Just Hyke: For Women Who Are Ready to Hike Their Way to Strength, Confidence, and Adventure

About Just Hyke: For Women Who Are Ready to Hike Their Way to Strength, Confidence, and Adventure

For Women Who Are Ready to Hike Their Way to Strength, Confidence, and Adventure Welcome to the Just Hyke Podcast—where women over 40 rediscover their power, one trail at a time. Hosted by Melanie Michaelchuk, certified personal trainer, hiking coach, and Kilimanjaro summiteer, this podcast is your go-to resource for outdoor adventure, functional fitness, and mindset growth. Whether you’re lacing up your hiking boots for the first time or chasing bucket list summits, each episode offers practical tips, inspiring trail stories, and interviews with women who are breaking boundaries and blazing trails—literally and figuratively. Topics include: Hiking training and fitness over 40 Outdoor gear and trail tips for beginners and seasoned hikers Mental resilience and motivation Wellness, recovery, and self-care for active women Interviews with hikers, health pros, and adventure seekers It’s never too late to start your hiking journey. Subscribe, download, and Just Hyke with us! Learn more at www.justhyke.com (http://www.justhyke.com) #JustHykePodcast #WomenWhoHike #HikingOver40 #OutdoorFitness #TrailLife #AdventureAwaits #StrongWomenOver40 #MidlifeAdventure

Publisher

Melanie @ Just Hyke

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jun 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Tour du Mont Blanc: 10 Women, Three Countries, One Unforgettable Adventure | Just Hyke

   Ten women, three countries, and seven days of spectacular views, challenging trails, and shared adventure. In this episode of the Just Hyke Podcast, Wendy joins Melanie to share stories from a group hiking trip along sections of the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Italy, and Switzerland. With women ranging from their early 40s to mid-60s, the adventure brought together different hiking paces, experiences, and personalities. As the lead organizer, Wendy shares insights into planning a self-guided trip with tour-company support and how the women worked together to navigate steep climbs, changing weather, transportation schedules, and an unexpected communication scare. We talk about: Training for mountain trails when you live somewhere flat. Managing different hiking paces and sharing responsibility. Hotels, luggage transfers, and meals along the way. Rain-gear lessons learned during a thunderstorm. Ladders, rocky terrain, and finding energy for those final miles. Celebrating with tandem paragliding over Chamonix. An honest, encouraging conversation about preparation, flexibility, friendship, and taking on new adventures together. Explore more hiking adventures, books, and resources at justhyke.com (http://justhyke.com). Subscribe to Just Hyke and share this episode with a friend you’d love to adventure with! #JustHyke #TourDuMontBlanc #WomenWhoHike #HikingOver40 #HikingAdventures

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Nature-Assisted Therapy: Finding Safety, Connection and Calm with Elizabeth Pennington

   What if spending time in nature could help us feel safer, calmer and more connected? In this episode of the Just Hyke Podcast, Melanie Michaelchuk talks with Elizabeth Browning, founder of Happy Camper Therapy. Elizabeth is a licensed professional counselor supervisor, registered play therapist supervisor and EMDR consultant who incorporates nature, movement and outdoor experiences into her work. Elizabeth shares how Happy Camper Therapy began as a camper-themed mobile play-therapy practice and grew into a greater focus on nature-assisted therapy. We discuss why walking side by side can make conversation feel easier, how natural environments may support emotional well-being and the difference between forest bathing, walk-and-talk therapy and nature-assisted therapy. Elizabeth also offers a simple nature reset: spend 20 minutes in a comfortable natural setting with nothing to accomplish. Pause and notice what you can see, hear, smell and feel. In this episode, we discuss: The story behind Happy Camper Therapy Why nature can help create a sense of safety and connection The benefits of walking and talking side by side Forest bathing versus walk-and-talk therapy What nature-assisted therapy means How movement may support the therapeutic process Connecting with nature without access to a forest A simple 20-minute nature reset Nature-assisted therapy training through the Happy Camper Institute Connect with Elizabeth and Happy Camper Therapy Website: happycampertherapy.com (http://happycampertherapy.com) Elizabeth’s story and approach: Learn more about Elizabeth (https://www.happycampertherapy.com/about/elizabeths-story-and-approach) Happy Camper Institute: Nature-assisted therapy training (https://www.happycampertherapy.com/happy-camper-institute) Facebook: Happy Camper Child and Family Instagram: @happycampertherapy (https://www.instagram.com/happycampertherapy/) Connect with Just Hyke Visit JustHyke.com (http://JustHyke.com) for hiking inspiration, outdoor resources, books and opportunities designed to help women get outside, build confidence and experience the benefits of nature. If you enjoyed this conversation, please follow the Just Hyke Podcast, share the episode with a friend and leave a review. This episode is intended for general education and personal reflection. It is not a substitute for professional medical or mental-health advice, diagnosis or treatment.

3. 

   27 Sept 2026

   Ultralight Backpacking for Women Over 40 with Lee Warren

   What does ultralight backpacking really mean, and why is reducing pack weight especially important for women? Solo backpacker Lee Warren shares practical ultralight backpacking tips for women over 40, including how to evaluate gear, reduce base weight and hike more comfortably. In this episode of the Just Hyke Podcast, Melanie talks with Lee Warren, a 57-year-old solo backpacker, outdoor writer and creator of Gen X Outdoors. Lee began backpacking seriously in her 50s and has since taken on trails including the Cranberry Lake 50, Trans-Catalina Trail, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail and Colorado Trail. Lee shares how a 28-pound backpack inspired her to start weighing every item, evaluating what she truly needed and gradually building a lighter backpacking setup. Her approach isn’t about chasing the lowest possible number it’s about carrying less weight so hiking feels safer, more comfortable and more enjoyable. In this conversation, we discuss: Why ultralight backpacking can be especially valuable for women How pack weight affects the knees, ankles, back and shoulders Simple ways to lighten your backpack without replacing everything Why you should weigh and track your hiking gear How to decide which clothes and comfort items you really need Affordable ways to upgrade gear through sales and used marketplaces Backpacking food, calorie density and emergency cold-soak meals Camp shoes, puffy jackets and learning through experimentation Solo backpacking, confidence and making smart decisions on the trail Why it’s never too late to begin hiking or backpacking Lee reminds us that there is no single perfect gear list. Start with what you have, learn from every trip and take time to discover what works best for your body and your adventures. Resources from Lee Lee’s Colorado Trail blog on The Trek: https://thetrek.co/author/lee-warren/ (https://thetrek.co/author/lee-warren/) Why I Think Ultralight Is More Important for Women: https://thetrek.co/ultralight-is-more-important-for-women/ (https://thetrek.co/ultralight-is-more-important-for-women/) Free LighterPack tool for evaluating your pack weight: https://lighterpack.com/welcome (https://lighterpack.com/welcome) Lee’s Colorado Trail gear list on LighterPack: https://lighterpack.com/r/37jk5n (https://lighterpack.com/r/37jk5n) About the Just Hyke Podcast The Just Hyke Podcast encourages women—especially women over 40—to get outside, explore more and build confidence through hiking and nature. We talk about trails, backpacking, outdoor gear, food, clothing, training, personal growth and the many benefits of spending time outside. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the Just Hyke Podcast, share it with a hiking friend and leave a review wherever you listen.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Just Hyke: For Women Who Are Ready to Hike Their Way to Strength, Confidence, and Adventure

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.