A Different Kind of Fun
Some people hike for the love of the outdoors, others for the exercise and then there are the "peak baggers" working on their patch. Me, I pick where I am hiking next based on availability, what I'm physically capable of and the pure beauty to be found at the top of the peak on a glorious day and the flowers littered along the forest floor. Since my 50th birthday, I have climbed four high peaks, three fire towers and a sundry of other mountains, for a grand total of fourteen peaks. I'm getting stronger and enjoying the journey a little bit more each time.
I'm learning as I go, some lessons harder than others, some obvious and others through experience, a few about the equipment and others about endurance, food intake and keeping hydrated. It's been an education for me. And it's as much about what I have learned about myself, as it has been the technicalities. So here goes.
Never let the under 20 age group lead the hike unless you want to collapse from the effort of trying to keep up or be lost in the woods forever because they don't watch for the trail markers. They will hop happily from rock to rock as you sweat profusely and groan to reach each one.
I am a girl. I will scream if I see a snake (yes, even the 12 inch garter variety) and I have learned to always look where I put my hands. There are slimy things everywhere. Also, I am not peeing in the woods. There is no way in hell I am dropping my drawers and baring my ass especially if there are black flies around. Men have it easier, women not so much and my lack of grace keeps me from even considering it. Thank god every little town has a Stewart's Convenience store. My years of nurse bladder training has come in handy.
You will get dirtier and smell worse then you ever have in your life, but it will bother you less and less as the trail goes on. In the beginning of a hike, I step around the mud holes, but by the end, I no longer care. If there is mud puddle to slip or step in, a limb sticking out to scratch me, a rotten log to break through, or a root to trip on, I will do it. Graceful, I'm not. My legs are a mass of bruises, scratches, mud and bug bites by the time I finish. If you don't finish dirty, bruised, scratched and bitten, you haven't hiked far enough. I'm proud of my imperfect blemished legs. They carried me further than I thought possible.
Don't wear cotton...ever. Never wear white especially socks. Always dress in layers and bring extra clothes and flip flops for when the hike is done. Tie a bandanna to your pack within easy reach to mop your sweaty face and the snot running down your nose. Bring plenty of food and water. Pack as if you are going to get stuck in the mountain over night waiting to be rescued or better yet, hike with someone else who has packed all that shit and will share with you.
DEET wipes will take the fingernail polish right off, leaving a dirty sticky mess behind. But the bugs will find the one tiny spot you missed and Black Flies are immune to everything. A bite that takes less than 30 seconds will itch for two weeks until you have scratched it bloody and raw and it eventually scabs over. Black flies actually bore into your skin to feast on your blood, the little bastards. They leave quarter size welts and nothing stops the itch. If you are scrambling up some rocks, climbing with both hands and a bug bites you, they automatically win. Letting go of the rock to swat at the bug does you no good if you end up falling down. Falling hurts worse than the bug bite. If the bugs are swarming, keep on moving. If you wear a netting to protect your head, face, ears and neck, put a hat on underneath first, otherwise they feast on your ear tips and forehead through the netting. Black flies are most plentiful between Mother's Day and Father's Day and sometimes even longer.
I love going up, even when my mouth is hanging open and I'm gasping for breath. I get so excited when I sense the peak becoming closer by the trees thinning and the wide expanse of blue sky looming. It's a moment unlike any other. My favorite hikes have a long gentle incline, leading to a gorgeous sunny,rocky peak with 360 degree views and a long gentle downward slope. No rainy hikes for me, I like to see a view.
I am slow coming down and I'm sorry. I really don't like the downward parts. Each step is like a puzzle to solve and I become paralyzed to take the next step forward until I have figured out the next twenty in my head. I'm afraid of falling and I fight the downward momentum until my thighs burn and even then, I still can't just let my body go. I resemble a drunken sailor coming down the trail. Waving my arms around to shoo the bugs does not help my sense of balance and I'm sure I look ridiculous. Switchbacks are my friend.
It's not a race to the top, or for that matter, to the bottom. Stopping to catch your breath, take a drink, look at the flowers on the side of the trail, check out animal foot prints, or take a few pictures is okay. Don't apologize. An extra few minutes to process the moment is a gift that should be embraced and I do frequently.
I have learned that I can do it, even when gazing up a long steep rock scramble and I am sure I can't. Even when I am slip, sliding, barely managing to stay on my feet and hating every step coming down, I can do it. And my favorite part.... looking back up the mountain and thinking, "I fuckin' did it".
So I am having a blast with this new hobby of mine. It's fun, yet a strange, painful, curious type of fun. I have so much more to learn about myself and my world and I'm taking it one step at a time, not so perfect and getting plenty dirty all while having a different kind of fun.
I'm learning as I go, some lessons harder than others, some obvious and others through experience, a few about the equipment and others about endurance, food intake and keeping hydrated. It's been an education for me. And it's as much about what I have learned about myself, as it has been the technicalities. So here goes.
Never let the under 20 age group lead the hike unless you want to collapse from the effort of trying to keep up or be lost in the woods forever because they don't watch for the trail markers. They will hop happily from rock to rock as you sweat profusely and groan to reach each one.
I am a girl. I will scream if I see a snake (yes, even the 12 inch garter variety) and I have learned to always look where I put my hands. There are slimy things everywhere. Also, I am not peeing in the woods. There is no way in hell I am dropping my drawers and baring my ass especially if there are black flies around. Men have it easier, women not so much and my lack of grace keeps me from even considering it. Thank god every little town has a Stewart's Convenience store. My years of nurse bladder training has come in handy.
You will get dirtier and smell worse then you ever have in your life, but it will bother you less and less as the trail goes on. In the beginning of a hike, I step around the mud holes, but by the end, I no longer care. If there is mud puddle to slip or step in, a limb sticking out to scratch me, a rotten log to break through, or a root to trip on, I will do it. Graceful, I'm not. My legs are a mass of bruises, scratches, mud and bug bites by the time I finish. If you don't finish dirty, bruised, scratched and bitten, you haven't hiked far enough. I'm proud of my imperfect blemished legs. They carried me further than I thought possible.
Don't wear cotton...ever. Never wear white especially socks. Always dress in layers and bring extra clothes and flip flops for when the hike is done. Tie a bandanna to your pack within easy reach to mop your sweaty face and the snot running down your nose. Bring plenty of food and water. Pack as if you are going to get stuck in the mountain over night waiting to be rescued or better yet, hike with someone else who has packed all that shit and will share with you.
DEET wipes will take the fingernail polish right off, leaving a dirty sticky mess behind. But the bugs will find the one tiny spot you missed and Black Flies are immune to everything. A bite that takes less than 30 seconds will itch for two weeks until you have scratched it bloody and raw and it eventually scabs over. Black flies actually bore into your skin to feast on your blood, the little bastards. They leave quarter size welts and nothing stops the itch. If you are scrambling up some rocks, climbing with both hands and a bug bites you, they automatically win. Letting go of the rock to swat at the bug does you no good if you end up falling down. Falling hurts worse than the bug bite. If the bugs are swarming, keep on moving. If you wear a netting to protect your head, face, ears and neck, put a hat on underneath first, otherwise they feast on your ear tips and forehead through the netting. Black flies are most plentiful between Mother's Day and Father's Day and sometimes even longer.
I am slow coming down and I'm sorry. I really don't like the downward parts. Each step is like a puzzle to solve and I become paralyzed to take the next step forward until I have figured out the next twenty in my head. I'm afraid of falling and I fight the downward momentum until my thighs burn and even then, I still can't just let my body go. I resemble a drunken sailor coming down the trail. Waving my arms around to shoo the bugs does not help my sense of balance and I'm sure I look ridiculous. Switchbacks are my friend.
It's not a race to the top, or for that matter, to the bottom. Stopping to catch your breath, take a drink, look at the flowers on the side of the trail, check out animal foot prints, or take a few pictures is okay. Don't apologize. An extra few minutes to process the moment is a gift that should be embraced and I do frequently.
I have learned that I can do it, even when gazing up a long steep rock scramble and I am sure I can't. Even when I am slip, sliding, barely managing to stay on my feet and hating every step coming down, I can do it. And my favorite part.... looking back up the mountain and thinking, "I fuckin' did it".
So I am having a blast with this new hobby of mine. It's fun, yet a strange, painful, curious type of fun. I have so much more to learn about myself and my world and I'm taking it one step at a time, not so perfect and getting plenty dirty all while having a different kind of fun.
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