I Hike to the Beat of My Own Lungs

I often get asked by readers if they can join my "group", or whether I do beginner hikes.

The short answers are "no" and "no".

The longer answers are… still mostly no, but with footnotes.

Confused? Excellent.

Me too.

I am an independent hiker. I am not a group, not a guide, not a leader, and not a club.

I am in fact the complete opposite.

I am a mess.

At directions, logistics, or anything really.

If I send you a pin it's probably wrong (assuming I even get the date right),

I will absolutely blame you somehow and then, if you still turn up, there’s a strong possibility I’ll get us lost.

I do belong to a couple of clubs myself (because what kind of savage stops at one?).

I joined them when my sons, Salt and Pepper, unceremoniously flung me into the hiking world alone.

Absolute traitors.

And then there's my “spices.” - aka my Tribe - the OG crew.

The tribe was not planned.

It just… happened.

A few people asked to hike with me along the way, didn’t fake an injury to escape, and thankfully we’re still doing this together.

Our only rules? Enjoy every trail, make memories, and tolerate my compulsive photo-taking.

That’s it.

I’m always open to hiking with new buds - mainly to remind the existing ones that they are, in fact, still being evaluated.

Standards must be maintained.

They’re safe though - for now.

Plenty of people say the want to join hikes, but plans vanish.

Dates are discussed, their enthusiasm fades - it happens.

Now, about beginner hikes.

I’ve have listed beginner-friendly trails in a previous post.

Many others in the community have as well.

But I get it - knowing where to go doesn’t help much if you don’t have anyone to go with.

Which is why I started the Discord channel. A clever little space for like-minded people to connect and plan hikes together.

It did not thrive.

We had one engager.

Me...I was the engager.

Maybe one and a half.

Everyone else silently observed.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need me - or anyone else - to hike.

Take the first step.

Facebook is full of hiking communities.

It's terrifying.

I know - I did it.

P.S. If you run beginner hikes, be a dear and drop a comment so people can find you.

Happy hiking.

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