Yes, I’m 21 years old and have never been on a hike — until today. Here’s how the climb boosted my attitude, helped with Zoom fatigue and reminded me how out-of-shape quarantine has made me.
Telling Californians I had never been on a hike had the same effect as if I were to say I’d met Tom Cruise at a local coffee shop (maybe one day). I mean, we’re surrounded by gorgeous mountains. How had I never visited a single hiking trail when hundreds surrounded me? Well, my defense lies in where I spent the first eighteen years of my life before moving to Azusa (hint, everything’s bigger there).
In Katy, Texas, where I spent the majority of my life, you would be lucky if you came across a tiny hill. There was virtually no elevation, and we had walking trails, but the incline you needed to consider something a hike was found only on the settings of a fancy treadmill. So, when I came to California and saw that mountains scattered the entire horizon, I was in literal disbelief. People actually walk up those things?
As a matter of fact, those who didn’t grow up surrounded by flatland do walk up those mountains. It turns out you’re the crazy one if you’d never done it before (talk about culture shock).
After four years of wide eyed stares from my best friends every time they remembered my tragic never-have-I-ever, we finally decided Thursday, Oct. 8 would be the day I put my hiking curiosity to rest.
To make it even more interesting, we wanted to see if an early morning hike would jump start our days. Between ample amounts of screen time leading to tremendous brain fog, this hike could be just the thing we needed to refresh ourselves.
The climb
My alarm goes off at 6:55 a.m., and I won’t lie, I was 95% sure my three roommates and I were all going to hit snooze at least three times each. However, to my surprise, 20 minutes later we were all piling into the car headed to Colby Trail, a hiking spot everyone in the vehicle knew super well (except for the newbie, of course). I was filled with excitement (and a little bit of nervousness because I can’t tell you the last time I’ve ran a mile), as we jumped out of the car and began our trek.
It only took about five minutes for me to realize this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. At the same time though, the views were breathtaking. The sun had just come up (though the fog was making us question it), the mountains were beautiful and the few bunnies we saw scurrying on the path were the cherry on top.
I was taking in all of the beauty before getting distracted by the fact it had been approximately seven minutes, and I was already trying to hide my subtle panting. My roommates were laughing and keeping conversation while I was just trying to pitch in a few “mhm!”s and “totally!”s to distract from the fact my lungs were already on fire.
Were there moments where I needed to ask for a break, bend over with hands on my knees and let out a subtle groan of defeat? Absolutely. However, when we made it to the final viewpoint after a forty minute up-hill climb, I couldn’t have felt more victorious. Also, the view was 100% worth it.
The trip back down was the perfect reward (plus it took half the time), and before I knew it, I was leaving Colby Trail with a new sense of pride for conquering the mountains I was convinced only existed in movies.
How it affected my day
Don’t get me wrong, it would have been easy for me and my worn out hamstrings to slide back into bed for an hour before my first class, but I actually didn’t want to. To my surprise, I felt more rested and ready to take on the day after my hike than I would’ve if I had gotten that extra hour of sleep. I showered, got dressed, and even did my hair and makeup like I had somewhere to be (besides my laptop). Starting my day off on such a positive note motivated me to intentionally keep making my day better, something that would continue until I was settling down for the night.
I didn’t feel restless or cramped up in my room during class because sitting was just what I needed after using muscles in my legs that had been out of service for a while. This helped me stay focused, engaged and really want to be a part of my class.
At the end of the day, would I recommend a hike to start off the day? Absolutely. It presents a great opportunity to safely spend time with people you love and be active — something particularly important while we’re spending so much time at home. Will you need to stop along the way to catch your breath? If you’re anything like me, most definitely. However, are the view, benefits and memories worth it? 100% yes.