Are We Done Yet?

Can we stop pretending that hiking is always fun?

We were 10 minutes into the hike, full darkness surrounding us, and I could already hear my heart pumping into my ears. The trail immediately started on an incline. No adjustment period. No easing in.

And the altitude was reminding me that no amount of training really prepares you for hiking at over double the elevation of where you live.

I’ve always hated the start of any hike. Much like I dread the first ten minutes of any run (seriously, why does the start suck so much?). There’s something about the beginning that always feels like its own form of torture.

To Be Honest, I’m Bored With The Highlight Reel

My whole thing with this Substack is to be real and genuine about outdoor adventures. To make them accessible for everyone. And a bit part of that is breaking down the myth of what it means to be a seasoned hiker.

Here’s the thing: I love hiking. I consider myself good at hiking. I’ve done more hikes than I can count, at a wide range of altitudes and ridiculous conditions. And yet, I still find myself asking the question “are we done yet” on the trail at some point on nearly every hike.

There’s this thing in the hiking world where we feel the need to always make hiking feel like this fun, grand adventure. And don’t get me wrong, so much of a hike truly is.

But how disingenuous do we want to be to newer hikers by making it seem like hikes are always fun and always simple for us?

The reality is that hiking is challenging. It’s a physical game and mental game all packaged into one. And while that’s certainly part of the fun of it, it’s also total bull if we don’t acknowledge the fact that that’s part of what makes us long for the finish line.

If You’re Struggling To Catch Your Breath

Listen, if you’re new to hiking and you’re struggling to catch your breath on a trek or you feel like your heart could quite literally jump up into your throat and out of your panting mouth, you’re in good company.

It happens to the best of hikers, and they’re lying to you if they say otherwise. We all have our moments of breathing embarrassingly loud during a particularly treacherous incline. And no, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

But once we’re off the mountain, with a mind full of epic memories and a camera full of dreamy landscapes, we somehow forget just how sucky things might have felt.

Somehow, we completely rewrite the narrative to fit some glamorized version of our trek. First ten minutes, who? Never heard of her.

The Sign Of A Real Hiker

If you ask me, the sign of a real hiker is the one who shows up to the trailhead anyway, even when they think the journey will knock their socks off.

It’s the hiker who says, screw it, this hike is going to physically challenge me and I may have trouble keeping up, but isn’t that the whole point, after all? Isn’t the outdoors about pushing ourselves just a little out of our comfort zones?

It’s the hiker who’s okay with looking like a beginner or logging the slower time or opting to not go all the way to the top because they’re just not feeling right about it.

The real hiker is the one who does the hike for the love of it, the first ten miserable minutes included.

In Case You Missed It

Last week I broke down my top tip for hitting those hiking goals. It’s the thing I’ve consistently done for the past three years that has truly allowed me to experience some of my favorite adventures. And no, it’s not complicated. Promise.