Love, love this Irene. Thanks so much for the encouragement and tips. My husband and I are hiking the Stubai Alps route in Austria starting next week. I'm 64 years old and live in the mountains. I have been training here with 20 pounds in my pack. As a fairly experienced hiker, I would like to add that age should not limit women but the older you are, the more important training is. Because of you, Irene, I'm planning to do a hut to hut solo next year to celebrate my 65 th (sorry hubby).
I also just love that you inspire us to be not only stylish but also fit, independent and brave!!
Hi Diane, I just googled the route and it looks delightful. Thank you for adding the your thoughts on the importance of training as we age. Case in point - it amazes me seeing how nimble my kids are when they hike, they're ankles wobbling about and waking up with no pain, unlike their parents! Having had gotten to know you outside of Substack, it is YOU who is inspiring me. :) Please keep me posted on your hike, and amazing to hear you're celebrating with a solo hike next year!!
This is so epic! I am so impressed that you undertook this adventure and stuck it out despite hiccups along the way. We talk about being true to ourselves and how that is reflected in our personal style, but this sojourn says more about your substance than any outfit ever could. Your grit, determination, and sense of wonder are the real inspiration!
Hi Nicole, I can’t even tell you how much your words. I read your IG message as well (sorry I’ve been behind on responding!). I keep tearing up in this comment section. It’s been 17 years since I did a walk like this - before meeting hubby and having kids. Some of the greatest gifts that solo travel hones back then was resilience, resourcefulness and learning to trust my intuition (who to trust, etc). Even though I travel alone regularly, something about doing a challenge like this, at this stage of my life reminded me of those lessons and how strong and capable we really are. 😭
I loved following your journey on Instagram Irene. I feel like a broken record but this is one of my favorite posts you have written. Thank you so, so much for sharing everything. I had never even considered a mountain hike like this (but my husband and I talk regularly about doing part of the Camino de Santiago) but it is now on my list of future possibilities. So gorgeous. You are such an incredible, interesting, multifaceted person.
🥹😭🥹😭 I started tearing up a bit when I read this, Michelle. I hope you have a chance to do the Camino or maybe even the TMB. We have a lot to chat about when I see you in two weeks!! 😉
So looking forward to seeing you! ❤️ Let me know if you (and anyone else) want to meet up for breakfast, a coffee, or cocktail! I’ll be there from Thursday through all day Sunday.
Michelle, me too, such a fan of Irene's awesome posts!! Thought I'd share that my husband and I walked the last 100km of the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago back in October 2018 and absolutely loved it. It goes along the ocean for part of it, absolutely beautiful. I was 43 at the time (and my husband was 62) and I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to do it. I had some back and hip issues, but we trained for weeks in advance and were able to do it very successfully. In fact, we got really close on that trip and loved it more than any other trip/vacation we've ever had. You can use a company like Camino Ways who can move your luggage each day (like Irene ended up doing) so you only carry a day pack and you can choose from various levels of hotels in terms of luxury. Highly recommend. Hope you and your hubby follow that dream!
Lisa, thank you so much for sharing your experience on the Camino de Santiago!! My husband and I are in our mid-50's so it is great to know that it is possible for someone our age. It is definitely an experience I would sooo love to have. The Camino Ways trip information is great to know!
Irene, I'm so happy for you! What a gorgeous accomplishment and something that you'll remember for the rest of your life. I love experiences like that and you're sharing your experience and your awesome tips and info. is truly inspiring! Gets my wheels turning around tackling the the TMB with my husband. In 2018, we walked the Camino de Santiago--the Portuguese route, just the last 100km over 10 days. Speaking of doing it "my way" we did just that on that trip and loved it. We took considerably longer than most people do and had our luggage moved to the next hotel each day so we only had day packs. Still, I was so afraid that I wouldn't be up to it, but we trained for many weeks beforehand and I did it and am so glad and proud that I did something I didn't think I could do. In fact, it was my favorite trip of ours ever and I said we should only do walking/hiking trips going forward, I loved it so much. That hasn't happened, but you remind me to seriously consider it again.
What an accomplishment, congratulations, Lisa!! I was chatting with a few girls over drinks and we were saying how capable and resilient we are. In our minds we think, omg 100km over 10 days is insane. But ultimately not only do we do it, but if it was 120km, we would most likely be able to do that too. Yes, we’d be tired, but we could do it!
Irene! You absolute rock star. So proud of you, my friend. I think half the bravery of this trip was going with some details still in the air, being open to shifting plans as needed, and just getting yourself what you needed to succeed. That is an inspiration in itself. Well done!
Count me among the legion of inspired women! I’ve hiked solo before in a few different countries, but nothing this ambitious. Now I’m like, why not do this with my one wild and precious life?!
I’ve done solo multi-day hikes in New Zealand (Queen Charlotte Track) and England (Yorkshire Dales), and closer to home in Algonquin Park (Highland backpacking, with solo camping — a first for me) and on the Bruce Trail. Like you, I love the challenge and I love travelling alone. I’m looking into a European hike for next year thanks to your posts!
Wow this was an incredible read 🥹 genuinely so inspiring and eye-opening!! I haven’t done any multi-day hikes, but I did a fun multi-day kayak trip with my dad for my 30th bday and it was simultaneously exhausting and one of the best things I’ve ever done - we talk about it constantly! And I’m so grateful we were able to do it before he got a bit older and would have had more trouble with it. This post really has me thinking about doing another trip like that solo, which had been floating in my mind the last few years but I have been too scared. So fired up, thank you for sharing! Also incredibly inspired by your ability to plan it (and be flexible!!) in such a short time hahaha- it leaves room for the best surprises imo!
This is probably my most favourite post of yours! I almost squealed when I saw your Instagram post about hiking the TMB circuit. This is the crossover I didn’t know existed and frankly, needed.
I consider myself a beginner hiker even though I’ve been hiking for the last 5 ish years because of my slow pace. But seeing your resilience makes me want to embrace this more (hence this admission via the comment).
Quick note, do you have any tips on training for this particular hike?
I'm SO HAPPY that this has inspired you!! As Diane posted about above, she's training with a 20lb backpack which will help you get used to the extra weight. Any sort of cardio conditioning, walking, jogging, doing stairs will help. And, I know this is weird, but I really think my three months of Pilates helped by strengthening my core and also all those smaller muscles in my legs which helped me stay balanced and not sprain my ankle.
I am SO HAPPY you had a great time and did it your way (sans regret, avec baguette!). It's such a beautiful part of the world. I'm currently thinking about a Mont Blanc climb next summer (I didn't do an ascent of the full mountain this year, just climbing Aiguille du Midi and surrounds).
It's also so so lovely to see so many strong, stylish women open to big physical (and mental) challenges.
Thank you, Kit! Isn’t it great seeing this crossover audience!! Sadly I didn’t see the Aiguille because it was pouring rain, but the pictures look beautiful 😅. Keep us posted on your MB climb! Where are you based, btw?
Ahh congrats on a successful tmb. Im so glad you went for it and made it work for you, it's so beautiful, and such an accomplishment. (Also glad you mentioned the maaaaaniacs training for utmb...they astound me). Enjoy the travels back home 🏡
This was so inspiring, Irene. I used to travel by myself a lot when I was younger but I've become more careful and perhaps fearful as I've gotten older. You've inspired me to look into planning a Lapland hike next summer.
Thx for writing such a comprehensive blog with all the info. Will definitely use all your recs in planning ahead . Thx for sharing the journey I enjoyed following it. Hubby and I are very much into hiking.
Love, love this Irene. Thanks so much for the encouragement and tips. My husband and I are hiking the Stubai Alps route in Austria starting next week. I'm 64 years old and live in the mountains. I have been training here with 20 pounds in my pack. As a fairly experienced hiker, I would like to add that age should not limit women but the older you are, the more important training is. Because of you, Irene, I'm planning to do a hut to hut solo next year to celebrate my 65 th (sorry hubby).
I also just love that you inspire us to be not only stylish but also fit, independent and brave!!
Hi Diane, I just googled the route and it looks delightful. Thank you for adding the your thoughts on the importance of training as we age. Case in point - it amazes me seeing how nimble my kids are when they hike, they're ankles wobbling about and waking up with no pain, unlike their parents! Having had gotten to know you outside of Substack, it is YOU who is inspiring me. :) Please keep me posted on your hike, and amazing to hear you're celebrating with a solo hike next year!!
This is so epic! I am so impressed that you undertook this adventure and stuck it out despite hiccups along the way. We talk about being true to ourselves and how that is reflected in our personal style, but this sojourn says more about your substance than any outfit ever could. Your grit, determination, and sense of wonder are the real inspiration!
Hi Nicole, I can’t even tell you how much your words. I read your IG message as well (sorry I’ve been behind on responding!). I keep tearing up in this comment section. It’s been 17 years since I did a walk like this - before meeting hubby and having kids. Some of the greatest gifts that solo travel hones back then was resilience, resourcefulness and learning to trust my intuition (who to trust, etc). Even though I travel alone regularly, something about doing a challenge like this, at this stage of my life reminded me of those lessons and how strong and capable we really are. 😭
I loved following your journey on Instagram Irene. I feel like a broken record but this is one of my favorite posts you have written. Thank you so, so much for sharing everything. I had never even considered a mountain hike like this (but my husband and I talk regularly about doing part of the Camino de Santiago) but it is now on my list of future possibilities. So gorgeous. You are such an incredible, interesting, multifaceted person.
🥹😭🥹😭 I started tearing up a bit when I read this, Michelle. I hope you have a chance to do the Camino or maybe even the TMB. We have a lot to chat about when I see you in two weeks!! 😉
So looking forward to seeing you! ❤️ Let me know if you (and anyone else) want to meet up for breakfast, a coffee, or cocktail! I’ll be there from Thursday through all day Sunday.
Michelle, me too, such a fan of Irene's awesome posts!! Thought I'd share that my husband and I walked the last 100km of the Portuguese route of the Camino de Santiago back in October 2018 and absolutely loved it. It goes along the ocean for part of it, absolutely beautiful. I was 43 at the time (and my husband was 62) and I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to do it. I had some back and hip issues, but we trained for weeks in advance and were able to do it very successfully. In fact, we got really close on that trip and loved it more than any other trip/vacation we've ever had. You can use a company like Camino Ways who can move your luggage each day (like Irene ended up doing) so you only carry a day pack and you can choose from various levels of hotels in terms of luxury. Highly recommend. Hope you and your hubby follow that dream!
Lisa, thank you so much for sharing your experience on the Camino de Santiago!! My husband and I are in our mid-50's so it is great to know that it is possible for someone our age. It is definitely an experience I would sooo love to have. The Camino Ways trip information is great to know!
my husband did it when he was 35 with his brother and parents! They were in their 60s at the time!
Irene, I'm so happy for you! What a gorgeous accomplishment and something that you'll remember for the rest of your life. I love experiences like that and you're sharing your experience and your awesome tips and info. is truly inspiring! Gets my wheels turning around tackling the the TMB with my husband. In 2018, we walked the Camino de Santiago--the Portuguese route, just the last 100km over 10 days. Speaking of doing it "my way" we did just that on that trip and loved it. We took considerably longer than most people do and had our luggage moved to the next hotel each day so we only had day packs. Still, I was so afraid that I wouldn't be up to it, but we trained for many weeks beforehand and I did it and am so glad and proud that I did something I didn't think I could do. In fact, it was my favorite trip of ours ever and I said we should only do walking/hiking trips going forward, I loved it so much. That hasn't happened, but you remind me to seriously consider it again.
What an accomplishment, congratulations, Lisa!! I was chatting with a few girls over drinks and we were saying how capable and resilient we are. In our minds we think, omg 100km over 10 days is insane. But ultimately not only do we do it, but if it was 120km, we would most likely be able to do that too. Yes, we’d be tired, but we could do it!
Irene! You absolute rock star. So proud of you, my friend. I think half the bravery of this trip was going with some details still in the air, being open to shifting plans as needed, and just getting yourself what you needed to succeed. That is an inspiration in itself. Well done!
😭😭😭😭 I love you, C! Thank you! Can’t wait to see you soon ❤️❤️❤️
We are waaay overdue
Count me among the legion of inspired women! I’ve hiked solo before in a few different countries, but nothing this ambitious. Now I’m like, why not do this with my one wild and precious life?!
Alysia, I think everyone would benefit from reading Mary Oliver's poem, so I'm going to paste it right here! Tell me about your hikes?!
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
Ahhhh, thank you! What wise and brilliant words.
I’ve done solo multi-day hikes in New Zealand (Queen Charlotte Track) and England (Yorkshire Dales), and closer to home in Algonquin Park (Highland backpacking, with solo camping — a first for me) and on the Bruce Trail. Like you, I love the challenge and I love travelling alone. I’m looking into a European hike for next year thanks to your posts!
I keep forgetting youre a local! Shall we start a hiking club???
Yes — I think you’re onto something here! I know a lot of women who would be so into it.
Yes, indeed! And I love the Mary Oliver reference! :-)
Wow this was an incredible read 🥹 genuinely so inspiring and eye-opening!! I haven’t done any multi-day hikes, but I did a fun multi-day kayak trip with my dad for my 30th bday and it was simultaneously exhausting and one of the best things I’ve ever done - we talk about it constantly! And I’m so grateful we were able to do it before he got a bit older and would have had more trouble with it. This post really has me thinking about doing another trip like that solo, which had been floating in my mind the last few years but I have been too scared. So fired up, thank you for sharing! Also incredibly inspired by your ability to plan it (and be flexible!!) in such a short time hahaha- it leaves room for the best surprises imo!
This is probably my most favourite post of yours! I almost squealed when I saw your Instagram post about hiking the TMB circuit. This is the crossover I didn’t know existed and frankly, needed.
I consider myself a beginner hiker even though I’ve been hiking for the last 5 ish years because of my slow pace. But seeing your resilience makes me want to embrace this more (hence this admission via the comment).
Quick note, do you have any tips on training for this particular hike?
I'm SO HAPPY that this has inspired you!! As Diane posted about above, she's training with a 20lb backpack which will help you get used to the extra weight. Any sort of cardio conditioning, walking, jogging, doing stairs will help. And, I know this is weird, but I really think my three months of Pilates helped by strengthening my core and also all those smaller muscles in my legs which helped me stay balanced and not sprain my ankle.
I am SO HAPPY you had a great time and did it your way (sans regret, avec baguette!). It's such a beautiful part of the world. I'm currently thinking about a Mont Blanc climb next summer (I didn't do an ascent of the full mountain this year, just climbing Aiguille du Midi and surrounds).
It's also so so lovely to see so many strong, stylish women open to big physical (and mental) challenges.
Thank you, Kit! Isn’t it great seeing this crossover audience!! Sadly I didn’t see the Aiguille because it was pouring rain, but the pictures look beautiful 😅. Keep us posted on your MB climb! Where are you based, btw?
Based in NYC and Paris! Yes, I love the crossover. My shopping tabs right now are skincare and ice axes!
Ahh congrats on a successful tmb. Im so glad you went for it and made it work for you, it's so beautiful, and such an accomplishment. (Also glad you mentioned the maaaaaniacs training for utmb...they astound me). Enjoy the travels back home 🏡
Thank you, Kammeron! On the plane now :). I didn’t know about the UTMB until I kept seeing runner after runner on the trail. I was like, what the??? 😂
This was so inspiring, Irene. I used to travel by myself a lot when I was younger but I've become more careful and perhaps fearful as I've gotten older. You've inspired me to look into planning a Lapland hike next summer.
I know you can do it, Tiia!!!
You are amazing!!! And so encouraging ❤️
❤️❤️❤️
I’m inspired, Irene. Love hearing all about it and definitely putting it high on the bucket list!
Let us know if you do go ahead with it! Inbox is always open 🙏🏻
Thx for writing such a comprehensive blog with all the info. Will definitely use all your recs in planning ahead . Thx for sharing the journey I enjoyed following it. Hubby and I are very much into hiking.
You’re welcome, Orit! Keep us posted!