In October my best pal Kirsty died at the tender age of 37, just days before she would turn Level 38.

I’m trying to work out how to navigate my life without her, I’m not finding the road of grief smooth, I didn’t expect to particularly but riding these waves is like no other grief I’ve walked with before.

Kirsty was the most spectacular of people. She had a huge heart, time for anybody and had absolutely no filter of her words.

She was so passionate about helping people, particularly those who were marginalised or isolated by disability or injury.

One of her lifetime dreams was to open a riding space for people with brain injury as a therapy/ rehabilitation centre. She always had such a gentle but commanding way of working with these incredible creatures.

I’ve done this challenge many times over the years, but please don’t let that you mislead you into thinking this is easy for me.

To show up daily to stomp up Moel Famau and juggle my commitments, work and life is so very challenging.

It’s also something that I know will help me hugely. It will help me process her loss, it will give me an opportunity to share her with others and also to raise money for a charity in her memory.

At her funeral her husband called on all her friends and family to be brave in life. Just as Kirsty was, she stepped into everything fully, didn’t let fear stop her, she just found a way.

He left us all with a ceramic heart stamped ‘ Do it for Kirsty’

So this is one of many things I’ll keep doing for my pal Kirsty bird.

One of the last things she asked of me was to keep ‘shining my light on anyone that I set my smile on’ and to keep wearing my heart on my sleeve and helping people in the many ways that she knew that I did.

So on the days I don’t want to show up her words circle around in my mind and that keeps me going.

I appreciate you reading my story and my ‘why’ if you’d like to join me in any of my hikes I have a Facebook group called Stomp Club where I’ll post times and locations for stomps.

Thank you 🙏🏻

Melody