My mom, Cindy Katler Hoffman, passed away on January 30th, 2023. She battled ovarian cancer in a fearless two year long fight. My mom was fiercely confident and independent and modeled for me and my siblings to seek our own sense of self. Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has always been merely a dream for me, but my mom always encouraged us to pursue our dreams and make them a reality. I am hiking today to honor my mom and to embody the strength and resilience that she exemplified throughout her whole life. On May 10th, 2024, I am setting off on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, hiking northbound from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington, and will be fundraising for Tina’s Wish every step of the way.

For those of you who did not get the opportunity to get to know my mom, I would love to share some words about her.

My mom has always had a very peaceful, but powerful presence. She was exceptionally caring and has always been a natural listener and observer. She pursued a career as a psychotherapist and a clinical supervisor, with a particular passion for helping young people in crisis. She pursued many different roles in the mental health field while also meeting my dad and raising three children. She never stopped growing and learning. When she was in remission from her cancer, she wrote her own workbook for therapists and clients to use when starting child therapy. In her spare time she enjoyed her summer vacations in Maine, playing tennis, and taking long walks anywhere and everywhere.

I find myself following in her footsteps, being motivated to keep learning and trying things that I have never done before. My mom is the strongest person I know and fought with kindness and dignity until the end. She would take any bad news as it came and not dwell on it. She would keep moving forward and never look back. I have no other words except gratitude and love for my mom. Embarking on the PCT feels very daunting without her physically by my side, but through her strength and resilience being my example over the years, all I can be is grateful for the tools and love of life that she taught me.

Throughout this journey, I will be keeping a blog - to follow along, please visit tinaswish.org/marihoffmanpct