Kelly Nichols can’t tell the walking story without her sister.

Once Cindi Pederson is present — on Nichols’ phone, anyway, since she lives in Vancouver, Washington, 300 miles from Nichols’ Baker City home — the story starts.

In late 2013, the sisters decided to track the miles they walked, then pay themselves $1 per mile. They set a goal of 1,000 miles for 2014.

“We’ve always walked,” Nichols said. “We got this crazy idea — we were going to keep track and make goals.”

They deposited every dollar into a special account earmarked for trips.

“So we could take walking adventures,” Nichols said. “That’s the only way we can go on trips, by earning it.”

They started walking and saving.

The sisters are a bit competitive, especially Pederson, 68, who is 3½ years older than Nichols, 65.

At the end of each year, their totals were nearly the same — except Pederson usually had a bit more, even if it was just two-tenths of a mile.

“At the end of the year, she was always ahead somehow,” Nichols said.

“I always wanted to be first,” Pederson said, sparking a bout of laughter with her younger sister.

One time, Nichols and her husband, Bruce, ended up walking 25 miles when they got turned around on a hike. Not to be outdone, Pederson laced up her shoes and also logged 25 miles.

“I made that all up in one day — I didn’t want her to be ahead of me,” Pederson said.

Their husbands were not part of the walking pact.

“They thought we were crazy,” Pederson said.

“But they came to accept it — we were going to do it no matter what,” Nichols said with a grin.

Keeping track

They tally their mileage in tidy notebooks with tabs marking each year. After the initial goal of 1,000 miles was easy to meet, they increased the number to 1,600.

There are rules.

“We can only do outdoor walks — that’s the only thing that counts,” Nichols said.

They walk outside no matter the weather.

“One morning it was minus 24 degrees,” Nichols said. “I walked to work no matter what.”

Illness wasn’t a good excuse.

“You had to be pretty sick to not walk,” Pederson said.

“And you had to make it up — we’re pretty strict,” Nichols said.

Also, the daily miles have to be intentional.

“It can’t just be part of your day. It has to be a dedicated walk,” Pederson said.

They both taught school — Nichols mostly in second grade, and Pederson mostly in fourth. Although they racked up many steps during the school day, those miles couldn’t count toward the daily goal.

Pederson walked before work to get her five miles done.

Nichols walked to and from school, but took a circuitous route to add some extra distance. Then, she’d finish her quota at night with a 1½-mile loop near her home.

“It was three walks a day,” she said.

Nichols retired in 2017 after 34 years of teaching in the Baker School District. Pederson retired in 2020.

Now they can walk whenever it’s most convenient. Neither walk often with friends, nor do they listen to music or audiobooks.

“It’s like meditation for me — I’m trying not to think,” Nichols said. “Just observing what’s around you and being grateful.”

Trips, finally

It took eight years of walking, and retirement, before the sisters planned a trip.

By that time, they’d each saved $13,213.74.

Their first adventure was to Costa Rica in the spring of 2022 with Walking Adventures International, a travel company based in Vancouver, Washington.

In October of the same year, they explored the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S.

“We spent most of our money that first year,” Nichols said with a laugh.

The AT excursion included 14 hikes in 14 states over 14 days.

“Kelly and I were competitive — we always did the hardest part and the longest,” Pederson said.

After walking and saving some more, the sisters traveled to Europe in September 2024 to hike the Camino de Santiago, a network of ancient pilgrim routes that converge in Camino de Compostela in Spain.

They chose the Camino Portugues route that starts in Porto, Portugal, and travels north to Spain. This path follows parts of the coast and meanders through forests and villages.

They walked 176½ miles in 13 days.

“The whole trip was unique. It’s quite an experience,” Nichols said.

Still walking

The sisters are saving up for another adventure, and Nichols said she’s now paying herself $2 for every mile.

“Because of inflation — everything costs more,” she said.

The sisters walk to explore new places, and often use the AllTrails app or Volksmarching, a European tradition for walks, to find routes.

“We always make it an adventure — and get in trouble sometimes, too,” Nichols said, which launched the sisters into a tale about a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. “But we always laugh about it.”

Soon it will be a bit easier to log miles together — Nichols and her husband are moving to Battle Ground, Washington, to be near family.

“I’ll have to put on my rain slicker instead of my snow boots,” she said.

However, even if they walk together, they still prefer quiet.

“When Kelly and I walk, we don’t even really talk,” Pederson said, prompting Nichols to say she’s usually a step or two behind her sister anyway.

But the miles will rack up, and so will the dollars to fund another trip.

Somewhere to walk, of course.

“We have no plans on quitting,” Nichols said.