Hiking Attempt #1
I've always loved hiking. Well, I can't really say "always loved". There were times in my life when I thought hiking was a struggle.
When I was younger and our Webelos den leader organized monthly hikes for us to go on, I was always in the back, hiking just ahead of the den leader and when we finally did catch up to the lead group, who were resting, they'd all want to start moving again. As a Boy Scout, I avoided backpacking and hiking as much as could, but always wanted to go Philmont Scout Ranch, which I did in 1997. Again, I was alway at the back of the group, hiking with one of our adult leaders and his son. The only time I led was on the first day when I was the designated leader and I felt like everyone was breeding down my neck, urging me to hike at a pace I was uncomfortable with.
In college, hiking became an activity for physical fitness. I hated going to the student recreation center to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour on an exercise machine (the ellipticals were all the rage back then). I'd rather pack a lunch and spend 2-4 hours exploring an unknown trail; the more remote the better. Near the end of my college career, I spent the summer working mornings at Target unloading trailers and the rest of the days exploring the numerous trails around Flagstaff, AZ. My mother, seeing how successful I was at shedding weight during this period, decided to purchase a pair of hiking boots and join me...for one hike, and then she was done hiking.
Wife and I have, at times, tried hiking together, but our paces are significantly different. We tried again yesterday after I found some trails nearby. I decided we should should try this trail that was a 4 mile out and back hike. So we drove to the trail head, which took a bit of time and a 3,500 ft climb up a steep logging road in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista. When we finally got to the trail head, it was close to 11am. Not a good time to be starting a hike in Arizona by the way... We started down our intended trail, but wife was uncomfortable hiking so close to a sheer cliff and to be honest the trail wasn't in great condition with lots of loose rocks. When she announced she wanted to turn around, we'd only been on the trail for 10 minutes and had gone 2/10 of a mile. So, we climbed back out. I suggested we consider hiking up the other trail for awhile and see what that was like. It was better, it was getting close to Noon and hiking during the heat of the day is not safe in Arizona, especially for 2 novices like ourselves. So we turned back and went back to the truck.
Our time spent hiking was 36 minutes and we went a total of .9 miles. A rather auspicious start to our new found hobby.
When I was younger and our Webelos den leader organized monthly hikes for us to go on, I was always in the back, hiking just ahead of the den leader and when we finally did catch up to the lead group, who were resting, they'd all want to start moving again. As a Boy Scout, I avoided backpacking and hiking as much as could, but always wanted to go Philmont Scout Ranch, which I did in 1997. Again, I was alway at the back of the group, hiking with one of our adult leaders and his son. The only time I led was on the first day when I was the designated leader and I felt like everyone was breeding down my neck, urging me to hike at a pace I was uncomfortable with.
In college, hiking became an activity for physical fitness. I hated going to the student recreation center to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour on an exercise machine (the ellipticals were all the rage back then). I'd rather pack a lunch and spend 2-4 hours exploring an unknown trail; the more remote the better. Near the end of my college career, I spent the summer working mornings at Target unloading trailers and the rest of the days exploring the numerous trails around Flagstaff, AZ. My mother, seeing how successful I was at shedding weight during this period, decided to purchase a pair of hiking boots and join me...for one hike, and then she was done hiking.
Wife and I have, at times, tried hiking together, but our paces are significantly different. We tried again yesterday after I found some trails nearby. I decided we should should try this trail that was a 4 mile out and back hike. So we drove to the trail head, which took a bit of time and a 3,500 ft climb up a steep logging road in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista. When we finally got to the trail head, it was close to 11am. Not a good time to be starting a hike in Arizona by the way... We started down our intended trail, but wife was uncomfortable hiking so close to a sheer cliff and to be honest the trail wasn't in great condition with lots of loose rocks. When she announced she wanted to turn around, we'd only been on the trail for 10 minutes and had gone 2/10 of a mile. So, we climbed back out. I suggested we consider hiking up the other trail for awhile and see what that was like. It was better, it was getting close to Noon and hiking during the heat of the day is not safe in Arizona, especially for 2 novices like ourselves. So we turned back and went back to the truck.
Our time spent hiking was 36 minutes and we went a total of .9 miles. A rather auspicious start to our new found hobby.
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