Favourite Hike? Confessions of a Serial Hiker

What's the Best Hike? The One Question Every Trail Lover Gets Asked

“So… which is your favourite hike?” Ah yes. That question — as if we are some mystical forest oracles who have just descended from a cliff carrying sacred scrolls and divine trail wisdom.

For those of us who hike obsessively—the kind who hike like it's a competitive sport, plan weekend hikes with the intensity of a military operation, and have emotionally bonded with our hydration packs—asking for a favourite hike is basically a trick question.

Hiking trails? They're basically children in dirt-covered disguise.

The first one? Nothing like the pictures say. You’re never ready. Total chaos. Poor life choices, and enough emotional trauma to be in therapy for life.

Adorable idea in theory, utter mayhem in practice.

10/10 needs a redo. Ideally with adult supervision, duct tape, and a detailed risk assessment.

Then there's the youngest - ah yes, fresh, shiny, and manipulating you into thinking you've learned from your past mistakes. Just enough dopamine to make you forget the hell you went through to reach the last summit. It’s not necessarily your favorite — it’s just the one that hasn’t disappointed you.....yet, is still fresh in your mind, just enough to tease the next bad decision."

Because honestly? Not all hikes — or kids — are built the same.

Easy? Hard? Technical? Long? Short? Hot? or Shaded?: Picking Your Perfect Hike

My “favourite” hike? You’ll have to narrow that down. Are we talking “I could do this in flip-flops”, or “I saw my life flash before my eyes on that cliff”?

Some days, I just want a gentle walk in nature followed by a smug little cappuccino. Minimal effort, maximum smugness.

Other days? I want to suffer. I want to curse gravity, question my choices, and earn that summit with every gasp, groan, and sweat-soaked regret.I want to feel like I survived something — and then convince myself it was “fun.”

And then there are the technical hikes — not outrageously steep, but for someone with unresolved trauma (hi, yes me). You're not just hiking — you're solving a full-body logic puzzle where every wrong move has the potential to cause injury. It's ropes, scrambling, boulders, and a constant internal monologue of "Is this safe?" followed by "Wow I am gangsta"

There are "quick hit" hikes — 5km in and out, no drama, back before lunch. And then there are “cancel all plans, we live here now” epics that possibly involve a rescue helicopter (just kidding… mostly).

And don’t get me started on regions. I’ve barely scratched the surface hiking outside my usual spots... manifesting? Please, I’m perpetually buffering.

So, which hike is my favourite? The one I’m still limping from. The one I swore I’d never do again — mid-ascent, mid-tantrum — only to start plotting my triumphant return halfway down. The one with a view so good it made me forget my own name and and what it took to get there?

.

So that question- adorable. Favourite when? Favourite why? Favourite based on moss density or length? Time of day? Weather? Moon phase? Alignment of the hiking gods?

Exactly.

And honestly? That’s the beauty of it.