Backpacking

While I often lean towards hating to run, I definitely love to go backpacking. One of my main motivations to run is to make hiking more enjoyable. Longer hikes, fewer sore muscles, more ability to focus on God's creation and less need to focus on catching my breath are all things I think about when I don't feel like hitting the road.

I hope that later this spring and summer, I'll do a lot more hiking. This year, the 4th of July falls on a Friday, which means I will have a four day weekend. I'm thinking about spending it in Colorado. One of the things I miss most after moving from Washington is being so far away from the mountains. From where I lived, it would take about 90 minutes to drive to Mt Rainier or Mt St Helens, and just a bit longer to get to the Olympics. (Take a look at some pictures from a few of the Washington hikes I've done) The thought of spending a four day weekend in the Rockies makes me happy.

I don't think I would mind making this trip solo. Hiking at my own pace, stopping to take pictures whenever and for as long as I like, and being alone with my thoughts sound great to me. I think the risks for a male solo hiker are a bit less than the risks facing a female solo hiker, although there certainly are dangers for anyone who goes into the wilderness alone. I went to college with Aron Ralston, who became famous in 2003 when he amputated his own arm after being pinned by a boulder for 5 days in a Utah canyon. If he had a hiking partner, there would have been someone who could have gone for help after the boulder fell upon him. I know that I would not be going anywhere nearly as remote as Blue John Canyon, and I'm sure that the trails in Colorado will be crowded on the 4th of July weekend.

All that said, I'm not totally set on doing a solo trip. There is a website I've found, Outdoor Eyes, that has a section called the Find A Partner Community:

The Find A Partner Community brings people together with common interests in outdoor activities: hiking, kayaking, backpacking, canoeing, snowshoeing, walking, outdoor photography and much more. Find friends that like to do the same things as you. It's that simple. Dream It. Plan It. And Then Do It.

Maybe I'll look around there and see if I could find some people to meet up with for some day hikes in Colorado. I don't know that camping with a group of strangers is that appealing, but some company during the day might be nice. If anyone in my vast audience (The Editor - an audience so vast that on a good day you need to use a second hand to count it? Shut up) wants to hang out in the Rockies over the 4th, let me know.