Hiking

By Ashley - June 03, 2015

I actually woke up at 6:30 this morning go me! This is a feat in itself for this gal, I am not a morning person but I was definitely rewarded with my early morning rise. I took the opportunity today to go hiking because it has become a fast love for me. I go out into the woods and just walk with a pack on my back. The sound of the woods and my feet hitting the ground are the most natural sounds in the world, all worries and stresses are pushed aside and I just walk. Up a hill, up a mountain, down the hill and down the mountain I just go on and on. I wish I could do more than just a few hours I really love this workout. I’ve lost a total of 5 inches in the last month, 3 from my waist and 2 from my hips. I’m quite excited about this new adventure and this new body that’s forming. I’m not nearly ready for longer than a few hours of a hike which is about 2 miles or so but that’s ok I will get there. At some point I’d like to start doing weekend hikes. I’m actually working my way to the Appalachian Trail its supposed to be beautiful.

I am excited about hiking, more so than any exercise I’ve ever done. Since I got bursitis last year I just haven’t enjoyed running. If I run too much my hip really starts to hurt but simply walking doesn’t do it for me especially on a flat surface so I grabbed a bookbag and went out in the woods. Why have I not done this more? I don’t know. I love camping and I love being out in the woods so you’d think I would have discovered hiking sooner but for some reason I never did it. I guess because I thought that to properly hike you have to have all the gear which is really expensive and why I probably avoided it. I don’t listen to music when I’m in the woods I listen to nature it’s all you really need to hear plus you want to be aware of any wildlife you need to avoid like snakes. I ran across my first snake a week ago, it was awesome! I don’t know why but I feel one with myself in the woods hiking. I feel alone and at peace, I guess with all the stuff Ron and I have been going through I had to find a way of meditating. Running used to be that for me but then I started getting too competitive and trying to beat my best mile. With hiking you’re just trying to beat the elements and stay ahead of the game. I’ve always felt at home in the woods, just ask my parents where I spent most of my childhood. Hiking has become my me time, my escape from the stresses. Its challenging but rewarding all at the same time. To me this is how I get back to God and I’ve needed it, I’ve questioned why so many things have happened in my life. When I go in the woods I can talk to Him and he talks back, I’m able to think clearer and make better decisions in the woods; I guess because I’m not in the hustle and bustle of the business that surrounds our everyday lives.

Currently I don’t have any hiking gear, I’m working towards it but I use an old bookbag and my regular workout clothes. I will say the first thing I get will be shoes because hiking boots would be better to wear than my running shoes, they’re just not made to hike in. I actually put my camera in my backpack to put some weight in the pack and to take pictures while I’m out because I usually come across something worth photographing. This morning I had a buck and doe come about 10 feet from me and I was able to photograph the whole thing it was beautiful. I actually sort of filmed my hike today with my phone, its about 6 and a half minutes I’ll post it in this blog. I was incorrect about my pack weight, in the video I said it weighs about 30 lbs it’s actually closer to about 15 lbs. So in order to add the amount of weight I’ve lost I’ll need a bigger pack and some heavier items to weight me down with. Fifteen pounds is heavy and I can’t believe I’ve lost double that, I never want to add that back on either. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my more lighthearted post since my last one was so serious I wanted to keep the posts separate.

I do have to say one of my favorite websites to find good hikes around Georgia is called atlantatrails.com. They actually have more than trails surrounding Atlanta. I’ve discovered some beautiful places that I didn’t know existed because of this site. If you have any suggestions leave them in the comment boxes below! Enjoy the pictures and video I took.