‘It’s about the journey’: Boise woman hikes Table Rock trail 100 times in one year
Mitzi Cheldelin said her hikes are about the journey, not the destination. But this weekend, she reached the same destination for the 100th time, fulfilling a goal she set for herself nearly a year ago.
Cheldelin, 53, summited Boise’s Table Rock in a flurry of snow and a crowd of friends and family on Sunday morning. The journey to the top of Table Rock is just over 1 1/2 miles, but Cheldelin’s real journey started on Jan. 1, 2019 — the first of her hundred hikes this year.
“2017, 2018 were kind of difficult years for me,” she said in an interview.
Feeling more optimistic near the start of 2019, she had planned trips to hike the Manitou Incline in Colorado and Angels Landing in Utah’s Zion National Park.
“I decided I needed to train (for those hikes),” Cheldelin said. “Just out of the blue I decided, ‘I’m going to hike Table Rock 100 times in 2019.’”
Snow, rain made Table Rock hikes hard
It was a frigid 16 degrees during her New Year’s Day hike, Cheldelin said. But for most of the rest of the month of January, warmer temperatures and wet conditions closed the trail. Cheldelin had to delay working on her goal until mid-February.
The same weather concerns nearly derailed her 100th hike. On Saturday evening, Cheldelin posted to a public Facebook event she’d made to invite friends to join her: Warm overnight temperatures meant the trail likely wouldn’t have frozen enough to be usable.
Cheldelin said she would check conditions first thing in the morning, but she believed the big hike would “more than likely be a NO GO.”
Instead, at 7:51 a.m. on Sunday, she shared some good news: “The trail is OPEN this morning.”
By 9 o’clock, nearly 25 people had joined Cheldelin at the trailhead near the Old Penitentiary, including Marv Hagedorn, a former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. Hagedorn is Cheldelin’s boss at the Idaho Division of Veterans Services.
“Mitzi has been a kind of cornerstone in our veterans programs,” Hagedorn said in an interview. “She made this (hiking goal) happen between helping veterans 24/7 and working and being with her grandkids.
“She has kept her word to herself, and it’s a great example,” he added. “How could you not be here with her?”
Friends, supporters found on Boise trails
Cheldelin said she’s had many friends accompany her on the hikes, including one who went with her on 25 of the treks. About 50% of the time, she went alone.
One of her greatest joys from her hiking goal has been sharing it with friends, Cheldelin said. She’s met new friends on the trail and rekindled old relationships.
“On hike No. 33, I ran into my best friend from third grade,” she said. “I hadn’t seen her in probably 10 years.”
For hike 100, Cheldelin had more than 20 friends by her side and a handful more at the top of the plateau to cheer her on and greet her with balloons.
Chad Rohr, one of those who hiked with Cheldelin on Sunday, said he’s hiked with her several times. He wanted to show his support as she accomplished her goal.
“It’s definitely a personal achievement to accomplish something that’s so meaningful to her,” Rohr said. “It’s been great just sharing her experience and watching her bring people together.”
100 hikes in 365 days. What’s next?
Cheldelin said there were some weeks when she hiked Table Rock Trail each day. There were other weeks when she didn’t climb it at all.
“It’s been sporadic,” she said. “There have been months where I haven’t done too many (hikes).”
On Oct. 14, she hiked the trail four times — three of them on her own in the morning, and the fourth time later that day after a friend proposed heading to the popular path.
After her 100th summit on Sunday, Cheldelin said she felt good having hit her goal. And though she started on New Year’s Day, she’s adamant that it was a goal, not a resolution. She’s not sure what next year’s goal might be.
“I have not thought about it,” she said. “I’ve been so focused on getting this accomplished.”
Several co-workers plan to run 2,020 miles in 2020. Cheldelin said she’s not a runner but might shoot for 2,020 miles walking and hiking. She knows now that lofty goals are within her grasp.
“I think you can do anything you set your mind to,” she said.
This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 4:03 PM.
