Hiking for me is the best part of living the life I want. Being in nature, challenging my body, moving. If you hike you know it can become an important part of your life.
At 78 I ask myself, “Will I be able to do it this next March?” Right now I am not so sure, but I will know better in February.
An Alternative
So what if you can’t hike anymore? You have some disease or a heart condition and the doctor says you can’t stress yourself that much. I am not so naive to think that I will never not be able to climb mountains, but I prefer it be at least after my 85th year. Only six and a half years to go with this going wrong and that going wrong.
Let’s say you are 86 and you just van’t get the body up the mountain again. What is an alternative. You start walking up the hills where you live. You can even walk for a longer time because you are not driving to a trailhead. Of course you will be hitting the gym as usual, right?
Building the Life You Want
Maybe you are in your 40s and just started hiking. This is when you can make it a habit. Hiking will become like brushing your teeth. You will make sure your career doesn’t get in the way. Only take the job if you will have time to hike.
Hiking becomes a part of your identity. It is a big part of who you are. Or maybe you will become a trail runner or a rock climber. Nothing wrong with those except I think hiking is best.
Always Anticipating
This time of year when I am on my winter break from hiking I begin to anticipate the next season. What challenges will I face? Will I see another UFO (UAP)? Will I be able to climb Mt Si twice in one morning again? Do I even want to do it. What about Mailbox Peak?
This next season Mt Pilchuck will reopen. They were fixing the potholes on the road to the trailhead so seeing the results of that will be interesting.
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