Blogocentric Formulations

Take a Hike

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Andre's Fractured Resolutions
Week 2 | Prompt 2 ▼

I resolve to take a nice healthy hike!

Hiking is one of those activities that I'm wary about, because it means different things to different people. If you're talking about hiking in terms of it basically being an "outdoor walk" then, sure... hikes are lovely. I like being out in nature, and low-impact walking is great, especially with some scenery to appreciate along the way. But if you're talking about hiking in terms of it being a "grab your backpack, your expensive hiking boots, and make sure you carry your own food and water because we're going on a ten-mile hike in the mountains" then no thank you.

I've never been much of an outdoorsy type. My parents would take us on fishing trips often, and I was in the Boy Scouts for most of my youth, so I'm not unfamiliar with outdoorsy-type stuff. I just don't really like it. On family fishing trips, I'd just bring a book and go off somewhere and read a book. On Boy Scout camping trips I'd set up the tent and then spend most of my time inside of it. Also reading a book.

Now that I'm older and spend the majority of my time inside (at an office for work, in a home taking care of kids, etc.) I've come to appreciate the outdoors much more, but I still can only take it in small doses. We have friends who love long-distance hiking and "dig your own latrine" camping and, well, that's just not for me. But drive out to the ocean for a half day at the beach? Or take a morning hike for an hour or so? That I definitely can appreciate more these days.

So I actually can resolve to take a nice healthy hike this year... as long as it's not too far and I'm home by lunchtime.


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