There is always a first hike. My first hike was in the Catskills of upstate NY, during my time at college. I have no memory of what exact trail it was or how many miles we hiked. There was an outdoors club I discovered and I asked my apartment mate to go with me. So we met down at the rec center with a small group of other students and gathered into this rusty old van to drive out to some mountains. There was no gear. It was a hike in jeans and cotton with a school backpack packed with a sandwich for lunch. Why would a walk in the woods require anything else? Trekking poles? Gaiters? Wicking shirts?? What are those? What I remember of this hike is resting at the lunch spot looking out at the only overlook and being there with my friend. I remember when everyone else was tired lugging ourselves slowly up the hills, my friend was energetically running ahead with the excitement of a little kid in disney land anxious to get to the top. Sometimes in a walk in the woods, what we remember the most is who we spent those miles with. The other details are faded memories. We did one more hike that year, deciding to blow off writing our papers for our class due the next day to go hike and bowl. It was a good decision :)
The next hike I did wasn't for another year or so. And it was a real "hike" without jeans or cotton. I learned. But in the end, a hike is a hike, no matter the gear or preparedness. Sometimes it's better to just wander and see where you end up. :) And bring your friends for the ride too.
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