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Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Day Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park Wendy Altschuler Most milestone birthdays, the ones with a fat zero at the end, feel like a big deal. After all, turning 20 feels much different than celebrating a 30th or 40th journey around the sun. As you inch closer to the half-century mark, however, there’s likely a lot of important things weighing heavy on your mind.

From children who are about to leave the nest to aging parents to work responsibilities to your relationship with your partner, it’s easy to put your health and wellbeing on the back burner as others need your attention and care. Birthdays are a great opportunity for examining what we really want out of life, for shifting the attention back onto ourselves and balancing the weigh-bridges. Daring to dream up new personal adventures, whether they include friends and family or not, can be a pivotal part of our midlife evolution.



Travel is a great way to not only revel in a new decade, but also, delve into what brings joy, vibrancy, and meaning into our lives. Bonus: continuing to learn and grow while stoking our curiosity will serve us well as we age. If traveling more is on your wish-list, yet you don’t know where to go or who to go with, keep reading.

From hiking adventures in the alps to river rafting in Canada’s Northwest Territories, here are amazing adventures to experience before turning 50. Best Trip for Intrepid Travelers Rafting on the South Nahanni River Wendy Altschuler If setting up your own tent by a wide river in the secluded wilderness is something that sounds exhilarating to you, then look no further than Nahanni River Adventures and Canadian River Expeditions . Located west of Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories, the South Nahanni River, the showpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve , will be your home away from home as you float during the day and make your camp at night.

Your adventure begins at Virginia Falls; travels through four diverse canyons full of wildlife like Dall sheep, moose, and bears; makes stops at remote spots like Kraus Hot Springs; and ends after 150 remote miles at Nahanni Butte. Camping in Canada Wendy Altschuler Most certainly an indelible experience you’ll never forget, this river trip is much more than a bucket list adventure worthy of a 50 th birthday celebration, it’s a chance to connect with nature—and yourself—in a newfangled way. You’ll experience a digital detox that you didn’t even know you needed as you settle into the rhythms of the river.

Go with your partner, your family, or solo— just go. function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.cnxel) { window.

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For hikers, one of the most beautiful routes in the world is the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), a challenging path that travels through France, Italy, and Switzerland as it circles the massif. While many companies operate multi-day guided hikes on the TMB, one outfit in particular is the cream of the crop. Wilderness Travel, an adventure company that has been around since 1978, enlists local professional guides to lead travelers across three international borders as they hike past cow-studded meadows blanketed in wildflowers, colossal granite peaks, and sweet-smelling forests.

A variety of accommodations, each with their own character and charm, will provide a sleep-inducing place to rest your head each night. If you’re looking for a hiking adventure to usurp all others, this is it! Best Trip for a Little of Everything Moose sighting at Rocky Mountain National Park Wendy Altschuler If you’d like to celebrate your big birthday in the outdoors but you don’t know what activity to zero in on specifically, then look no further than Estes Park , Colorado. Here, where nature and the outdoors are a major part of the community ethos, you can experience it all.

Visit Rocky Mountain National Park where you can go hiking, spot wildlife, and enjoy scenic drives. Ride the Mustang Mountain Coaster and the Estes Park Aerial Tram , fun experiences that are perfect for the whole family. Go shopping in the downtown area on Elkhorn Avenue and check out the inventive dining at two of the best restaurants in town: Ember and Claire’s .

Climbing with KMAC Guides in Colorado Wendy Altschuler For a big adventure, even if you’re new to it, go rock climbing with the experts at Kent Mountain Adventure Center, KMAC . The Intro to Rock Climbing six-hour rocky romp is a great way to dip your toe into the world of outdoor climbing. Likely, this day will be the highlight of your whole mountain escapade and a stellar way to celebrate your milestone birthday.

No matter what you do or where you go to ring in the new decade, spending time in the outdoors is always a good idea..

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