Go Hiking And Be Awesome

If you want to be awesome it is easy. Put your boots on and go climb a mountain. There is something magical when someone asks you what you did today and you can say, “I climbed a mountain.” It’s awesome!

Now it isn’t always easy. If the sun is shining or it is mildly cool, no problem. But if there is rain or snow that is another thing.

Are You Fit?

To be awesome you need to be fit enough to get to the top of the mountain and have enough energy to get back down. So how do you do that? The best way is to climb more mountains. It is like when someone asks how do I get so I can do ten pull-ups. The answer is to do more pull-ups.

You can also spend time in a gym. There are exercises that will prepare your legs for climbing. Just stepping up and down on a bench will help you. However, if you want to be an awesome hiker you need to be able to carry some weight on your back. Remember, you’re not a mountain “runner” or “trail runner.” That is totally different. They carry no weight. An awesome hiker has at least 25 pounds of weight on his or her back.

Are You Dedicated

In order to be an awesome hiker, you need to be dedicated to hiking consistently and not just once in a while. There is something I use to get into the right state of mind the day before a hike.

Sometimes the weather is bad and hiking up some mountain is not something I want to do at all on a two day weekend. So I need a ritual that gets me in the right state of mind. In the morning if someone asks me if I am going hiking the next day I say yes, but not enthusiastically and usually tell them I need to get psyched up for it.

So in the afternoon I just begin my preparations. I get my pack ready. Water bottles ready. Extra clothes ready. The ten essentials ready. That is all it takes. By the time I am done, I usually am psyched for it. However, there have been times when I arrive at the trailhead and it is pouring rain when I don’t want to get out of the car. That is when I take a deep breath and do it.

Go hiking and be awesome!