Why I Hike

I never really enjoyed hiking. The bugs, the aching legs, being out of breath while stepping over roots. However, last year, I started to do a little hiking and enjoyed it. My love of hiking really started to grow about two months ago, when I realized that my asthma was prohibiting me from running, and I didn't want to spend my summer in the weight room when I could be outside in the fresh air. The idea to hike ten mountains over the course of this summer came to me on my way up Mount Sunapee, when I realized how much I liked hiking and that it would be a good way to lose weight and work towards being more fit. Right now, I have completed five mountains and have five more to go. Descending Okemo yesterday, I realized that hiking has become much more then just a way to lose weight (though I am not complaining about being down a size!). Hiking has become both meditative and restorative, it is a way to be out in nature, commune with God, and meet other like minded individuals. I love listening to the birds chirp, seeing butterflies in a small field of wildflowers, and meeting a snake or frog along the path. I love getting to the top and snapping a picture to commemorate doing something that ten years ago I could not have done. Hiking is something I will continue to do, for as long as I can. I only wish I had started sooner.