my origin story
How does one become a badass hiker?
Sprite mocking male poses on Mount Timpanogos summit
Short story: Hang out with people who like to hike, trail run, and scale mountains.
The rain fell heavily as we gathered together underneath the campsite awning to shiver and attempt distracting ourselves from the cold misery. My Brownie troupe camped precisely one night in canvas tents that leaked badly. Then, we woke up and went home without fuss or fanfare. There were no hikes. There were no campfires. There were no activities. But we did it!
I joined my brother’s Boy Scout activities more than my own Girl Scout troupe opportunities. They got to do fun things, like make pinewood derby cars and race them. They took us to camp in Cumberland Caverns where I fell into the cold water of Gum Ball Alley and froze all night long. In my mind I can smell that old sleeping bag and feel it’s soft worn flannel interior. My brothers and I set up a tent in our backyard all summer long or took a sleeping bag up to the platform of a “treehouse” to hangout. We may have camped somewhat but we definitely weren’t a hiking family.
Fast forward to my teen years to a Spring Break in the North Georgia mountains where my friend group found ourselves lucky enough to be guided to a popular waterfall hike for lunch by one of the dads. My love affair didn’t really start there as you are imagining it did. I also didn’t walk or run much before or after that experience.
However, when I adopted Holly things took a turn. Holly required a lot of outdoor time. You could credit my adoration for all things outdoors to her and her wild, insatiable spirit. I lost 10 lbs that first week of Holly in my life, three months shy of 22 years on this earth. Our eleven and a half years together included exploring land—both city streets and mountains—in a multitude of states across the nation. Holly even made the trek to Seattle from Georgia with some adventurous stops along the way.
How many mountains did she drag me up? I wish I kept track. But it wasn’t just Holly that kept me out on the trails. When I danced for Alabama Ballet, I was dared to run a marathon. So I started running smaller races as training, both on roads and trails. At the time I didn’t really have a preference, I simply enjoyed the mind clearing aspect that running brought me. As I aged, and truthfully as I had more access to trails, I began to prefer the forest paths. So I guess I owe my ability to run on trails to that ex. And where I’ve landed in life too.
If not for that human, then I wouldn’t have experienced all the adventures with Bennie (I feel closer to telling the tale of woe for Benedict Arnold, so hang in there!) and I certainly wouldn’t have been running up a mountain on a fortuitous blustery June-uary day in the Cascades. And without finding THAT human, now known as TAJ, I wouldn’t be the badass thru hiker I am today.
If you’re looking for a moral, it’s this: Find someone, or a group of someones, to challenge your pace and your comfortability. That is when the magic happens. And we ALL deserve a constant stream of magic in our lives. Happy trails!🧚🏻♀️ Sprite