It's the hardest thing I've ever done...

she said with with a glow of accomplishment. The smile on her face was equal parts I-can't-believe-I-did-that and I'm-way-stronger-than-I-thought.

Across the Zoom video connection, I was sipping coffee and trying to imagine what her experience was like. And what possessed her to join the Alabama Trailblaze Challenge's 26.3 mile hike through the Talledega National Forest.

Aparently, the Make a Wish Foundation doesn't run on pixie dust and good intentions. Instead, it is funded by passionate people from all walks of life. From college students to extreme athletes. Their slogan is spot on.

Wishes Take Muscle.

Looking into the screen at my cousin, I shook my head and asked, what made her decide to take the kind of hike that they offer 14 weeks of training to prepare you for. Her answer nearly had me spitting coffee at the screen.

"It was supposed to be a 5K."

Not only had she'd never hiked the equivalent of a marathon, or trained to cover technical, challenging terrain like they would find on the Pinhoti Trail, she hadn't even been looking for it. The whole thing started when she conspired with one of her fellow scout moms to do something active. Maybe find a 5 K to train for. Jennifer's long time Partner In Crime said "well, I didn't find a 5K, but how about we do this awesome challenge with Make a Wish?"

#ChallengeAccepted

Jennifer didn't hesitate...though looking back she was the one doing the head shake now. She said she was in. They would do it together.

When I asked my cousin how it went, her response was perfect. "We didn't die. And we didn't kill each other." But what she tacked on was so understated and wise, it really grabbed me. She said she was looking forward to the next challenge. Her reasoning:

“Once you’ve seen that you can do it, then why not do the next thing?”

She took the challenge to stretch herself, with a friend. She reached for something new, something hard, something meaningful. She made it through a grueling 13 hours on the trail, a tough fall that bloodied her knee, and pushed through discomfort, hunger, and exhaustion. And while it didn't actually make her a bigger person, it left her more aware of her own strength. It stretched her confidence in herself. It made her ready to take the next Wild + Brave Challenge.

You can see why we asked her to be a Wild + Brave Ambassador, can't you? (And it's not just because she looks great in her Wild + Brave Shirt.) We're giving her a resounding #GoodJobHuman for her fundraising (and hiking) efforts. If you love what she did as much as we do, there are just a few days left for you to donate a few dollars to help her grant those 300 precious wishes for some incredibly deserving children. Don't worry about being flashy, even the cost of a cup of coffee would be a great gift to help them push their fundraising efforts over the finish line. Watch the video below to learn more about the Trailblaze Challenge, and see the good your dollars would do.