I love nature or outdoorsy activities. Thanks to my stint as a girl scout back in high school, I was able to appreciate the beauty of nature when my group hiked Mt. Makiling during a summer camp; and once again at a medical-dental mission that had us hiking through the mountains to find that elusive waterfall. Those hiking trips were maybe half a mile long and it was exhilarating and very intimate because it’s just me and the nature.

Two years ago, I joined a hiking group in our community. We went to Big Basin Creek at Half Moon Bay. It was more than 10 miles hike. That experience ruined my love for hiking. It was long, the pace was hard, and I wasn’t wearing proper hiking shoes. My feet just died. So for the next year or so, I didn’t join any of their hiking trip. Then came my Yosemite trip which hiking was part of the itinerary. Even though the Mist Trail was 3 miles long, the elevation was so ridiculous! It was uphill all the way and I was left trailing behind my group for  good 45 minutes before I could catch up with them.

I decided that next time I went hiking, I have to research the trip properly before I dive into the activity. First, I went and bought me a pair of proper hiking shoes. It served me well in Yosemite. Second, I made sure the distance of the hike, elevation of the area, and the weather for that day before I join the trip. A week ago, I decided to join that same hiking group to a hiking trip at Nisene Marks Park at Aptos. According to the details of the trip, it was 6 miles long with slight elevation. Great! My kind of hike!

Hiking is a good exercise for me. I’ve recently noticed that I’m gaining weight and I’m having a problem losing them. I decided to take up tennis and hiking. I just need to have an outlet for health. Going on a hike also allows me to travel beyond my community. I don’t go out much so this is a good way of seeing places. I like the group that I hiked with. They were all above 40 years old and the hike leader Tom was probably 60y/o. Nonetheless, they were really good hikers. They kept a good pace and they seem not to be panting whereas I was ready to call it quits.

 hiking through the forest  that's tom our hike leader

Hiking trails are picturesque. For my recent trip, it was  all redwood trees, redwood trees, and redwood trees. I would have loved to see animals but the only animal I saw was a banana slug. I brought my Vivitar camera with me to take pictures. I would not be surprised if the prints come out greenish! In addition to, that much close to trees reenergized my brain and body. I think I have breathed all the oxygen I needed for the next two weeks. :)   IMG_0702 IMG_0704

The group’s next hike would be at Point Reyes which was 13 miles. I’m going to sit that one out. After the 7-mile hike my feet were tired, my muscles were sore and if not for my weekly tennis workout, I wouldn’t have been able to move properly for the next three days. Even though there’s only a short uphill trail,  my legs were screaming. However thanks to my group who weren’t as fast as younger people, I was able to catch up with them.

Hopefully my endurance will continue to grow and I can participate in longer hikes. But for now, I’d rather have fun hiking. :)

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