|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Take a Hike I think it was Mark Twain who first said that golf is a good walk spoiled. Of course, countless thousands have repeated it since then many of those trying to pass it off as their own invention, so at least I’ve credited the guy here. Anyway, never mind the tangent. I agree with Mr Twain, but not because I hate golf. It’s never really moved me one way or the other, if I’m totally honest. I do, however, really enjoy going for a walk in a good setting. For some people, a good setting may be something along the lines of a quiet country road or a promenade somewhere with lots of shops. For me, it’s more about the challenge of nature – hills, forests and the like. It makes a good walk even better. No wheels and no gears, just human against nature. I’ve been hiking in some form or another since I was a kid. My parents are keen hikers, and my two older brothers have been hiking competitively in some measure since I can remember. So it may not be genetically hard-wired, but it is something that I just have to do, for my own enjoyment as much as other people’s expectations. So much of my life has been spent gritting my teeth to take on a steep incline that it’s as natural as breathing. I’ve often wondered whether I tried to tackle the sides of my crib when I was an infant. My mom says no, but she might be lying. Regardless, I’ve started entering age-group competitions and the hiking club at university looks interesting. Still a couple of months before I start my studies, but I’m a forward planning type of guy. One anecdote that comes out time and again when I or my family are talking to fellow hikers is the one that happened to me last summer. I was in my first competitive race and I managed to lose the course. I got lost, can you believe that? I thought I was following an arrow pointing in one direction, but either some real piece of work had messed with it before I got there, or more likely I got my bearings wrong. I was following a completely incorrect path for about twenty minutes before I reckoned something was up. For one thing, I hadn’t seen a fellow competitor in what seemed like a long time, and for another I could see shops. There weren’t meant to be shops on the course! I pulled out my cell phone – sometimes technology is your only friend – and thank goodness I had a signal. I called my dad and told him where I was, and he said he’d come and pick me up. As I waited for him I sat and drank a lot of water from the hydration pack I had with me. I had no money on me so the café which looked pretty inviting was out of the question. Sitting there with my water I reflected that for the course I walked, I was clearly the winner. That was what I told my family when I got home, and that’s the story I’m sticking to.
Copyright Zarro Webmaster@liquidpacks.com
|
|
||||
