I have never hiked alone. And that is something that I have been wanting to do for the longest time. I like doing things alone sometimes. It makes me feel cool and independent. I take walks by myself. I have gone to cafes by myself, have been on planes and busses by myself, have visited new towns alone, have taken myself to dinner…I have done many things on my own. It is nice, and I feel like everyone should occasionally do things by themselves. I learn the most about myself when I have to brave something alone. I also learn that strange and creepy men often hit on me when I brave something alone, so I guess there’s one downside to it. I had no work or school for most of this week, and it was fine until Friday. Friday was rough. I have come to realize that, unless I am on a trip, I cannot have more than one day without some sort of commitment, whether that commitment be school or work. I begin to go crazy and feel like I need to be somewhere and that there needs to be deadlines. It’s weird, I know, but I run on deadlines now. I guess years of school have done this to me. Setting my own deadlines is hard, though. It has to be someone else giving me a deadline. I am a slave. I have also realized I am a masochist because I am forcing myself to suffer through graduate school and, although I hate deadlines and all the stress that school brings, I thrive off it. Anyway, Friday I was losing my mind. Even though I had things I should have been doing, I couldn’t do them. Zach suggested I go hiking on a trail that a wonderful person named Judson gave me directions to. (Side note: everyone needs a “Judson” in their lives. They are the people that somehow have the ability and power to solve almost all your problems. It’s quite amazing, really.) The trail was the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Orem. Judson’s directions on how to get to the trailhead were perfect, and the parking lot was completely empty when I arrived. The trail was wide most of the way, and was only steep at first. I was a lonely woman and only came across a few people on my 2-hour hike. I also played leap frog with a city worker in a city truck, who was doing something with the water tanks that are on the first part of the trail. (Please note that when I say I played “leap frog,” I don’t mean the actual game – I mean I kept passing him, and then he kept passing me. I thought I should make that clear.) After the first half mile, I was completely alone. Do you want to know what I learned from hiking alone? I absolutely loved it! I thought about all kinds of things. I sang both in my head and aloud. I danced. I took selfies. I was silly, and it was fun. It was also easy, considering it is impossible to get lost if you stick to the main trail. It is also close to the city – I had cell phone service the entire time, so if any strange and creepy men were to appear and start hitting on me, I could call for back-up. Or whatever else I could possibly need cell phone service for. Let me make it clear that I have T-Mobile, which means that if I had cell phone service the entire time everyone else should be able to, as well, considering T-Mobile is the worse. Anyway, Zach and I have decided to recreate this blog and write it together about all the outdoor adventures we take, so be prepared for new and exciting things! I know you could probably care less, but I will act like you do. |
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