Ain’t no mountain high enough…

For some people, regular exercise is nothing more than a necessary evil; a burden that must be borne to ward off weight gain, fend away illness, and maintain a basic level of physical fitness – one that can help form foundations fit to support a healthy, happy life.

Meanwhile, for others, physical activity can be the part of their routine around which the rest of their life revolves. It is the sun at the centre of their solar system, keeping all other aspects of their day in sound and steady orbit.

For Omagh woman, Elizabeth Ewing, over the last couple of years, hiking has become a stabilising force in her world. The hills and mountains now act as her focal point; helping to orientate, improve and enrich her life in ways she never expected.

In a recent study – carried out by Vitality American Express – it was suggested that hiking is, far and away, the most popular form of exercise for people in the North, with 32 per-cent of survey participants listing it as their favourite means of exercise.

When we spoke with Elizabeth, she told us how her life had been becoming a despondent flatland before a friend persuaded her to go on her first hike. She gave us an insight into what it is about time spent among the mountains that people love so much.

“I always said that I could never hike,” she reflected. “I was in an abusive relationship for a long time, and I had lost all confidence in the scope of my potential.

“I was full of self-doubt.

“But this is not an uncommon feeling – lots of people feel that way,” she added.

Then one day a friend of Elizabeth’s asked if she would accompany her on a walk up Slieve Gallion – a peak not far from Cookstown.

“I said I would go, but added that I would not enjoy it,” Elizabeth said. “I warned that

“I’d I would have to take it slow, and that there was a good chance I might not make it to the top, and a load of other negative qualifiers,” she said.

But Elizabeth went nonetheless.

‘Awe-inspiring views’

“It was tough going up, I remember that,’ she recalled. “But what I remember even more vividly was the feeling when reached the top. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

“There was a sense of pride in having accomplished something I thought was beyond me,” she said. “There was this awe-inspiring view from the top. And then there were endorphins that rushed around my brain and body.

“It was incredible!”

Elizabeth soon found herself hooked to this cocktail of chemicals, nature and overcoming.

“That was the start of it,” said Elizabeth.

Soon after, Elizabeth climbed Sawel Mountain, just outside Plumbridge, and then Mount Errigal, in Donegal.

“Hiking can be a mental struggle,” said Elizabeth. “If you look at the summit from the foot of the mountain, you think it will be impossible. Instead, what you have to do is imagine the journey in pieces.

“Deconstruct it into manageable parts, and make your focus the next step, not the next mile.

“It is hard to walk from the base to the summit; it is much easier to put one foot in front of the other until you have got to the top,” she said.

Elizabeth noted the metaphor for life that was beginning to materialise.

“Do not look too far ahead,” she said, “And try your best to manage the here and now.”

Since she started in 2020, Elizebeth has looked down on the world from the summit 400 times.

“Along with my wee mountain wife, Leona Carson, I have now climbed the highest peaks in all four provinces, and stood at the top of the highest mountain in England, Wales and Scotland.” For people in Tyrone looking to get started hiking, or even seasoned folk who are looking a new, nearby terrain to conquer, Elizabeth recommends that you have a go at these six Tyrone peaks: Bessy Bell; Knockmany; Curraghchosaly; Mullaghcarn; Slieve Gallion; and Beleevnamore.