My Epic Hike

Do you ever wake up with the idea that you’re going to do something completely out of your comfort zone that day?

That’s what happened to me today!

As part of my physical and emotional good health plan, I try to walk every day. I miss a day occasionally, but it’s the exception and not the rule.

Typically I will walk for about one hour at a decent pace. Some days I’ll push it to ninety (90) minutes with my longest walks lasting two hours. Those are very rare.

Since the weather has been so nice, I’ve been exploring various hiking trails in the area. I found one called The Dirty Bismarck Loop with a trailhead in Superior.

According to the website, this is a 12.1 mile loop! Oy…

12 miles is a very long hike, especially knowing that there would be inclines and some rocky trails along the way.

I asked my son if he would be willing to come get me if decided it was too much. Since he said yes, I felt reasonably secure that I wouldn’t be stranded if I had indeed bitten off more than I could chew.

Armed with a bottle of cold water, a filled Camelbak, my hiking shoes, sunscreen (applied) and my iPhone with pedometer app and plenty of music, I set out to see if I could do a 3-hour or so hike covering a LOT of ground.

It was an amazingly perfect day. In the low seventies with the sun obscured by clouds, a gentle breeze would sometimes hit as I came over a hill.

The trail would widen and narrow, which was sometimes a pain due to the number of mountain bikers enjoying the same path today. My biggest fear was getting run over!

There were a couple of hawks circling in the area. I hoped they weren’t waiting for me to drop!

I choose not to look at my pedometer to see how long I had been walking. If I was going to make it full circle, I wanted to be surprised by the results.

The trail goes to the edge of Boulder, where they’ve got a very cool wind farm. I guess that’s where they raise wind, right? ;-P

There wasn’t much colorful wildlife to see, but with the Flatirons Mountains on the front range and snow-covered peaks in the backdrop, there was plenty to enjoy.

I spent most of the time in good spirits and listening to show tunes as I hiked. I think I got all the way through “Mame”, “Wicked” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, among others. Not sure why, but these selections inspired me as I kept moving.

While my phone reception was good, I spent 30 minutes or so talking with a friend. I find that having a conversation makes the walk go faster.

The trail kept going and going. Just when I thought it would be a straight shot back to my starting place, it would turn ninety degrees and I couldn’t see where the next turn was. I could tell I was developing a blister on my heel and I wondered if I would ever get back!

At one point I had wondered if I should stop and call my son. I didn’t want to end up with a massive blister and be in a world of hurt for the next couple days.

But I had set a goal for myself and I wanted to finish what I started.

Needless to say, I did make it safely. I got back to my car, barely able to take another step, and checked the pedometer app to see just how far and how long I had been on the trail.

Are you serious? 14.5 miles and almost 4 hours of hiking? No wonder my body was hurting.

When I was 13-years old, I ran a real marathon (26.2) miles. But I’m not a young man any more and I haven’t walked this kind of distance since the marathon. (That’s 36 years ago for those of you who enjoy math.)

In computer and video games, you earn achievements and badges for certain accomplishments. I felt like I accomplished something significant for myself today. I wondered, “where’s my badge?”

And that’s why I am sharing it with you! Being able to tell my story (and perhaps inspire you to do something outside your comfort zone) is a badge for me.

I have since taken a nice, hot bath, prior to writing this blog entry. My legs and feet are in pain, but I feel good inside.

Mission accomplished.