager to expand my knowledge base in the coming years, and report about it on this website. Come along on my hikes with me!

I don't consider myself an elite hiker, just a motivated middle aged woman who wants to maximize her trail time and satisfy her curiosity.

My bookshelves are groaning beneath the load of my field guides, identification manuals, and trail reports. Being an acknowledged book addict, I don't allow myself to wander into the Nature/Science section of bookstores too often!

My other credentials for creating this website are also related to my insatiable thirst for answers.

Over the span of 3 decades, I've accumulated several degrees in human biology, natural health care, and environmental science.

Many years were spent in clinical labs, research labs, classrooms, and offices, first as a student, then as a researcher, care provider, and teacher.

But all those years indoors, trapped in my head, never blunted my thirst for the wild places... and now I use my science and health background to dip into medical literature and pull out helpful facts about living optimally in a hiker's body.

I also use my research skills to hunt for information about hiking, and post it here for you to enjoy.

My last "credential", if you could call it that, is my gender.

Women approach hiking differently than men, both psychologically and physically.

Being outdoors means many different things to women, somewhat dependent on where they find themselves in the natural progression of the life cycle, but also on what their hiking attitudes are based upon.

As a female hiker, I've hiked solo, with single trail buddies of either gender, and in groups.

I've hiked with kids, with dogs, with cats (yes, that's got a good story behind it), all the while taking note of what it's like to share the environment with other life forms a bit less domesticated: foxes, black and grizzly bears, moose, all sorts of deer, bison, elk, wolves, coyotes, snakes, an assortment of birds, mountain goats & sheep, caribou, weasels, marmots, bobcats and ground squirrels ... in no particular order. I love them all!

I try to hike every weekend (it's called snowshoeing for part of the year).

And through all of those hours planning hikes, gathering observations on the trail, and processing what I've learned, I've become a good resource for hiking information. And I would be honored to share what I know about hiking with you.

If you find only one thing useful or entertaining on this website, I will feel deeply satisfied.

If this information motivates you to pull on a pair of hiking boots and charge off into the unknown, or gives you tools to strengthen your hiking skills, then you've made me one happy camper (so to speak).

Happy Trails!

Diane Spicer

That's probably more than enough about me! Go back to the home page for more options.