Mother and Daughter Catch Trail Fever

By Chelsé Craig

From the sand of the softball field to the dust of hiking trails, Alexandra (Mayo Otis) Hamann (BS 10) has been living an active lifestyle. Alex, who was recently inducted into the ENMU Athletics Hall of Honors, is now a thru-hiker (someone who hikes long distance trails from end-to-end within one hiking season). She has backpacked over 5,200 miles – the equivalent of walking from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast and back again. “I played softball my whole life and I missed pushing myself physically. Hiking gives me that goal and physical exhaustion that I enjoy.”

“My mom (Cindi) introduced me to backpacking,” Alex says. “We went on one overnight, 20-mile backpacking trip and I became hooked.” After reading the book “Becoming Odyssa” by Jennifer Pharr Davis, a story about a girl who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, Alex became inspired to try it.

Alex’s mom, Cindi, grew up riding trail horses and hiking. After she retired, she began hiking regularly. “I’m lucky enough that if I want to hike, I can go out into my backyard,” Cindi said.

In 2013, Alex and Cindi hiked the 2,160-mile-long Appalachian Trail together. In 2015, they hiked all 800 miles of the Arizona Trail to raise awareness for the non-profit Wild at Heart, which rescues, rehabilitates and releases birds of prey such as hawks, falcons, eagles and owls. Nearly every year since, they have gone on different trails and have now hiked more than 4,000 miles together.

After a long hike, Cindi and her daughter Alex catch sight of the end of the Arizona Trail.

“I love being able to spend this time with my mom and share these moments,” said Alex. “We kept a trail journal every day so we will never forget our experiences.”

Alex most recently thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. It is her hope she will be able to continue her adventures and one day hike the Continental Divide.

“My very first trail angel gave me this quote that I live by: ‘Your worst day on the trail is still better than your best day at work,’” Alex said.

When she’s not on the trails, Alex works in data/ violations processing and she lives in New York.