Hiking Life

It is curious how ironic life can be. When I started dating my last girlfriend, I was really active. I did a lot of bicycling, kayaking, and traveling, but I didn't really do any hiking. I have deformed bones in my left foot that make long walks and hiking very painful. The only outdoor hobby she had was hiking, so I invested in hiking boots and backpacks, so I could hike with her. We went on a couple of hikes at the beginning of our relationship and then never went again. It turned out it really wasn't a serious hobby of hers. After she dumped me last year, I decided to pull the hiking boots out and give it another try.

I joined several groups through meetup.com and started doing regular hikes on the weekends. Most of the hikes are between 4 and 6 miles, and some of them are in pretty challenging areas with a lot of hills. As the winter hit, I had to get some cleats to go over my hiking boots and as it got colder, I had to get some additional base layers. The funny thing is as the weather got worse, I started enjoying the hikes more and more. The main group I hike with is the Sierra Club which a large national group that does environmental preservation and activities designed to get people out in nature. They lobby for preservation and environmental issues.

The nice thing about going on difficult hikes in cold snowy weather is that the people you are hiking with are serious about being outdoors. These are the people I want to hang out with. They are a lot more interesting to talk to than people I have met in other "social" groups. The hikes are more than just exercise, I have learned a lot about the glacial geology of the area, the different plants, and trees, what is native and what is invasive. There is often some piece of history about an area of a hike.

Even with regular hiking, the pain in my foot hasn't improved. I think I am able to recover from it better, so the next morning I am not hobbling around anymore, but it can be very painful after the hike when I finally sit down. It is totally worth it though. I love getting up and getting out of the house every weekend. I feel a great sense of accomplishment, and I have made some good acquaintances. I really hope this is an activity that I can keep doing until the day I die.