Bindi Irwin Celebrates Going on First 'Big Hike in Years Since Endometriosis Took Away So Much': 'I Cried Happy Tears'

Bindi Irwin hit a new high in her recovery from endometriosis.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, the wildlife conservationist, 26, shared a post on Instagram celebrating the fact that she got to enjoy her first "big hike" in years after being treated for the condition.

"A day spent hiking over 10 miles, across 3 mountains with my best friend. ❤️," she wrote, referring to her husband Chandler Powell, who joined her for the experience.

"My first big hike in YEARS since endometriosis took away so much," she continued. "I cried quite a few happy tears. Endless gratitude in my heart. @chandlerpowell - I’ll remember this day forever."

Her post featured a series of photos from the hike, including shots of the couple posing for selfies with some stunning scenery as their backdrop. One image shows Bindi, who is the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin, standing by herself in front of a mountain and lake vista while wearing a T-shirt that reads "Happy Camper."

Bindi — who shares 3-year-old daughter Grace with Powell, 28 — has been very candid about her journey with endometriosis which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is "an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus."

Related: Bindi Irwin Felt 'Desperately Alone' Before Endometriosis Diagnosis: 'Very Difficult Time' (Exclusive)

After enduring a decade of debilitating pain and fatigue, Bindi revealed in March 2023 that she was diagnosed with endometriosis after undergoing a laparoscopy during which doctors found 37 lesions and a cyst on her ovary, which she eventually had removed via surgery. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in August 2023, she shared that the diagnosis validated everything she had been experiencing.

“Looking back, it was always endometriosis,” she said. “My symptoms line up perfectly. I wish so much I could have had this surgery years ago. My pain was in the driver’s seat, and everything else took a back seat. But I believe everything happens for a reason and that I had the surgery at the exact right time.”

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At the time, she shared that she was steadily recovering and feeling like she had "a second chance at life."

“It’s not like a light switch, but every week I feel like I’m able to do a little bit more,” she told PEOPLE. “Now I wake up in the morning, and I don’t have to take anti-nausea medicine or have my heat pack. Being able to go for a walk with my daughter and not feeling like I have to throw up in the bushes is just wild to me.”

She added: “I feel brand new.”

Related: Bindi Irwin Says Doctors Dismissed Her Pain Before Endometriosis Diagnosis: 'It’s All in Your Head' (Exclusive)

Last May, Bindi was honored with the 2024 EndoFound Blossom Award from the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Speaking to the audience at the New York City event, she shared more reflections on how her life has changed since receiving treatment.

“I am no longer a shadow of myself,” she said. “I hated looking in the mirror, because all I could see was the pain and I felt like I had lost myself."

"And now I feel like I'm gaining my sense of self again,” she continued. “I'm realizing that I am so much more than my pain, and that's something we all have to remember.”

She recounted how her endometriosis pain worsened after she gave birth to Grace in March 2021.

“My pain escalated to new heights. It utterly consumed my life,” she told the audience. “All I wanted was to be there for my daughter, but endometriosis was sucking away every last piece of joy and my ability to function in life.”

But since being treated, she said, "I feel more alive than I have since I was a tiny child." Bindi also noted that she has chosen to share her personal story in the hopes that it will give others the “validation that their pain is real" and that "they deserve answers" about their health.

Read the original article on People