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^^^^So, on picture #4, I had to ask myself how much courage I actually had!Ā I had to hug the rocks to get to the gorge in pictures 5 and 6.Ā It was the most terrifying experience of my life.Ā I think I experienced self-inflicted panic.Ā You should also know that Iām a so-so swimmer, and I had no clue how deep the water was.Ā Hereās to courage!^^^^
I take long nature walks all the time.Ā Some of them are more walking than hiking (to me, it isnāt a hike if it doesnāt include some climbing, rocks, at some sort of waterfall); however, they are an important part of who I am.Ā They help me find a sense of peace with myself (Whatās your thing that makes you feel at peace with yourself?).Ā I never feel like I need to hike with someone.Ā Itās one of the few things in life that I can do solo or with friends and enjoy it either way althoughĀ think I enjoy it a wee bit more when Iām solo.Ā Hiking solo is like getting into a bathtub when the water is way too hot.Ā Initially, you ease into it and wince a little, but once youāve added a wee bit of cold water (aka ādeep breathingā when youāre in the woods), youāre good.
Hereās the rub:Ā my friends and family hate it when I go alone BECAUSE IT ISNāT THE SAFEST THING TO DO, especially when youāre alone.Ā It generates all sorts of gnashing of teethā¦and those concerns are legitimate; however, those cries arenāt loud enough to keep me in my living room watching Netflix. But it wonāt be the first time youāve done what youāve wanted to do despite the risks!
I dare you to go hiking/nature-walking alone!Ā I double dog dare you.Ā If you do, here are a few of the benefits you can expect:
1. You think a lot about how fear impacts your life.Ā Youāll have to ask yourself whether thatās the only barrier to hikingā¦and whether youāre living your life hemmed in by your fears. Youāll also have to make peace with this reality:Ā if today is the day that God has set aside for you to come to glory, itās gonna be a while before anybody knows youāre en route to glory.
2. You get to hang onto your dignity:Ā if you have to use that She-Pee you bought (but never expected to really use), nobody will know.Ā With respect to #2; I got nothing.Ā Youāve should emptied out before hitting the woods.Ā Good luck with that!
3. Youāre going to test your limits while being cautious because you want to go home as intact as you were when you arrived.Ā But youāll also think about how much stronger your body should and could be and how youāre totally in charge of that.Ā Are you really honest with yourself about how you take care of your body?
4. You learn where you need to work. If you pay attention to what bubbles up into your mind, youāll know what bothers you. Your mind will keep coming to it.Ā Hereās the even cooler thing:Ā whatever emotions you feel while youāre out there can be freely expressed.Ā Nobody will see you, hear you, or know.
5. Youāll come to understand what it means to exercise freedom with welcomed restraints.Ā While you wonāt have to adjust your pace for anybody and you can leave as early in the morning as you like, you will want to make sure youāre on your path by a certain time and out of the woods by a certain time.Ā The specific time is important because thatās how your community knows youāre safe.Ā If you tell them that youāll be on the trail by 9am, your butt needs to be on that trail by 9am so that you can be out by 2pm, as planned.Ā You told Jessica that youād check in by 2:30pm, and sheās calling the cops by 2:43pm (she only gave you 13 minutes just in case your phone signal is weak).Ā Essentially, youāll learn to respect peopleās love and concern for you.
6. Youāll learn how important the opinions of others actually are to you.Ā Although you can eat where ever you like on the drive home, youāll have to ask yourself whether youāre willing to go into a restaurant with your sweaty, stinky, dirty self.
7. You get to inspire somebody else with your courage! If youāre a bit uneasy about being totally alone, you can check in with your FB community via pics and go Live as often as you have signal.Ā Youād be surprised at how infrequently you lose all signal.
8. Youāll learn something:Ā youāll get to notice how loud the woods are.Ā Youāll also be forced to learn something about preparing for the woodsā¦.and then, youāll realize that LLBean exists to take all of your money on hiking gadgets.Ā Youāll also notice that there are lots of life experiences that youāre probably cheating yourself out of because youāre afraid or thinking you canāt afford them.
9. If youāre scared when you first enter the woods, you get to notice what youāre like when youāre anxiousā¦and how long it takes you to get your bearings (There are probaby some similarities between how you handle anxiety in the woods and in other parts of your life).
10. Youāll come to believe that God invented the selfie stick just for you!
The 10 Best and Worst Reasons to HikeĀ Alone ^^^^So, on picture #4, I had to ask myself how much courage I actually had!Ā I had to hug the rocks to get to the gorge in pictures 5 and 6.Ā
