Life Outside Of Teaching: Hobby #2

Where it all started:

During my freshman year of college, I traveled to Arizona for my spring break. My roommate was from Arizona and I have been a handful of times since I have some family that lives down there. I was so thrilled to spend the week with her family, and I had planned to meet up with mine too. My Aunt had called us after I had settled in for a few days. She was dying to take us on a hiking trail in the desert called Picacho Peak State Park. As soon as she told me the name, I instantly looked up this mountain on Google and my jaw dropped. Keep in mind I have never gone a real hike before besides small trails in New Hampshire or local state parks near my house. I decided to give this hike a try and was so thankful that I did so as this was such an unforgettable experience that I will go into more detail about below.

The Hike:

Once I arrived at the mountain, I felt nervous as I looked up at the top. As soon as I saw some familiar faces that included my Aunt and four cousins, I was feeling a little more confident. This hike took all day long as it was over six miles long and we had to stop for a few breaks in between. There were times when I wanted to turn around however, I knew I could not give up and the beautiful views along the way is what kept me moving.

One thing that made this mountain challenging was how steep it was and there were steel cables in some areas that were anchored into the rock in places where the surfaces were completely bare. There were some points where I felt like my sneakers were sliding on the rocks but I managed to make it across when I encountered the cables. By the time that I made it to the top, boy was I happy and proud of myself. I have never seen a more beautiful view than the one I had seen that day on March 18th, 2019. Of course, I have seen plenty of beautiful sunsets on the beach but this one felt different. I felt that I had worked very hard to earn this view and the fact that I had never hiked a mountain this challenging before in my life is was what made me feel even more accomplished.

Life Lessons Learned:

Hiking is a hobby that I have continued to love and try to find time to do in my free time. I encourage anyone who loves nature and beautiful sceneries to try it out. I believe hiking can teach many important life skills. One skill that it taught me was problem-solving as I had to read a map to figure out what trails would bring me directly to the top of the mountain. There was not always the best cell phone service so that was something that I had to make due without. A second lesson hiking taught me was that it is always worth it in the end. Of course there were times when I wanted to stop but as soon as I saw the view when I reached the very top, that was when I knew it was indeed worth it. I hope that you all enjoyed reading through my first real hiking journey and hope that the next time you travel, you find a trail that has beautiful views. Below, I have included a picture of my roommate and I when we reached the top. :)