My name is Ginny Burton. I am a recovering addict with more than 7 and a half years of recovery from drugs and alcohol. When I got clean in December of 2012, I was ready to change my life in ways I had never thought of before. It was during this time I was called to the mountains. I began having a desire to be close to trees. That quickly evolved into hiking and then backpacking. In 2017 I started alpine climbing. In 2019 I climbed and summited Little Tahoma, Mt. Adams, and Big Tahoma in a 4-week period. Mountains have become central to not only my recovery but also to my mental health and stability.
After nearly 30 years of a destructive past, I have emerged a new person. I give this credit to my recovery program, my higher power and the mountains.
Mountains have been the key to my growth and change. I have a past many people don’t recover from. I went from being someone with 17 felony convictions, 3 prison sentences, years of drug abuse and domestic violence to a backpacking, mountain climbing, full time student heading to law school. I am an active member of a church and a successful parent. I give the credit to the mountains more than anything else. Without pushing myself to conquer them I would’ve never discovered what I am actually capable of. They’ve taught me more about myself than anything else in my entire life.
Today I am an active runner, cyclist, workout fanatic, hiker, backpacker, mountain climber, and an aspiring rock climber. I am very excited to be a part of Recovery Beyond and its life changing activities.