Go for a Hike!

Submitted by the Wild Mountain Mamas after a hike on the Welch-Dickey Trail in Thornton, NH on May 5, 2023

The Wild Mountain Mamas are women from Lyme and nearby communities who’ve been hiking together for over 25 years. Most have hiked all 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire. The hikes themselves are obviously good for our health, and so are our long-time friendships. We’ve celebrated marriages, graduations, retirements, babies and grand-babies, and more. We’ve comforted one another through losses of all kinds. We’ve stayed in touch through moves across the country. Today, we experienced Wellness Wednesday together! ????

In celebration of one of our birthdays, ten of us (including one daughter) hiked the two summits on the Welch-Dickey trail in Thornton, NH. It was a stunning day! It couldn’t have been a better way to honor this month of Mental Health Awareness and the celebration of “Aging Unbound” for Older Americans Month.

Adding to the photos below (from Nancy Copeland, Celeste Wetherell, and Martha Tecca), several of us offered thoughts about what made today so special:

  • A day in nature replenishes the soul. 
  • We connected with strong female friends.
  • It was an extraordinary day to breathe deep and cleanse the body.
  • We let go of all worries and rumination for the day … to sink into the wilderness and be present.
  • Lots of people will be happy that I got this day to disconnect from the swirl of responsibilities.
  • Spending time with friends in nature is the best therapy.
  • Our mental health is sure better at the end of the hike than it was when we started!
  • We are returning to our homes and loved ones renewed, relaxed, and feeling a new sense of vibrancy and clarity of mind.

We are grateful for our privilege to get out on a beautiful day in the middle of the week, and we encourage everyone to find ways to explore the beautiful trails right here near home and across the White and Green Mountains.

Every Wednesday, CommunityCare of Lyme lifts up a wellness topic, embracing the widest possible definition of individual and community well-being. We include local and national resources, individual and group programs and practices, and personal stories, videos, or songs that have something to teach us all. We are always seeking guest contributors! 

If you have a wellness-themed topic you would like to share or learn more about, please reach out to shelby@cclyme.org

Shelby Wood
Manager of Volunteer Participation
CommunityCare of Lyme
Shelby@cclyme.org
802-468-7776 (cell)
603-795-0603 (CCL office and help line)