Meet Linda,
The Healthy Hiker
Linda Murphy is The Healthy Hiker, and she wants to help YOU get healthy through hiking too!
A lifelong hiking enthusiast and now, hiking leader,
Linda's passion for outdoor adventure, and support for those in need, fuels her backpacking treks:
3,000km on the Pacific Crest Trail, US.A. in 2019
900km on the Bruce Trail, Canada in 2022
1,000km on the Ireland Way in 2023
100km to the base of Cotopaxi Volcano, Equador in 2023
Upcoming Hikes in 2024
386km Rideau Trail, Kingston to Ottawa, Canada
80km La Cloche Silhouette Loop, Killarney Provincial Park, Canada
336 km East Coast Trail, Newfounland, Canada
Linda prefers to "hike with a purpose", and to that end, has independently raised over $120,000CAD
for victims of domestic violence and her local women's shelter, as she hikes.
Her Ireland Way trek was a tribute, in memory of her late Irish parents.
Her weekly hikes' purpose is to get locals up, out, and happy and healthy through hiking!
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Keep scrolling to see spectacular scenery, and watch compelling videos of Linda's long distance treks!
Do you love hitting the trails, in any weather, anytime?
Do you love learning about the wonders that nature has to offer, both in your own backyard, and in distant destinations?
Then, you too, may be a Healthy Hiker, and we would love to see you on one of our group hikes - keep scrolling!
Interested in booking a private or group hike, customized to your needs?
Click on the Contact tab above, for fees and availability.
Join our next Healthy Hike...Saturday group hikes are FREE!
"Hiking Home for Shelter"
My 3,000km/173-day Wilderness Trek on the Pacific Crest Trail
From March 26 - September 13, 2019, I took a 6-month leave of absence from my career, my family, and my home, in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada...to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a 4,279km mountain wilderness trail, from Mexico to Canada! At 57 years of age, I hiked mostly alone and unsupported, backpacking my way through the desert, over mountain passes, and across rushing rivers, the equivalent distance and elevation changes, to ascending and descending Mt. Everest 16 times, all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
I did this because I am safe, I am strong, and I am grateful for my violence-free life, and that of our three daughters - I did it because I COULD. Those who suffer from abuse in their own homes won't receive the safe shelter and counselling they and their children so desperately need, if we, who can, don't provide the funding to support them.
Backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail turned out to be the greatest adventure of my life! This unique and WILD experience filled me with wonder, awe, and boundless gratitude on a daily basis. I also faced some of my worst personal fears, pushing my well-past-middle-age body beyond its limit. Between gut-wrenching sickness from drinking contaminated ground water, torn back ligaments, a tooth infection that eventually resulted in its extraction, a foot stress fracture, bear and rattlesnake encounters, altitude sickness, a respiratory infection, constantly-increasing knee pain, and devastating loneliness, it would seem that I experienced more hardship than pleasure in my 173 days on the PCT. BUT, in fact, I faced, recovered, and gained a greater strength than anything I could have imagined, from each and every one of these body and spirit-breaking challenges, and finally, I made a friend-for-life along the way, who was instrumental in the success of my trek, and helped me to find JOY in the journey. The entire experience was absolutely and completely worth it, especially given the outpouring of support that I received, over $32,000 in total, with every dollar going to our local Women's Shelter, "My Friend's House", in Collingwood, ON, and others like it, across Canada.
So...the question I am most commonly asked...would I ever do it again?? You BET - in a heartbeat!
The Healthy Hiker Backpacking Videos
Contact Us
Looking to book, or just get info, about a private, semi-private, or guided group hike?
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Please reach out - The Healthy Hiker would LOVE to hear from you!
TheHealthyHiker.ca is based in Collingwood, ON, Canada, but is happy to accommodate out-of-town, province, or country hikes - just ask!
