A few weeks ago I received a package in the mail from National Geographic. I hadn’t been expecting anything, but then it hit me…its the book!

Finally, my very own copy of the 100 Hikes of a Lifetime book, which I photo edited over the course of a year’s time, had arrived. The task of photo editing a book for mass publication is such a long process that by the time my role had ended in August of last year, I clearly had plenty of time to forget about all of the hard work and deadlines. Then the physical book arrived like a long lost surprise; a PDF magically turned into a real-life book!

Working on 100 Hikes of a Lifetime took me virtually around the world to beautiful mountaintops and arid deserts, ironically while I was often yoyo-ing back and forth from home to my next far-flung assignment. There was an intricate dance of multi-tasking going on at many points to keep all of my deadlines and obligations met.

I wanted to thank the author of the book, Kate Siber, for being efficient and endlessly helpful. I didn’t envy her the nearly impossible task of selecting only 100 hikes! Also, thank you to the team at National Geographic Books: Moira Haney, Allyson Johnson, Nicole Miller, Meredith Wilcox, Susan Blair, and Jill Foley.

A side-effect of photo editing travel publications is that I have a never-ending wish list of travel experiences. After virtually experiencing 100 hikes, I can say that at the top of my list are California’s Sierra High Route, Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail, Egypt’s Sinai Trail, and Italy’s Alta Via Delle Dolomiti 1. Clearly, I’m up for a challenge! And inspired by my work on a previous book in this series, 100 Dives of a Lifetime, I’m finally getting my scuba certification this year and going diving in French Polynesia.

If you’re in need of an adventure or simply want to ogle the beauty of this wild world we live in, pick up a copy of 100 Hikes of a Lifetime here.