{"id":54662,"date":"2026-02-11T16:57:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T21:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?p=54662"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:44:15","slug":"no-bad-days-honoring-cole-stevens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/no-bad-days-honoring-cole-stevens\/","title":{"rendered":"No Bad Days: Honoring Cole Stevens and His Love for the Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Before Cole could walk, he was climbing. Amy, Cole’s mother, remembers lowering his crib to the safest setting, only to turn around and find him pulling himself up and launching over the rails\u2013not yet a year old, but already reaching for what lay beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was just so curious,\u201d she says. \u201cHe needed to know what was on the other side.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That curiosity didn\u2019t define how Cole\u2019s life ended\u2013it defined how he lived. He approached the world with wonder, courage, and an openness that invited others to see it differently, too. <\/p>\n\n\n
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On February 11, 2024, Cole\u2019s life was cut short at the age of 23 in a motorcycle accident. His time was brief, but it was full, shaped by his belief in No Bad Days <\/em>and his deep love for the outdoors. The way he lived continues to guide those who carry his story forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Life Lived with Intention <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cole didn\u2019t just hike trails\u2013he experienced them fully. Friends often struggled to keep pace as he bounded ahead, pausing only to share the next breathtaking view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe got so much out of every single day,\u201d one friend shared. \u201cEven when things were hard, he never wrote a day off as bad. He\u2019d find adventure by driving down a road just to see where it went, or by discovering new music and insisting you listen to it too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At five foot six and 130 pounds, Cole was small in stature but enormous in presence. Many of his friends\u2013most of them over six feet tall\u2013naturally followed his lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou always knew when he was in a room,\u201d Amy reflects. \u201cWhen he was upstairs, we called him Thumper because he made so much noise. He was a force and just so enthusiastic about life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That enthusiasm found its truest expression outdoors. From the Hocking Hills and Rockbridge in Ohio to trails in West Virginia and Colorado, Cole approached nature with childlike wonder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I hiked with Cole, it felt like I was seeing everything for the first time,\u201d Amy shares. \u201cHe noticed the trees, the stars, the way the light shifted and he wanted everyone else to notice it too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Meaning Behind No Bad Days <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cole had No Bad Days <\/em>tattooed on his leg as a personal reminder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe told me that no day was entirely bad,\u201d Amy explains. \u201cThere was always something positive if you were willing to open your eyes and your heart and really look.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t blind optimism. Cole understood that perspective takes effort, especially on hard days. Sometimes, he believed, you had to dig deeper to find the good, but it was always there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe quiet of the outdoors made him feel free, alive,\u201d Amy says with a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s where he found peace and perspective. He used to say that when you step outside and sit alone with yourself, you realize it\u2019s not the place\u2013it\u2019s you. Sometimes you just need a reset.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince being without Cole, holding onto his motto\u2013No Bad Days<\/em>\u2013has been a challenge,\u201d Amy says softly. \u201cBut I\u2019ve learned that the good in a particularly hard day often shows up quietly: in being there for a new friend who has also lost a son, in checking on a neighbor, or in choosing a simple act of kindness. When you become the good in someone else\u2019s day, it has a way of finding you, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing a Reset: West Virginia and His Nana <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the fall of 2022, Cole chose exactly that\u2013a reset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He went to live with his Nana on her 23-acre farm in West Virginia, part of what was once a 95-acre family farm originally owned by Amy\u2019s great-grandfather. Cole helped restore the property and immersed himself in the land he loved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe adored his Nana,\u201d Amy says. \u201cLiving with her wasn\u2019t accidental\u2013it was intentional. He needed grounding, and he found it with her.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During that season, Cole decided to get a dog\u2013one who could keep up with his pace and share his love of the outdoors. Daisy Mae, a \u201cnewspaper dog\u201d Cole found through a local trader paper, turned out to be the perfect match\u2013energetic, adventurous, fiercely loyal, and always ready for the next hike. <\/p>\n\n\n
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\u201cUnlike his friends,\u201d Cole joked, \u201cDaisy has no problem getting up at 5 a.m.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every Friday, Cole took his 82-year-old Nana on an adventure. He bought her boots and poles at REI and told her, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna get your steps in.\u201d Together, they discovered hidden coal mines, a mountaintop lake, and countless quiet moments that became treasured memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sundays, he took her to her small country church, drawn to the oldest members of the congregation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe always sought out the oldest person in the room,\u201d Amy explains. \u201cHe believed people who had lived long lives had the best stories\u2013and stories mattered to him more than anything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An Old Soul Who Loved Stories <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cole believed adventures led to better stories, and stories were what made life meaningful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In August 2023, he backpacked 26 miles on Section 8 of the Colorado Trail with a close friend. Even when his friend struggled to keep pace, Cole noticed every detail and made sure the experience was shared. \u201cThat trip captured who he was,\u201d Amy shares. \u201cAdventurous, curious, generous with his attention\u2013and always wanting others to see the world the way he did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Mother and Son, Deeply Connected <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cole and Amy shared an extraordinary bond, exchanging more than 46,000 pages of texts\u2013photos, music, reflections, and daily moments woven together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunrises and sunsets became their ritual. As a child, Cole would wake Amy to watch the sunrise. Later, when they were apart, they shared photos across the miles, staying connected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their last adventure together was in October 2023 at Nana\u2019s farm. After Cole tackled a plumbing repair, he announced they had earned an adventure. They hiked a trail he was excited to share, Daisy Mae alongside them. That night, they sat on the front porch glider, listening to the forest come alive, watching lightning bugs dance as the stars performed overhead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen Cole shared something he loved, there was a childlike joy in him,\u201d Amy reflects. \u201cIt was pure. It was infectious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turning Grief into Purpose: The No Bad Days Project <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
After Cole\u2019s passing, Amy faced the impossible question: How do you go on? <\/em>The answer came through another question: What would Cole do?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neither the first nor the second Christmas without him felt celebratory. But Amy knew Cole cared deeply about others, especially veterans experiencing homelessness. She, her husband, and her mother donated blankets, sleeping bags, hats, gloves, and scarves to a local volunteer office in Columbus in his name. They called it the Cole Stevens\u2019 No Bad Days Project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the first anniversary approached, Amy feared people wouldn\u2019t truly know Cole\u2019s spirit. She was determined his story wouldn\u2019t fade. So she taught herself to build a website to share his story and values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCole believed you could learn almost anything if you tried,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was always learning from YouTube videos. I took a page from his playbook.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing the American Hiking Society for Cole\u2019s donate page felt right. It aligned perfectly with a young man who believed that experiencing life fully often began on foot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Legacy Rooted in the Trail <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a Life Scout, Cole loved learning about trees, tracking animals, and immersing himself in nature. He believed children needed time outdoors\u2013away from screens\u2013to notice beauty and gain perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through the No Bad Days Project, donations in Cole\u2019s memory support the American Hiking Society\u2019s mission to help people enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of sending flowers, some of Amy\u2019s colleagues donated 23 trees\u2013one for each year of Cole\u2019s life\u2013to Monongahela National Forest. Each year on his birthday, a ranger escorts Amy and Cole\u2019s Nana to \u201cCole\u2019s Forest,\u201d where the trees stand together at the mountaintop. <\/p>\n\n\n
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\u201cThe ranger told us it was a sizable donation for one person,\u201d Amy shares. \u201cThey knew he was deeply loved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe check on their progress for him,\u201d she adds. \u201cSeeing their growth feels like a reflection of his enduring spirit. That\u2019s what he would have embraced\u2013experiencing the world and noticing its beauty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding Cole in the Thin Places <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early in her grief journey, a man who had walked this heartbreaking path far longer than Amy shared words that stayed with her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCole\u2019s not in that little vial of ashes,\u201d he told her. \u201cHe\u2019s in the thin places\u2013the places that take your breath away. Look for him there, and you\u2019ll find him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carrying His Spirit Forward <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cole lived more life in 23 years than many do in a lifetime. His absence is loud\u2013but so is his presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will always be Cole\u2019s mom,\u201d Amy says. \u201cBecause of our relationship, I understood what mattered to him, I felt it. Continuing his story feels like a calling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you don\u2019t have the opportunity to make new memories,\u201d Amy adds, \u201cthe ones you do have become everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who never met Cole, Amy offers a simple invitation, one that captures how he lived: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBreathe in the fresh air. Take the scenic route. Notice the wonders around you. Fully appreciate the people you love.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHike as many places as you can. Chase the stars. Make the memories. Find your thin places. Share it\u2013and remember: No Bad Days.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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