Packing for Adventure

I apparently don’t know how to relax. When we go on trips, we are constantly moving. We can’t sit at a beach, we gotta be exploring everything everywhere!

I particularly love hiking. Though, let’s be clear, I LOVE sleeping. I could nap for hours if I had the time. And no one has ever accused me of being a morning person.

A friend of mine recently mentioned in passing that she had joined a hiking group with women who go hike to the flagpole on the nearby mountain twice a week at 5:30 AM. I told her she was crazy.

But for whatever reason, the idea of hiking at 5:30 AM nagged at me for a bit and I decided to join them one day a few weeks ago.

This hike is only 0.7 miles to the top, but it is 804 feet in elevation, and it is RELENTLESS. It is STEEP. It’s a good thing it’s dark at 5:30 AM, because otherwise maybe we’d be able to actually see how steep it is and turn around and go back to bed!

I ended up loving this hike, and I loved how I felt afterwards. I’ve been doing it twice a week ever since – sometimes with the other women, and sometimes by myself. Last time I went by myself, it was by the light of the full moon, so I didn’t need my headlamps.

It was indescribably peaceful hiking by the light of moon. The hike itself is quite difficult, but I loved every second of it. As I hiked down, the sun slowly started rising and I was able to greet the day.

Then I come home and have a HOT shower before Chris and the kids have gotten out of bed. It’s a wonderful jumpstart to the day.

I cannot adequately explain to a stranger how uncharacteristic this behavior is for me – but I plan to continue.

Could I possibly become a morning person after all these years??