Comfortable Hiking Holidays

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY! In 1955 at the age of 67, Grandma Gatewood became the first female to hike the Appalachian Trail. In 1975, Junko Tabei was the first woman to summit Mt. Everest. In 1984, Kathy Ombler became the first woman to complete the Milford track in New Zealand. While our hikes may not be as grandiose, we are inspired by the mothers, daughters, aunts, and grandmothers who join us on the trails each and every day. May we continue to support each other on our chosen paths and beyond.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING DOMINICA IN 2026?

ARE YOU CONSIDERING DOMINICA IN 2026? Listen to what your fellow hikers have to say about it, and then put your name on the Interested List for next year. Email us at [email protected] and tell us that you’re interested in going to Dominica in 2026, and we will email you to let you know when we will begin taking reservations. There is no financial obligation to be on the Interested List nor does it guarantee your spot, but it does give you the opportunity to book your spot immediately when it becomes available so that you don’t miss a golden opportunity! Jungle Bay Dominica

COMFORTABLE HIKERS MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE On Friday, September 13, 2024, 21 Comfortable Hikers visited the Naivasha Highway Primary School as part of the Kenya Walking Safari. It was an unforgettable and moving experience, and we learned firsthand of their need for a modern kitchen to be able to serve lunch to their more than 500 students, many of whom go through the whole day without food. On September 26, 2024, we launched our Food for Thought campaign to raise funds to make this dream a reality. Later that same day, the first donation came in and eventually, over 60 more Comfortable Hikers stepped up to the “plate” and generously donated over $14,000 USD to build this kitchen. We broke ground the first week of November while the children were on hiatus from school, and on January 14, 2025 (a mere 2 months later), Elimu Eats officially opened and served lunch and tea to the over 500 students of the school. It is a dream come true for this school and these students. The school was doing their best to provide porridge in the mid-morning for the learners, but they were woefully underequipped to feed all the students. They had no storage, utensils, fuel, or other necessities to make proper meals. This new modern kitchen has been a godsend, and the project was very carefully thought out. Big thanks and kudos goes to Kenneth Ngugi, our friend and guide in Kenya, who orchestrated the entire project for us. Let me tell you about some of the things we did. We invested in large capacity cookers, which use less firewood and create no smoke as they are vented to the outside. They also cook in less time, which save money and ensure the learners are all fed in good time. Even the cooks themselves are now working in much better conditions. A storage room was built that is secure and hygienic, and cabinets were put in to store plates, cups and utensils. The kitchen now has running water (imagine a kitchen without running water!). And we added hand-washing stations o

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥳 A special message from us to all of you:

FOOD FOR THOUGHT We all know the feeling—whether you have kids in school or know someone who does, that familiar phone call or email arrives, sharing the exciting news that a young person is on a mission to raise funds for their school band, to support an unforgettable class trip, or perhaps to expand their library with more books. These are not just fundraising efforts; they are wonderful opportunities that help our children flourish and grow. Now imagine if they came to you asking you to consider donating to help FEED the students… you probably wouldn’t think twice about donating. After all, how are children expected to pay attention and learn at school if they haven’t had anything to eat all day? Sadly, that is the reality for the 520 primary school students at the Naivasha Highway Primary School. Experts say that food-insecure children have a harder time getting along with others, and they are more likely to repeat a grade. Not only does food insecurity translate to lower math and reading scores, it can also lead to more absences and tardiness. There are also school-related emotional and social setbacks when a child doesn’t have enough to eat. For those of you who have joined us on the incomparable Kenya Walking Safari, undoubtedly one of the most indelible impressions was our visit to the Naivasha Highway Primary School. It is one of neediest schools in the area. You witnessed firsthand not only how warm, kind and welcoming they were, but also the very sad reality that they were in dire need of the basic school supplies, clothing and especially food. Comfortable Hiking Holidays has a long history of helping this particular school, from buying shoes for all the students to repairing broken desks, bringing school supplies and this year, purchasing a new printer for them. It’s now time to make a long-lasting impact. One that will fill bellies in the short term, but help them succeed in their studies in the long term. It’s time to build them a

SAFARI SO GOOD (Kenya Walking Safari 2024) We rolled into to the Masai Mara, just in time for an afternoon game drive, and we hit the jackpot right off the bat with our first lion sighting - and not just one lion, but four lionesses and one juvenile male. They were so close to our jeep that we could almost reach out and pet them 🦁 

TOUR DU MONT BLANC 2025

TOUR DU MONT BLANC 2025! Get on the Interested List NOW! Having just completed the TMB, we can tell you unequivocally that it’s the highlight of anyone’s hiking career. Watch the short video to see what our guests said about it and then, if you think you’d be up for the challenge, email us at [email protected] to get on the Interested List for 2025. We’ll be doing it all again in July of next year. There is no financial obligation to be on the Interested List; it is simply a notification process so that you know when we will begin taking reservations for the next TMB trek. 🥾🏔️🥾🏔️🥾🏔️

HAPPY ST.PATRICK’S DAY!

HAPPY ST.PATRICK’S DAY…from Portugal! ☘️

How to use your hiking poles to your best advantage.

OVERCOMING HIKING CHALLENGES - #1 Every hiker has his/her challenges. Some of us with creaky knees find the descents hard. Those of us with less cardio endurance find the uphills a challenge. There are things we can do though that can help improve our relationship with those challenges, and the better we get at lessening the stress, fear or reluctance associated with those parts of hiking that we don’t particularly love, the more trails are available to us and the better hikers we become. In a recent Facebook post, we asked you what YOUR challenge was? Today we are going to highlight the top 3 and what to do about them. NUMBER 1 - GOING DOWNHILL There are so many reasons why hiking downhill can be a challenge. The one we most often hear about is sore knees, which is no joke especially on long descents. There is also the uncertainty of uneven ground, gathering too much speed and therefore feeling out of control, especially if the terrain is wet or slippery. Here are some things for you to try: 1️⃣ Poles. Poles. Poles. Hiking downhill with poles is akin to having 4-wheel drive on a car. It gives you much better balance AND it takes a load off the knees so that it is much less jarring. 2️⃣ Ensure you hiking boots have enough room in the toe box. If your toes are getting crunched on the downhills, you are more likely to step incorrectly in order to avoid hurting your toes, and therefore making the descents that much harder. 3️⃣ Adopt the correct posture – keep your knees slightly bent, keep your body upright over your hips or even lean forward slightly, which will create better stability but try not to lean back. 4️⃣ Consider wearing a knee brace, which will support your knee by adding some temporary structural support. Another device we’ve found helpful is the Kneed-It (available on our Amazon storefront), which can help with minor knee pain commonly associated with arthritis, tendonitis and chondromalacia (aka runner’s knee). 5️⃣

DOWN & DIRTY IN DOMINICA (Dominica Holiday)

DOWN & DIRTY IN DOMINICA The most iconic hike on the island is the one to Boiling Lake. It requires grit, stamina, endurance, strength, flexibility, and a positive attitude. We had all of that and more! What we didn’t have is enough time on our side to complete the entire hike all the way to Boiling Lake, but we did the hardest and most exciting part from Titou Gorge to the Valley of Desolation and back!

HAPPY ❤️ DAY!