Anyone who has ever hiked in the wild knows, that what appears to be close, is in fact, a great distance. I reminded myself of this today as I huffed up the side of a mountain behind my husband, whose long legs and much bigger lungs were not taxed with every step we took to the summit. With our dogs at our feet, I smiled down at my ten year old golden who stayed close to me, insuring I was safe and not needing her assistance. Our other fur baby, a five year old golden, took the lead and ran ahead like a scout on an unknown trail. Almost to the top, I stopped one last time to look behind me, whence I came, to admire the beauty of the Arizona landscape. Although I have hiked the mountains of Alaska, parts of the Appalachian trail, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Hawaii and the Taunas mountains of Germany, today I was on another adventure, ready to discover whatever nature exposed to me in this vast desert surrounding.
This was the second day of hiking for me this week, and I have to admit that it feels good getting out of the house and enjoying the company of others; satisfying the goal to meet new friends AND working out. Yesterday was a Girl Day, with travels along the White Tank Mountains. With rocks jetting out as we walked, our heads were mostly down as we chatted about our lives and future plans. But we stopped to take photos, as two of us hiking are bloggers, always capturing photos to accompany our writings.
For one, this hike was her first in the desert, for me, my second… so desert amateurs to be sure… but world hikers none the less. The third, not an AMATEUR hiker, patiently waited for us as we followed her into the backcountry of saguaro, paddle cacti, boulders and yellow flowers. We marveled at the uniqueness of the terrain, the green colors from recent rain, and found the hike an escape from our every day routines. We laughed about adventures, spoke about family, and discovered that although we were from different states with different experiences, we were more alike than not. We spied a unique Saguaro as it grew a crown from its top, a hidden horse ranch and a cattle ranch in the heart of the sage brush. But nothing was more exciting then realizing that among the chollas and fishhook cacti, we found a connection with each other that we want to explore.
Which brings me back to today … exploring. Arriving at the summit, it reminded me of a hike I took
with my son in Hawaii atop the ridge of the Mauna Loa mountain range. It had been a challenging climb at the end, and when we sat on the edge of the mountain top, I learned something new about myself. I realized that I am one of those people that when I start something, I am going to finish it.
So as I stood next to my husband, I felt a sense of pride that we pushed ourselves to reach the goal to ascend a 2,000 ft elevation summit… and lived to tell about it. (We are getting older after all.) And our dogs discovered something on the trail about themselves too. Summer, the scout, discovered chollas were not her friend off trail, and learned best to stay where the path was clear. Brandy learned that despite her age, you are never too old to explore. So, as best friends, my husband and I, we stood in awe of Phoenix in the distance, the valley in which it sits, the blue hued mountains circling the desert as protective arms,  as it welcomed us to a world of new adventures in hiking – almost calling us to find our next trail to explore; beckoning us to the treasures awaiting us on a hike.
There’s a whole world out there to discover. Take time to look around you, listen more closely. You’ll find that hiking is more than putting one foot in front of the other. It’s a treasure box that opens the door to new friendships and personal goals achieved. It’s time to explore and discover something new!
The desert hike was far more fascinating than I expected, then again, so was the easy banter with a new friend and not-so-new friend. I admit, it’s far easier and more fun to explore with others! Thanks for including me.