Depending on where you live, the weather could be permitting a start to 2011’s hiking season through the summer. Some of you might still be experiencing large amounts of snow or chilly weather, an unfortunate number of rainfall, or perhaps too much wind. Even if you are not weather-permitted to begin your hiking adventures, you can initiate your preparations for different excursions you will take this year.
This will be beneficial in a couple different ways. (1) You will be consciously thinking about the possible hikes so you can take all the necessary actions for supplies or gear in order to be ready. (2) You can research more on the different possible trails if you need to find out more about them. Maybe they are currently under construction or even closed. Finally, you can create an outline of your spring and summer hiking months which enables you to have some sort of check-list.
Having a goal in mind allows us to stretch for that plan, no matter what its difficulty, and then we are able to look back after all the time spent on that goal and actually feel proud of our accomplishments—-even if it isn’t finished! I have this same mindset for my hiking experience every year. I’ll set a goal or list of places that I want to visit, whether they are mile-long hikes or three-day hikes, and set out to at least attempt these goals. What a great way to bond with family and/or friends too! So go pick up a great hiking excursion book that contains all the great hikes in your region. Good books usually contain beneficial tips, cautious reminders, and numeral information for each of the unique hikes found in that book. Talk to different family members and friends, tell them about the possible excursion, and make a plan to carry out the adventure. You will experience awesome satisfaction and accomplishment when you get to check off that trailhead. Think of it like a mini bucket list, for a 4-6 month period.
If there are places on your list that weren’t accomplished that you had hoped to visit, carry it over to the following year’s bucket list. Make an effort to be actively engaged with the beautiful and interesting environment around you!
Within the last couple years, I’ve become more and more interested in outdoor climbing. The enjoyable hobby began when I started to rock climb at a local community college and loved the thrill of being in control of every step and the strategic moves that are required for rock climbing. I started to think of climbing as a puzzle: a strategy or plan that forced me to really think about my every move. Then I took indoor climbing to the next step and began climbing outside, without an instructor, and my fate in my own hands.
I soon grew to love outdoor climbing as well, but my feet would say otherwise. Because I hadn’t expected to nurture climbing as a complete hobby of mine, I settled for a cheaper pair of climbing shoes that weren’t exactly high-cliff material. Soon enough, my feet were aching with large and juicy pink blisters.
I wanted to just power through the wounds and continue my everyday life, including climbing once or twice a week, but the irritation got to a point where I didn’t even want to walk upstairs. As a result, I took time off from physical activities, including climbing, and had to wear 2-3 layers of socks just to get around.
When I got my feet back to a manageable state, I was ready to get back into action. While I had been couch-resting for those couple days, I searched the internet for some good climbing shoes that wouldn’t let me down. Since I had little knowledge of what distinguished a good shoe from a bad, I decided that the price would probably determine which was the safer buy. I came across the Katana climbing shoe by La Sportiva in a light grey-blue, and waited for my package to arrive.
I have to say, I was a little nervous to get back into climbing because I thought taking time off, even if it was only a week or so, that I would lose my passion and desire to be up there. The day I began to climb again, with my new shoes, I felt a few different things: lighter, sustained, and capable.
I absolutely love my Katanas. I highly recommend them to other fellow climbers, or anyone who is interested in the pastime. For those of you who are just beginning this exciting hobby, take my advice and splurge on the GOOD shoes ahead of time!
