Happy People Hike

03/12/2025

Have you ever considered a trip to Finland?? Our friends over at GetAway Girl Adventures are planning and EPIC 2026 adventure! Learn more here and give her page a follow for some more travel inspo and upcoming trips.

As a side note, we know Christine personally and would trust and recommend her for anything! It can be nerve wracking committing to a big trip if you are unsure who you are booking with but we 1000% vouch for her and her trips. She makes the planning part a breeze and finds the coolest excursions!

Northern Lights Adventure in Finland 2026 January 9th - January 17th Contact Me Today To Reserve Your Spot Join me on an unforgettable 7-day journey to the heart of the Arctic, where snowy landscapes and shimmering Auroras set the stage for an incredible experience. You’ll stay in a cozy Aurora ca...

03/09/2025

Want a chance to win a limited edition Happy People Hike Yeti!?!

This is March’s challenge prize over in our Happy Hiking Club Private Facebook group! Each month we host a challenge with prizes, there’s secret discounts and an option to upgrade for speciality gear.

Join the fun: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BSbx6PTZL/

03/07/2025

Our new website is getting close to being done!! That means lots of fun sales for you as we clear inventory for a fresh start!

Everything on our site that is marked as sale is the last of that thing for a while so stock up while you can! And with any of the sale items, you will get a few fun surprise freebies with your order. That means you snag a wood ornament and you may end up with your ornament, a pin and a patch all for only $5! (This applies to orders with sale items only)

Happypeoplehike.com

03/06/2025

I had the honor of being interviewed today for and I mentioned an experience and metaphor that I frequently use to get through the rougher phases of life.

This hike in Iceland was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was not properly prepared, the info we had about length, weather and terrain was inaccurate as was the food situation for the night prior. Literally nothing we could control, it wasn’t anyone’s fault, it was faulty info. After an absolutely stunning start, the midway point was this. My mind and body were done and I distinctly remember just sitting in the snow and crying.

In that moment, that was the worst moment of my life, and I truly wasn’t sure I would make it out. The thing is, there was no other way out then through. Quite literally, short of my friends carrying me, it was figure it out or die crying in the snow.

Shortly after my meltdown we found a hut that had some candy bars and pop (super random, it still kinda feels like that was a dream) and we gradually made it out of the snow and were rewarded with miles of landscape that looked like these next two photos and hamburger at the end!

I was insanely sore and beat up and so far past exhausted but sitting eating that burger was the most amazing moment of my life.

This experience is always a reminder that I have a good track record of getting through hard s**t, there is always something beautiful at the end if you just keep taking one step forward and the ups and downs are all part of the adventure.

I rank this hike as one of my top life experiences. So my top life experience includes wanting to be left alone to die and the “worst moment of my life” as well as a simple burger and the “best moment of my life”. To me that just means we’re meant to experience it all and we shouldn’t get so mad at those worst moments because without them, we wouldn’t appreciate the best ones . 🌄

02/22/2025

Do you have a favorite animal encounter? I have SO many but this ranks as one of the top. I was with a group in Iceland and we had been dropped by boat in the Westfjords for an overnight in the literal middle of nowhere. There was an emergency phone somewhere but that was it. You kinda just had to hope the boats came at the scheduled times.

I hadn’t been feeling well so opted out of the first hike in order to save my energy for the big one the next day that got us to the pick up location. Once my group was out of site it hit how incredibly alone I was out there and I got a little panicky.

Just when I was about to run and catch up with everyone, this little guy came out of nowhere. He hung out with me for a good hour following my every move, running over and playing around. It felt like he was there to tell me that we’re never really alone and I was would be just fine. He reminded me that this was a once in a lifetime experience and to really let these hours by myself be something to fully experience and enjoy.

This experience had a huge impact on me so much so, he’s tattooed on my leg along with a moose, a seal and sheep 🦊🫎🦭🐑

So how about you? What fun animal encounter stories do you have??

02/21/2025

We've always featured real people on our site (these folks are literally all our friends!) and now we want to add even more of you! We are building out a whole new site and instead of posed product photos, we want to send some of you all free gear and get some real life pics of you on the trail rocking it.

We are looking for a diverse range of bodies, ages, abilities, races and genders. Most of our gear ranges from XS-3XL. This would also include hats, bandanas, accessories as we add them. We would also love to share your story of what the outdoors means to you.

We are not looking for influencers, all thought it's cool if you wanted to share your pics, just some real life folks doing real life things.

If you're intrigued, learn more and fill the application out here! Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for us to review all apps and get back to everyone. We are looking for around 4-6 people at this time.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfO3dr2IhEUiq30-NHwasIj7v2iUtAPRXSgDCnDmmCaDXITQ/viewform

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! 💘

*Not our artwork, most are National Park Service - thank you to the funny, creative folks who made these!

02/12/2025

Get ‘em while ya can!! As we work to launch the new site, we will be very limited on gear for a while. Right now we have some of our favorites on sale with limited inventory left. Snag yourself a little mid winter gift or send a surprise to your happy hiker pals!

https://happypeoplehike.com/shop

02/07/2025

PUPPIES 🐶 No we didn’t take one home…yet. We’re having a blast at theHumane Society of West MIi adoption and fundraiser event and want to keep the fundraising part going! All orders through Sunday at midnight we’ll donate 15% back to the Humane Society!

Shop now at happypeoplehike.com!

01/30/2025

It’s over 40 and it’s sunny in West Michigan so obviously we all quit our life responsibilities and are running feral outside ☀️🕶️

01/28/2025

We had a blast being a part of this project and fundraising and cannot wait to help plan the reveal party when the time comes! Equitable access to the outdoors and local parks is a huge part of our mission. Grateful to find others who are also making this a priority.

This project was such a beautiful collaboration of government, businesses, non profits and community members. It took a lot of time, patience and perseverance but it was well worth it!

We had the honor this evening of hosting some of the many integral people involved with our Fun For All Richmond Park Project. To all involved with this spectacular fundraising effort, we thank you for making this collaboration a success.

We started with a goal to leverage our $50,000 of fundraising for a $150,000 upgrade to the playground with a pour-in-place rubber surface. We are thrilled that this effort grew to leveraging the same $50,000 into an One Million dollar playground renovation that will truly create a play space that will be Fun For All.
We can’t wait to see this playground come alive on the West Side to become, in our eyes, the most universally-accessible park in Grand Rapids.

01/23/2025

“There was once a vision to create a 3,000 mile loop trail around the state of California shortly after World War II. After a few decades the plans get shifted to the PCT and most of what the Civilian Conservation Corps had built was transformed into other parks, trails, or neighborhoods. But you can still do a backpacking trip/mini thru-hike on the now defunct California Riding and Hiking Trail.“

Mike’s latest article takes you on an adventure through the California Riding and Hiking Trail. Check out part 1 for the list of everything you need to know before heading out!

https://happypeoplehike.com/california-riding-and-hiking-trail-part-one/

01/19/2025

Fun, outdoorsy stickers seeking cool, locally owned outdoorsy stores for a healthy, satisfying long term relationship. We ain’t looking for no one night stand!

Wholesale is a whole world that isn’t really our jam overall but we absolutely love smaller, indie stores who have a heart and soul that aligns with ours and stickers are the most fun way to collab! Limited collection for now, but much more coming soon.

If you want some happy hiking vibes in your store we’re available on and we’re running a 45% off promo next week during the Faire Market. You can also just message us for more info and pricing!

https://faire.com/direct/happypeoplehike

01/17/2025

Meet the happy hikers behind Happy People Hike!

🥾Mike: digital nomad, actually knows things about places, understands SEO more then the rest of us

🍷Derek: web/logo designer, world wanderer, drinks wine, frequently told he looks like Jesus

🤩Alison: kinda runs this show, always excited about everything, also always cold

🐾Dan: lives a new place each week, the slightly more level headed one, obsessed with dogs

We’re all excited to be leading this happy little community of hiker friends!