Going in for the second round of my monthly goal check-in during quarantine. There's no sugar-coating things, this month was a TOUGH one, as I'm sure it was for a lot of you as well. While I'm incredibly grateful for the health of myself and family, which is the most important, in many other ways April felt like getting kicked while you're down.

Here's the thing that is important though, and part of why I decided to start doing these check-ins... Even during the darkest of times, you can still find light. So while several of my goals have taken a backseat for now, some new ones have popped up, which is the beauty of progress. So here's a peek at some of my wins of this month.

1. Jumped head first into teaching online Instagram workshops! We hosted our first virtual workshop at Bold & Pop, we launched our first prerecorded training and I taught a class to local Seattle business owners.

2. Updated the Bold & Pop website, which ended up being quite the project, to support our new online offerings.

3. Really stretched my boundaries personally and professionally! Which was super uncomfortable at times but has started another layer of growth and has forced me to keep getting up even when I've been pushed down.

4. Started another passion project and launched @TheHicksintheSticks Instagram account to celebrate the PNW especially as we're on lockdown.

5. Planned our 2020 garden and got our first batch of starters planted.

If this post has inspired you, I encourage you to take a few minutes and reflect on some of the things you were able to get done this month too -- even despite the circumstances! A lot can change in 30 days if you're willing to put in the work and give yourself some credit!

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Why do I do goal check-ins?

I started doing goal check-ins publically as a personal accountability challenge. Working on my goals and strategies to accomplish them have always been really important and by sharing them I felt an extra weight of commitment. Plus, I wanted a way to try and encourage others to have their own check-ins and keep working on their own goals. Helping others reach their dreams has always felt like my purpose and by being vulnerable and sharing the journey of my own I hope to inspire others as well.

All of this time indoors has me daydreaming about when we’ll be able to go outside again… That feels surreal even typing that but such is life right now. So as my own therapy today I decided to put together a post on all of my favorite hikes as a little excuse to daydream and go through a bunch of photos for each. Most of the trails may be closed for now, but they won’t be forever (or they better not be!) so definitely pin this post for later!

I tried including a little something for everyone with hikes of varying lengths, difficulties, and areas. Plus, I also included the stats for each according to AllTrails or WTA — both awesome resources for finding great hikes! Although I will say, sometimes I’d take the distance as more of an estimate because they vary site to site. So let’s get going on this virtual hike!

Greenwater Lakes

4.9 miles | 492 elevation gain | Easy | Northwest Forest Pass

This is a great easy trail with nice views along the way! It has a kind of sketchy (but surprisingly sturdy) bridge to cross a stream near the beginning and you end up at a gorgeous lake where a lot of people were relaxing by. This trail is the start to other longer trails (I’ll highlight one below) that is popular for backpacking so you’ll see a lot of people with overnight gear. This trail has great accessibility too because the service road it’s off of is paved all the way in (which definitely isn’t usually the case).

Echo Lake

14 miles (but I’d say closer to 15) | 2,339 ft elevation gain | Moderate | Northwest Forest Pass

We set out for the day only planning on hiking the Greenwater Lakes trail but had some steam in us and decided to get a little ambitious and hike to Echo Lake, adding an extra 10 miles to our hike. In hindsight maybe not the best planning, but we did it! It also crosses the path of remnants from a wildfire from a few summers ago so it’s a little eerie and you need to be careful in that section. All that being said, Echo Lake was so serene and really beautiful and a lot of the trail is shaded which is great for those hot summer days! There were also a decent amount of hikers on the trails but there’s plenty of space to spread out.

Naches Peak Trail at Tipsoo Lake

3.2 miles | 636 ft elevation gain | Easy | Northwest Forest Pass

If you’re looking for a nice quick hike with some amazing views of Mt. Rainier, this one is a great option. It’s located right off the highway before Chinook Pass and is an easy hike for all levels. Definitely pack the bug spray and sunscreen for this one. Even though it’s a short hike, the trail is in the open and I don’t remember any shaded spots. Even with bug spray you may get eaten alive by the mosquitos, but the views are incredible. If you want to make your hike a little longer, there’s a trail down to Dewey Lake which I definitely want to check out next time too! Another thing to note is this is definitely a late summer hiking option, it’s pretty far up so the snow doesn’t melt until later in the season.

Rattlesnake Ledge

5 miles | 1,469 ft elevation gain | Moderate | No pass needed

I’ll be honest… this hike can get a little crazy because of the people but it’s still one of my favorites because the views are GOR-GEOUS! If you can get up there on a weekday I definitelyyy recommend that because it will take you an hour longer from the highway of people hiking on the weekends. Like, I’m not going to sugarcoat it… it’s ridiculous and you get a lot of people who have no trail etiquette…. playing music, flying drones.. like I said, it’s ridiculous but if you go in knowing that or go on a weekday the views really are worth it.

Annette Lake

8.4 miles | 2,132 ft elevation gain | Moderate | Northwest Forest Pass

We actually ended up on this hike after trying to do another in the area that was too crowded — everyone and their mom wants to hike these days, me included lol. This was a really awesome trail though! You definitely get a work out in with the elevation gain but the trail is very well maintained and it had some interesting viewpoints along the way. A really great day hike!

Snow Lake

7.2 miles | 1,800 ft elevation gain | Moderate | Northwest Forest Pass

If you haven’t noticed… I’m all about trails with lakes! Haha, seriously though, the views are even better in person. This is another super popular (aka crowded) hike but again worth it. It’s tougher than Rattlesnake so you’re definitely dealing with more experienced hikers than you’ll find over there. The terrain is pretty rocky too so I’d recommend a boot with good grip. I’d also recommend an early start if you can too. Most of this trail is in the open so it can get a little toasty on those hot days plus the parking lot fills up fast.

Heather - Maple Pass

7.8 miles | 2,257 ft elevation gain | Moderate | Northwest Forest Pass

If there was a hike that had it all, THIS is the one. You may have already read my Methow Valley travel guide post where I gushed about it but I’m about to do it again because it is my absolute favorite.😍Hands down, this hike is going down as my favorite OF ALL TIME! This hike had views at pretty much every single step of the trail and truly it was just incredible. We saw views of some of the lakes, the cascades, wildflowers and even a few marmots! In the Fall they’re also known for their larches! Look them up, they look pretty cool. Since it’s a loop, there are a lot of people who recommend hiking it clockwise because they say it’s a little easier. We actually intended to do that, but it turns out we went counter-clockwise but honestly, either way, would be just fine. The way we went may have been tougher but having the views the whole way was so worth it. There’s also a decent-sized parking lot on-site and there aren’t any forest roads so it’s easy accessibility.

Mt Peak Cal Magnusson Trail

1.7 miles | 1,000 ft elevation gain | Hard | No pass needed

I grew up in Enumclaw so this one is a local go-to and one I do on the regular when I visit my mom. It’s only about 2 miles round-trip but has a 1,000 elevation gain that kicks my booty every time. It’s a really great workout hike and probably one of the only ones you can be in the woods but then hear a cow or chicken from one of the local farms every now and then. Always cracks me up. I usually just stick with the tried and true original trail, but they’ve created a few others over the years with varying lengths too.

Little Si

4.7 miles | 1,300 ft elevation gain | Moderate | Discover Pass

This is a great, pretty easy hike in the North Bend area. It has great coverage so it would be good for a hot day too. There were even people mountain climbing while I was up there which I thought was pretty cool to watch. The views up on the ridge at the top make for a great lunch spot too! The parking lot gets filled up pretty easily but you can park down the road across the bridge and walk to the trailhead if you can’t score a spot there.

Summerland Trail

12 miles | 2,950 ft elevation gain | Moderate | National Park Pass

The trailhead starts right after the ranger station for the National Park and I really loved it because it had a lot of variety! Waterfalls, streams, log bridges… it was awesome! There’s also a lookout if you make it to the top. We went on Father’s Day and ended up losing the trail after hitting some snow so we only completed about 9 miles of the hike but I’d definitely check it out again. The elevation gain is more gradual too since it’s longer so a great beginner hike. All and all, a really awesome hike and one that isn’t packedddd like a lot of the ones at Snoqualmie.

Grove of the Patriarchs Loop

1.5 miles | 50 ft elevation gain | Easy | No pass needed

This one is more of a nature walk than a hike but definitely worth a stop if you’re near Paradise! There’s no elevation change and it’s super short so definitely something for all levels too. Here, there are trees that are over 1,000 years old, which is just crazy to think about and they’re SO wide! It was really cool to see and definitely worth a stop.

Mount Ellinor

6.5 miles | 3,400 ft elevation gain | Hard | Northwest Forest Pass

This one is def on the tougher side but I love hiking up on the Olympic National Forest. We did this one right before they started removing the mountain goats in hopes of seeing them and we did! Don’t worry, they were further away than they look in the photo. Not going to lie though, this was a hard hike. At the beginning, it seems pretty doable but the last mile is STEEP! By the time we got to the top we were fogged in so we couldn’t see the crazy views but I have to say if you’re afraid of heights this one isn’t for you. I had a few moments where I was wondering how the heck we were going to get down. It’s not on the level of Storm King in term of heights but if you’re looking for a challenge, this is a great choice. Just make sure you bring trekking poles because you’re going to need them! It’s also up a long service road. Totally okay without 4-wheel drive but lots of deep potholes so you’ll want to take your time.

Hope you guys enjoyed some of these recs and if you have some other awesome ones I should check out this summer definitely let me know!

P.S. If you like keeping up with my PNW adventures, Evan and I started an Instagram account focused on just that! Follow along at @TheHicksintheSticks

My monthly goal check-in looks a little different this month, but I decided I still wanted to do it. Even though we're living through a chapter I know we ALL wish we could skip, I think it's still important to acknowledge some of our wins and progress -- even if it's different than we thought it would be. I'd even argue that it's MORE important right now to give ourselves some credit and grace for what we've made it through so far.

Here are some of the things on my end that are keeping me going as we close out March:

1. Did my best to support friends and family -- a lot of who are on the front lines or working around the clock right now.

2. Survived some really stressful conversations and tough days as a small biz owner and was able to shift our focus to some projects and ideas we had on the backburner at Bold & Pop.

3. Spent more time learning about mindset shifts and took the time to focus on moments of joy each day. Who knew that gratitude journal practice I started last month would be so important now!

4. Focused on showing up even more (digitally of course) for our #GoingBold community members and local business owners to brainstorm and support each other however we can.

5. Put the green light on a fun passion project that Faith and I have been talking about for years!

I know it's been a tough one, but hopefully this will inspire you to acknowledge some of the things you were able to do too. Hang in there guys, I know this is hard on SO many levels, but we're going to get through it! Some way, somehow. Just take it one day at a time.

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Why do I do goal check-ins?

I started doing goal check-ins publically as a personal accountability challenge. Working on my goals and strategies to accomplish them have always been really important and by sharing them I felt an extra weight of commitment. Plus, I wanted a way to try and encourage others to have their own check-ins and keep working on their own goals. Helping others reach their dreams has always felt like my purpose and by being vulnerable and sharing the journey of my own I hope to inspire others as well.