Adventure at Any Age

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Adventure at Any Age Adventure at Any Age is a community of curious hikers and travelers who believe there’s always more to explore.

We share trails, travels, what we learn along the way, and the experiences that keep us moving through life.

10/22/2026

🥾 Do your feet hurt when hiking? A few minutes of training could make a difference.

This was a very personal research topic for me because I’ve had a lot of feet issues lately! And it makes sense. We spend so much time building our endurance, strengthening our legs, and improving our cardiovascular fitness for hiking. But how often do we actually train our feet?

Think about what we ask them to do. Mile after mile, carrying our weight over rocks, roots, steep climbs, and uneven terrain.

No wonder they sometimes complain!

The good news? You don’t need another complicated workout. Here are 3 simple things I’m doing to start building stronger hiking feet.

👣 1. Four-Way Foot Walks

Try walking on your toes, heels, and gently along the inside and outside edges of your feet.

These movements challenge different muscles and help develop foot and ankle control.

👣 2. Towel Scrunches

Put a towel on the floor and use your toes to pull it toward you.

Simple, but a great way to work those small muscles in your feet!

👣 3. Calf Raises + Heel Drops

Strong calves help support your feet through long hikes, especially on climbs.

And don’t forget calf flexibility! My calves get incredibly tight, and working on that tightness has made a huge difference in how my own feet feel.

Here’s the important part:

Your lungs and legs might be ready for a 15-mile hike, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your feet are.

They need conditioning, too.

Start small, build gradually, and remember that persistent foot pain isn’t something you should just push through.

💛 Save this Reel and add a few minutes of foot training to your routine.

Because the goal isn’t just to hike farther. It’s to keep hiking comfortably for years to come.

Follow for practical hiking training tips, strength, endurance, and adventures at every age!

10/20/2026

🐍 Could you spot a rattlesnake hiding beside your hiking trail?

Rattlesnakes are masters of camouflage, and you might be surprised how close you can get without ever seeing one!

My husband Brian grew up in South Texas, where apparently looking for snakes was a perfectly normal after-school activity. 😳 Me? I’d rather avoid them altogether!

So I asked him to share a few tips for hiking safely in rattlesnake country.

🥾 Stay toward the middle of the trail and watch the edges.

☀️ Be aware that snakes may be basking in the sun or sheltering in shady spots, depending on conditions.

👀 Watch where you put your hands and feet, and give any snake you encounter plenty of space.

Brian’s advice? Be mindful, not afraid.

I’m still working on that last part! 😂

Did you spot the rattlesnake at the beginning? And have you ever encountered one while hiking?

Road trip yesterday, so of course we had to stop for a desert hike. 😎🌵🏜️ Exploring this little oasis of California fan p...
10/15/2026

Road trip yesterday, so of course we had to stop for a desert hike. 😎🌵🏜️ Exploring this little oasis of California fan palms.

I’ve always been fit and adventurous. But somewhere in my 50s, I started asking myself a different question: What else i...
10/14/2026

I’ve always been fit and adventurous. But somewhere in my 50s, I started asking myself a different question: What else is possible?

Hiking Sri Lanka’s Pekoe Trail helped me realize that some of the limits I’d accepted weren’t really limits at all. They were expectations, habits, and assumptions I’d never thought to question.

And once I started questioning them, something remarkable happened.

My adventures got bigger. My ambitions grew. I started seeking out experiences that would challenge me physically, take me to extraordinary places, and introduce me to people and cultures I might never otherwise have encountered.

And the more I challenged myself, the more I discovered I was capable of.

Of course, some obstacles are real. We have physical limitations, responsibilities, and practical constraints. But there’s a big difference between recognizing an obstacle and deciding it means we can’t do something.

Sometimes we need to train. Sometimes we need to get creative. And sometimes we simply need to decide that we want something badly enough to find a way.

The life you want doesn’t begin when you’re ready. It begins when you decide.

What’s an adventure you’ve been dreaming about, and what’s really stopping you?

10/13/2026

Want to tackle steep climbs without getting so winded? Improving your VO₂ max can help!

VO₂ max is a measure of your body’s ability to use oxygen during intense exercise. Think of it as the size of your aerobic engine. The bigger that engine, the easier those challenging climbs can feel.

And here’s the good news: You can improve your VO₂ max at any age!

One of the best ways to improve it is through high-intensity interval training. And you don’t need to be a runner or an elite athlete to get started.

Here’s a simple beginner workout:

🔥 1 minute HARD (7–9 on a scale of 1–10 for perceived exertion)

🚶 2 minutes EASY recovery

🔁 Repeat 5 times

That means working hard enough that you’re breathing heavily and talking is difficult, but you’re still in control. No heart rate monitor required!

As your fitness improves, you can gradually work up to 10 repetitions and experiment with longer intervals.

I generally dedicate one workout a week to VO₂ max training. It’s one of the ways I’m working to stay strong on the trails for decades to come.

Because we’re not just training for our next hike. We’re training for all the adventures still ahead of us!

Save this workout and give it a try! 🥾

10/10/2026

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with my next big hiking challenge. 😬

Cactus to Clouds. Nearly 10,000 feet of elevation gain, starting in the desert and climbing into the mountains above Palm Springs.

Am I ready? Not yet. But that’s kind of the point.

One of my guiding philosophies is ALWAYS BE TRAINING.

Because here’s the thing about aging: if we’re not actively working to maintain and improve our strength, endurance, and fitness, we’re going to lose ground.

And I have absolutely no intention of going quietly in that direction. 💪

You don’t have to climb 10,000 feet up a mountain. Just keep challenging yourself to do a little more than you did last week or last month.

I’ll be sharing my training as I prepare for this next adventure. So stick around, and let’s train together!

Because adventure doesn’t have an expiration date. ❤️

I said something yesterday that prompted a question I haven’t stopped thinking about.I said I travel for meaningful expe...
10/08/2026

I said something yesterday that prompted a question I haven’t stopped thinking about.

I said I travel for meaningful experiences.

Someone asked: How do you find them?

The truth is, I’m not sure you can exactly find them. But I do think you can travel in a way that makes them more likely to happen.

Recently in Peru, I was hiking toward Salkantay Pass, eventually climbing to more than 15,000 feet beneath enormous Andean peaks.

Our guide had been teaching us about Andean spirituality and the apus, the great mountain spirits or protectors that have watched over Andean communities for generations.

Suddenly, I wasn’t just walking through a spectacular landscape.

I was walking through a place that was sacred to someone.

And it resonated with me deeply. Maybe because I’m a fourth-generation Coloradan and mountains have always felt like more than scenery to me too.

My beliefs aren’t the same as Andean spirituality, and I don’t pretend to fully understand a tradition that isn’t mine. But hearing our guide explain that relationship changed the way I experienced the mountains around me.

Without that conversation, Salkantay would still have been magnificent.

But I would have seen less.

I think that’s a big part of meaningful travel for me.

I do my homework before I go. I learn about the history and culture. I look for locally led experiences where communities choose how they want to engage with travelers. I hire local guides. I walk whenever I can. And I try to leave enough space for the things I couldn’t possibly have planned.

Because some of my best travel memories have never appeared on an itinerary.

Maybe meaningful travel isn’t about finding the perfect experience at all.

Maybe it’s about arriving curious enough, informed enough, and open enough to recognize one when it finds you.

I wrote more about this today on the Adventure at Any Age Substack, including why I think our obsession with getting “off the beaten path” sometimes deserves a little more thought. https://michellepinkowski.substack.com/p/how-i-find-meaningful-experiences?r=4bwkwt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I’d love to know: What’s one travel experience that became meaningful in a way you never expected?

At some point, you figure out what kind of traveler you are. 🤓I love new experiences, learning about a place, meeting pe...
10/07/2026

At some point, you figure out what kind of traveler you are. 🤓

I love new experiences, learning about a place, meeting people and getting out on the trail whenever I possibly can. But I also know a few things about myself by now.

I want eggs for breakfast. I’m taking the picture with the llamas. I’m packing the hiking gear even if it means another bag. I’m using the bathroom when I see one. And after a long day on the trail, I would very much like a bed and a hot shower. 😂

Travel doesn’t have to look a certain way to count as adventure. The best way to travel is the way that keeps you curious, gets you out there and makes you want to keep exploring.

Now I want to hear yours: What’s one travel habit you refuse to apologize for?

10/03/2026

How much water do you really need to bring on a hike? 💧🥾

There’s no perfect answer because every hike, every climate, and every body is different. But one thing I see pretty often is hikers heading out without enough water, and that can become a problem fast.

My general rule of thumb is about half a liter of water per hour of hiking. Then I adjust for heat, elevation, intensity, and how long I’ll be out.

I also generally don’t carry more than 3 liters at a time. Water is heavy! If I’m going to need more than that, I’ll plan ahead for a reliable water source and bring what I need to safely filter or treat it.

And don’t forget electrolytes, especially on those longer, hotter, sweatier days. I’ve linked my favorite electrolytes and supplements in my bio.

How much water do YOU usually carry on a hike? 💧

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