When Travel is Combined with Fitness - Amazing Things Can Happen

 My travel/hiking group lost a lovely soul recently. 



In Memory of Sonia

For the past ten years, I’ve been part of a worldwide community called My Peak Challenge (MPC), founded by actor Sam Heughan and expanded by his CrossFit trainer, John Valbonesi — “Valbo” to us Peakers.

There are Peaker groups all over the world — and all over the U.S. My home group is the Long Island Peakers, and Sonia was from San Diego.

I first met Sonia in 2019, hiking Ben MacDui in Scotland just a few days before my first MPC Gala in Edinburgh. Over the next several years, our paths continued to cross — sometimes when she visited New York, other times in Scotland. Sonia had a special way of connecting with people, and she touched so many lives across the Peaker community.

Our last adventure together was in May 2024, back in the Scottish Highlands. We set out to climb Braeriach — a formidable mountain, as beautiful as it is demanding. Sonia had recently completed cancer treatments but was determined and full of spirit. The morning began beautifully — clear skies, laughter, and that crisp Highland air — but as we neared the summit, the clouds rolled in thick and fast. Visibility dropped to almost nothing. Cold, tired, and engulfed in mist, we decided to turn back. Sonia never complained. Even when the guide carried her pack and Ursula — our fearless leader who organized the trek — stayed close to help her descend, Sonia remained cheerful and steady. She was, as always, a trooper.

After the hike, several of us spent a few more days together in Edinburgh — a tour with James Alba Experiences, shared meals, and long, easy conversations. Sonia spoke often of her travels, but Scotland seemed to hold a special place in her heart — for its mystical beauty and wild soul.

The last time I saw Sonia was at the Edinburgh train station. I was heading to the airport; she was catching another train. I didn’t know then it would be the last time we’d travel together, hike together, or share a meal.

Slàinte Mhath, Sonia.
You will always be part of our peaks and our hearts.

 

  

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