Spotlight on Mikaela Osler
/BY CARA SCHAEFER
Would you push yourself to the limits? This summer, writer Mikaela Osler set a new record on the Colorado Trail: she hiked the whole 486 miles in 10 days and 12.5 hours.
That’s the fastest known time (FKT) for a woman to complete the trail self supported. We spoke with Mikaela about the “why” of this trip and how she connects with nature off the trail.
Mikaela Osler holds the women’s record for the fastest known self-supported thru-hike of the colorado trail (Photo courtesy Mikaela Osler)
OUT THERE: Why did you decide to pursue a fastest known time record on the Colorado Trail?
MIKAELA OSLER: I already finished the Triple Crown in 2019, and when I was on the Appalachian Trail I listened to Heather Anderson’s memoir Thirst, which is about her fastest known time attempt on the Pacific Crest Trail. And that’s when I started thinking, “Maybe this is a thing I could try to do,” because what I loved about thru-hiking was challenging myself to go fast and to learn the limits of my body. I’m in grad school, so I had the summer off, and I decided it was good timing to try to do it.
OT: How did you prepare for the FKT attempt?
MO: Not as much as what you’re supposed to! I was coming off of an injury. I have ongoing IT band issues that I really started dealing with around January of this year, and it took me until late May, early June until I was running again consistently. Then I just ran like I would normally run if I were training for an Ultra. So I did one 55-mile week and then tapered for a couple weeks and got on the trail.
OT: Is there any specific moment on the trail that stands out when you think about it now?
MO: Olga King had the record before me, and the etiquette is to reach out to the person who has the record and ask for guidance. And so we talked a bit on Facebook, and I also looked at her blog and her photos. One morning I was lying in the trail. I had hiked until 3 a.m. and slept until 5:30 a.m., and I woke up and there’s this woman barreling down the trail, at barely sunrise. I apologized for being in the middle of the trail, and she said, “Oh it’s fine. I’ve done it plenty of times myself.” She had this Russian accent, and I was like, ‘Wouldn’t that be crazy if that was Olga King? But then what are the chances of that?’ So I went along with my day. I got up on a ridge and I had service, so I checked my phone, and I had this Facebook message from Olga King being like, “Did I just step over you?” And so it was her!
OT: How did you motivate yourself when things got especially tough on the trail?
MO: What was really interesting to me about this experience was how much negative self-talk I had going in a circle in my head. Like, “You should be faster than this, you are stronger than this.” Not in an uplifting, pep-talk kind of way, but in just pure rage at myself. And I guess that was in some senses motivating, because I was so mad that I wanted to keep going! That’s not really the healthiest way, and it was extremely emotionally difficult for me, especially towards the end. I was crying all the time, because I was mad at myself and wanted to go faster. Also, I needed a ride home. My partner could come on Sunday evening and get me, but we had to drive back to Albuquerque so he could go to work on Monday. And so part of what was motivating for me for the last couple days was I had a deadline.
OT: Do you think you ever came to a point of peace with the self-talk in your head, or do you think that’s something you’re still working through?
MO: I definitely did not come to a point of peace. I had moments of joy and bliss, but I think in my head I was like, ‘Well anyone could do this; you’re not really doing anything special.’ When I got to the end, I was sitting in this chair eating cold pizza and realized that what I had done was really was impressive and super hard. So afterwards I started to feel better about it. It’s definitely a thing I’m still thinking about moving forward: if I do hard things like this again, how to be nice to myself as I do it.
OT: When you aren’t thru-hiking hundreds of miles or setting speed records, what is your everyday relationship with nature like?
MO: I’m a runner. I’m outside pretty much everyday. I try to go to the mountains a lot. Albuquerque is a great place for that. I’m doing an MFA in creative writing right now, and I’m often thinking about the way nature is framed and how our ideas about nature are somewhat made up. I’m always exploring this paradox between feeling like my experiences in nature, or my experiences of long distance hiking, have been really transformational for me. At the same time I feel like so many of our narratives around nature and wilderness historically have been associated with colonialism and masculinity. I would say my relationship with nature is fraught.
OT: In a few sentences, what do you want your story to be?
MO: I think a lot about living with intention and living an examined life. When I write about myself, what I want those essays to do is ask questions I’m struggling to ask or not feeling brave enough to ask, and to have the courage to ask them.
OT: I would say that reflects your life choices to take on some of these longer thru-hikes and FKT attempt.
MO: Yeah, I do think that they’re related. I mean it’s difficult, right? The FKT is a special thing, and I’m happy I did it, and I think I would be sad if I had not tried to do that. I also think it’s a thing that is very focused on the self, and what I want my life story to be is deeply engaged with the world outside myself as well.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Mikaela Osler, upon finishing the Colorado Trail (Photo by Troy ALLEN)
