Who Are We?
About
Hiking Thru Life started as a blog to keep our family and friends connected with us by hearing the stories of our weekend backpacking trips. We were able to connect with them through our experiences by sharing our stories and photos. Weekend backpacking trips and hikes are a place that we as a couple found to connect with one another without the distractions of daily life. We met back in 2015 and instantly connected through the outdoors. Both of us are born and raised in Minnesota with a love of the outdoors.  The outdoors is a place where we go to balance ourselves out, a place to find deeper meaning, and a place to just be.
Over time, Hiking Thru Life has become a lifestyle in which one can always put what they value most in life at the forefront. Hiking Thru Life aims to inspire people from all walks of life to live a more meaningful life.Â
We encourage you to integrate the outdoors into your lifestyle.  Even in life’s most challenging moments, a few minutes in the outdoors just taking in your surroundings can reset you.  We hope to encourage others to connect with their surroundings through sharing our journey.
Core Values
Hiking Thru Life is about navigating one’s own journey through life. The path you are hiking now might not be the path you hike tomorrow.
Simplifying your life can allow you to enjoy what is most meaningful. We often get caught up in the rat race and don’t truly enjoy what means the most to us. There are treasures in the simplest things yet those treasures can often be drown out by all the noise we allow to surround us.
Connecting with others and our surroundings is an integral part of who we are. We value the relationships in our lives and strive to positively impact those we come across. The connections found throughout the environment around us are extremely valuable and can shape who we are.
Appreciating the the beauty in front of you and taking the time to acknowledge what you have is very important. We often times take for granted the things in our lives. Stepping back and slowing down allows us to reflect on that which has made us who we are. We should all be thankful of life’s journey.
Without health there would be no journey. Health extends beyond our physical health. It also includes mental, emotional, and financial health. Everyone is at varying levels with their own health. We encourage you to optimize yours as we work to do the same for ourselves. There is no easy route, it is a journey in itself.
Life is a journey with many lessons to learn – take those small steps and build along the way.
Life doesn’t always follow the path you intended – take those deep breaths and reset yourself.
Meet the Crew
Andy Kermode
Founder and Trail Guide
Andy likes to stand on the side lines in a crowd of new people, taking it all in. He likes having a plan of what’s next to come and is self-motivated to get things done. He is the behind the scenes, detail-oriented leader making everything run smoothly and orderly.
Andy’s hobbies: homebrewing (past homebrewing blog), being a handyman, cooking, hiking, staying fit, traveling, spending time with the ladies in his life, and mapping out a route for the next backpacking trip.
Sarah Kermode
FoundeR And Trail Chef
It’s no surprise when Sarah is making new friends anywhere she goes by striking up conversations with a stranger on the trail. She likes meeting new people and seeking new adventures/experiences. She is the one who dives head first into most projects/ideas/situations.
Sarah’s hobbies: Crafting, cooking, hiking, staying fit, yoga, reading, thrift shopping, traveling (past travel blog), and prepping trail snacks/meal plans for the next backpacking trip.
Daisy
Security and Trail Companion
Daisy is the leader of our pack (Andy likes to say he’s the leader!) as she takes us through the dirt, between the trees, and sniffs out a safe path for the humans behind. She’s an Australian Shepherd/Red Heeler mix that is full of energy and always ready for action.
Daisy’s hobbies: Fetching a ball or frisbee, chewing on bones, securing the house/protecting her doggy parents, receiving belly rubs, and getting into a little doggy mischief!
Both Andy and Sarah grew up camping with their families and have plenty of experience in Minnesota’s outdoors. Andy has been backpacking since 2014 and Sarah since 2015. Daisy joined the pack in 2015. Together, backpacking and the outdoors has become a core foundation in their relationship. They started Hiking Thru Life as a way to share their love of the outdoors with others.