I Am Not a Hiker

Not What I Expected

So let me start this by telling you that I am not a hiker. When I was six, my dad and uncle took me on a hike. We walked up a trail. I couldn’t wait until the real hike started. I had this vision of repelling down the side of the mountain with the wind in my hair but it never happened. We just kept walking and walking. I repeatedly asked my dad when the hike would start. He kept giving me a confused look. Eventually, he figured out that I thought hiking was mountain climbing. Much to my disappointment, we weren’t going to repel down a mountain that day!

Did You Say Massage?

Before the pandemic, my ideal day included lots of time with my family, a massage and a lovely brunch with friends near the beach. It did not involve hiking up a mountain only to hike down it right after. It definitely did not involve dust or avoiding mountain bikers and rattlesnakes on the trail. Did I mention that I am not a hiker?

My husband’s birthday is at the end of December. I asked him what his ideal day would be considering that almost everything was closed in our area due to the pandemic. He told me that he wanted all of us to go on a hike. All of us included ME!  To my surprise, we had so much fun. We got a late start and ended up hiking under a moonlit sky in Malibu. We explored a historic house and laughed as we raced through the woods to make sure the park ranger didn’t lock our car inside the gate.

Never In A Million Years

This birthday hike has completely transformed how we are spending our weekends. I wake up on the weekends and pack our picnic lunch while my husband researches new trail ideas. We have hiked one to three times every weekend since the beginning of the year. We plan our weekends around our hiking adventures. We even signed our kids up for the 100 Mile Club and they are logging miles like crazy.

I love the time we are spending together outside. I love that hours go by without screens. I love that I am watching my kids challenge themselves to go further than I thought their legs could carry them. I love that they see their mom trying to keep up with them. I love that they hold my hand and don’t want to let go. I love that they look up to their dad and want to be like him one day.

Almost a Hiker

My eight year old likes to tell me that I am not a real hiker because my favorite part of the hike is the picnic. He might be right but I am sure enjoying trying to be one!