How did I let myself get talked into this…

For as long as I can remember. I hate walking. I think it’s too slow and it makes my feet hurt.

So when my friend J (Jolene) asked me, if I wanted to go hiking, At first, I was a little apprehensive about it.

She said, let’s go hiking, it’ll be fun. You’ll love it. Trust me.

Well, I took that leap of faith and I went hiking. And you know what? To my surprise I actually liked it.

With that being said, I wasn’t prepared for what she has in store. So Me, J and another friend, Mark met up and headed out to Rickey Canyon located in Wellington, Nevada.

At first glance this hill as she called it didn’t seem like much. According to J it was about 5300-5600 feet in elevation. Not that I knew what any of that meant but I was getting ready to find out quickly! Our hike started off innocently enough, about a mile walk in, to get to the base where we stated to encounter snow. About 8-12 inches, no big deal I thought,”I got this!” . Boy, was I wrong, It wasn’t until we started walking up the base that I realized that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. But being a former Soldier, I was a trooper and I said, I’m not going to let this mountain or Hill conquer me.

So, I pushed forward. Man, let me tell you. The air was cold, my lungs were burning and that was just starting from the base. We haven’t even started getting it to the side of the Hill yet. Once we got on the hill, then I realized just how much out of my element I was.

The ground was loose, and there’s rocks everywhere and they were loose and extremely jagged. Trying to grab onto sage bushes for stability was not an option. There were moments that I almost fell down the side of the mountain a few times. And to the top it all off, J and Mark just had to point out the massive cougar tracks (mountain lions), along the path we were taking. I’m just like okay, if the gravel don’t get me and make me fall, definitely a mountain lion gonna pounce on me when I’m not looking! Greeeaaat, thanks J, this is super fun!! If you don’t mind falling to you death or getting eaten by predators or BOTH! At this point it becomes about pride and not wanting to be a quiter, so I kept pushing forward.

Meanwhile, I look up and there’s J, scurrying up the freaking mountain like a dang mountain goat all the while laughing and feeling energetic. It was clear that this was her play ground and she was unapologetic about it. You go girl…I’ll stay here hugged up on one of the few sturdy sage bushes so I can catch what little breath I can get as we go higher.

Our friend, Mark right behind her was just as sure footed as she was. So I’m like, okay they got me on this one. Regardless, I made it to the top and I felt pretty proud of myself. The view was spectacular and there were no mountain lions to be seen anywhere, thankfully! While at the top we rested, ate snacks and drank water before heading back down to end the day.

Thinking the trek back down would be a lot easier, I soon had my hopes crushed as we started down the side. Let me tell you it was scarier than going up!! How is that even possible!?!

All Fear aside we made it back down to the base and I felt relieved, excited but most of all accomplished. I conquered my own mini Mt Everest!! And lived to tell you all about. LOL🤣

I am no longer a hiking virgin. However, there are a few lessons learned that I would like to share.

For instance, Jeans are not an appropriate pant to be wearing for hiking. They are rigid and do not stretch well in that type of environment.

Secondly, having been in the military they give good gear for warfighting. Not so much for hiking. So, my military boots were not very effective this time around. A good pair of hiking boots is definitely a must. Lastly, cold weather gear, I had my old school Army fleece, which I didn’t actually need that day but it was nice to have anyway.

So now, after having experience hiking and realizing that it’s not as bad as I thought and that I could actually do it. I found myself going to the REI Co-op store in Reno, NV to purchase actual gear so I could be prepared the next time we go hiking.

So drive down to Reno on my day off and arrive at the REI store. Like all major outlets, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, ect., there’s just so much to choose from. It’s enough to make your head spin. REI is no exception to this so I found myself an attendant and explain to her what I was looking for. She’s very helpful and gave good recommendations on this items I was interested in. I got me a good pair of hiking boots along with some hiking spikes just to try out for other purposes. I got myself, two pair of hiking pants, nice and stretchy for being able to traverse the sides of the mountains and they won’t rip. And then obviously a couple of nice tops to keep me warm and can be layered, so I don’t overheat.

Like any any new passion or new hobby that you endeavor to do, it can be quite expensive. So I left out of the REI store paying about $600. That’s including the membership to be able to get discounts and deals in the future. As far as I’m concerned, that’s money well spent considering how much money I spend on my motorcycle riding adventures. So, really $600 wasn’t that much.

Hmm.

So, yeah. Now I’m ready. Got my gear, going to go back into the gym and adjust my routine to incorporate exercises that I can train for hiking and then this next weekend, I’m going to try a little solo hike. Nothing major, just something in the local area to break in my new gear. I will keep you all posted with some videos and pictures. Hopefully, my new adventures will inspire more hiking virgins to get out and explore their inner passion.