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A vista with blue sky and clouds, green shrubs and dirt path. A backpacker is seen on the path in the distance.

Join us on the adventure!

Explore the outdoors through walking, hiking, and backpacking

With friends, family, and my zirconium hip!

Featured Posts

The Hip Hiker Mission

Hip Hiker is dedicated to inspiring people to enjoy walking, hiking, backpacking, and spending time in the outdoors as we age. Through engaging storytelling, trip suggestions, gear recommendations, and safety tips, Hip Hiker promotes exploration and adventure while embracing our own limits. With personal insights from someone who hikes with a zirconium hip and osteoporosis, this site aims to create a supportive community for active and meaningful living.

As Seen In:

AARP text on a red background
Lea Appleton wearing a puffy jacket and hat is using walking poles and getting ready to hike up a hill.
Lea Appleton wearing a puffy jacket and smiling

About

Lea Appleton, M.A., M.Div., is the author of the best-selling book, Walking & Wayfinding: Create Your Own Mindful Practice, One Step at a Time. She works with clients to improve wellbeing at work, at home, and at play, through nurturing resilience in their bodies, their paths, and the ways they move through change.  She has expertise in using mindful practices to reduce stress and cultivate meaningful living. She is the founder of Wild Wayfinding, a collective of coaching, consulting, and guided experiences that inspire the spirit of adventure for life’s transitions. She loves sharing stories of long walks with friends and family (and her trusty zirconium hip!). She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation and a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). 

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