Man, I really need to start writing these blogs in the afternoon or something. Because I'm always tired later. But at least today I can say I was hiking most of the afternoon and then went to Target for clothes and spacebags and an umbrella.* Technically, I got home with enough time that I probably could have written this entire blog before we ate dinner, but that didn't happen. Of course not. ;)
Anyway, I went back and forth today about what to make my top ten list. I had some written down, but I want to save those for a Sunday when I really don't know what to write just in case. And since I went hiking today, I thought maybe I could use that for my list. But I felt like I was cheating at first since I did a top ten reasons to go camping in 2009, and this felt similar. However, once I started listing reasons, I realized it was quite different. And I love hiking. :D
So, I now present you with Kat's Top Ten Reasons to go Hiking
1. ADVENTURE!!!!
Climb the tallest mountain in your state! Take a shortcut that ends up making the hike 3 miles longer! Follow what may be a trail to the most beautiful place around your town! Wander through the forests behind your house and find a beautiful view!!! YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Okay, I have done all of those except that first one. I haven't climbed the tallest 14er in Colorado, but I have climbed 4 of them. I would love to do more of them, because some look so beautiful, but it's all a matter of how much time I have and when it's going to rain, etc. It's always raining it seems during the summer in Colorado. But I did hike 2 of those 4 14ers in the SNOW in September, so I think that qualifies as adventure. And yes, my dad did take a "shortcut' that made the hike 3 miles longer and gave me a HUGE blister.** And my dad and I also found some very lesser-known trails in a beautiful area just about 15 minutes from our house.
But seriously, hiking, climbing a mountain, walking to waterfall, taking a hike on an icy stream in winter...All my idea of a lovely adventure. I get such an adrenaline rush and such a happy feeling from just being outside and seeing the blue sky and blooming flowers around me. I don't need to dive out of a plane or ride a roller coaster to get my rush. Just put me on a trail with some water and a day to spend, and I'm happy.
2. To really see a place while escaping the tourist traps.
This is really important to me. I think that this isn't always necessarily true, because some trails ARE tourist traps, such as Pikes Peak right by my house. Or the popular trails in national parks. But if you really search around, ask local people, look at topographic maps, you will discover the most beautiful places in/around the place you are visiting. And it's so much more worth it than just hiking the trail everyone always hikes, littered with dogs and trash and little kids and smoking people...
Seriously, though. I love the trails my dad and I have discovered, and they are definitely where I would bring people who visited. And my dad is very good at finding small but beautiful trails wherever we go, so I've seen some beautiful places around our country if I do say so myself.
3. To stay in shape in a fun way.
This one may seem kind of obvious, but whatever. To me, hiking doesn't really feel like boring exercise. And I mean, I like exercising--yoga, running, swimming, weight lifting, etc. But hiking is FUN. It's hard sometimes, when you're going up a super steep uphill, but the beautiful scenery around you makes up for it. And if you're too worn out to notice the scenery around the trail as you're going up, almost always there's a beautiful payoff at the top of that big hill. A gorgeous view, a cute little waterfall, a giant waterfall, a big lake, etc, etc. So, my advice to people who don't particularly like most exercise is to go hiking. You get outside in the fresh air, have some adventures, see beautiful places, and get fit all in one package. SCORE!
4. Usually it helps you stay cool during the summer.
Well...I think this one depends on where you're hiking. If you're in the Grand Canyon or Death Valley or Arches National Park, then ignore this reason. But most of the time, if you get up in the mountains or just a beautiful foresty area, you are going to be much cooler than in your town. Unless, of course, you live in the mountains...But whatever. Mountains, of course, are always going to be at a lower temperature because of the higher elevation. What you may not expect, though, is just how much cooler it is by a nice creek or inside a forest. It was 95 degrees today in Colorado Springs. I think it was slightly cooler in Green Mountain Falls (where we were hiking), but the point is that I didn't feel particularly hot while we were hiking because there was a nice breeze and a lot of trees and two lovely waterfalls. So if you CAN, find a nice path in a forest or climb a mountain on a hot summer day, and chances are you'll be cooler than if you sat in your backyard at home.
But maybe I'm just saying this because we don't have air conditioning. And my house bakes in July/August here. I'm sure if you have air conditioning, this reason isn't going to convince you to go hiking, so let's move on here...
5. You can help save the environment.
For about 4 years now, my dad and I have been mapping trails in Rampart East, trying to convince the state to turn more of the area into a roadless area to preserve the beauty (Basically, that means no motorcycles or ATVs destroying the wilderness). We're doing it as part of Colorado Mountain Club, which is also trying to preserve other areas as wilderness or roadless areas. I've helped build and restore a couple trails too, which DOES save the environment, because it allows people to see an area on an already established trail while protecting and preserving the plants and animals who occupy the area around the trail.
6. To have fun with your family/friends.
I mostly enjoy hiking with my dad, because he loves nature and hiking as much as I do. My sister complains and my stepmom is slow and tends to talk about her work, interrupting the peace. There are a few friends I enjoy hiking with too, and of course I enjoy hikes with the local CMC people. But yes, my dad and I always have fun, even when we practically get lost or almost fall off a cliff or get caught in a snowstorm on the way down from a 14er. ADVENTURE, and story time.
7. Beautiful pictures.
I feel like this one should be pretty self-explanatory. Nature is beautiful, and a lot of the time the only way you can see some of that beauty is by hiking, sometimes a long way. So here's some pictures to convince you:
8. You have great story material.
So you're back at that party again! By now, I'm feeling like you are around some very boring people who don't know how to talk to each other, since you're always the one telling stories. But whatever. All the more time for you to entertain people!! So, another lull in conversation. Maybe you just finished telling them about your photographs. And you figure those stories are a nice segue into hiking stories. Who cares if these people think you're boring? Or crazy? They obviously can't talk to each other, so just start blabbing about that time you hiked 11 miles to see a gorgeous waterfall. Or the time your dad actually almost fell of the side of a mountain. Or just go in SUPER detail, telling them about every turn in the trail that eventually just took you to the top of a ridge and back down. Tell them EVERY SINGLE chipmunk you saw. You're the center of attention at this boring party! And hiking stories are always good stories in my book!
9. You can be on top of the world!!!
Okay, the chances of this are actually pretty low...I doubt you're going to go climb Mt. Everest just because you love hiking. It's a lot of money, very dangerous, and probably not all that worth it. But you can FEEL like you're at the top of the world if you can see only below you and there's nothing at all above you. You are a god, and you can make those little ants below you do whatever you want! Mt. Olympus FTW!!!
You are this guy.
10. You have something to blog about.
Clearly. These probably aren't super exciting blog posts, if the people who read your blog hate nature and would rather fall of a couch and die than be eaten by a mountain lion. But whatever. I find hiking always promotes introspection and reflection, a great way to think about the world we live in and how well we really know it. Just because we have computers and can connect to someone in Slovenia right now if we want to doesn't mean we understand the beauty or depth or height of the planet we live on. It's a miracle, and we are so blessed to be able to have adventures and have fun and leave with these great memories.
So..........GO HIKE!!!
:D
If you hate hiking, I'm not sure I convinced you to go hiking. But whatever. I like hiking, and that's all that matters.
Bleurgh. I should probably try to sleep now. Or else I won't wake up until 10 tomorrow, and I still HATE that. *sigh* Oh, and since Shark Week is over,*** I'm going to go back to my tradition of a daily word now at the end of these posts.
Cheers!
Word of the Day: lumpen--of or relating to dispossessed or uprooted individuals cut off from the economic and social class with which they might normally be identified.
Inspirational quote/photo of the day: “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.” -Winnie the Pooh
Days until I leave for college: 19
*College shopping. Woo...
**And I was like 9, I think, so I didn't think it was an adventure. The blister REALLY hurt.
***WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!! :( But every week is shark week for me.
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