Posts Tagged: hiking
Back to the top.
After nearly 10 years of running, I’m finally figuring out what really gets me turned around when things aren’t going so well.
It isn’t motivational quotes; it isn’t conversations with friends; it isn’t looking at what friends are doing to try and drum up some friendly competition. The things I see every day does not work for me.
What turns this ship around is actually getting out and forcing myself into a situation that is not exactly comfortable. It’s all about doing something I know can be done, but will take quite a bit an effort to get there.
For me, it’s always a trip to the mountains that makes me feel human again. Specifically, it’s the climb up Sharp Top Mountain in Bedford that humbles me, and motivates me.
Today I headed up there with my friend Josh. As we started up, I knew how very real things were for me with hitting a low with running recently. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to tackle this mountain.
On the trek up, there were times I really just wanted to stop. Let me catch my breath for 5 minutes.
Instead we kept going, really only stopping once for about a minute, and made it to the top.
I can’t really explain what the feeling is like when you get to the top of a mountain. No matter where I’ve been or how bad or good things are, there’s always this renewed sense of hope that I get when I’ve reach the summit.
Now it’s up to me to capitalize on this feeling …
Back on top of the world
One of my favorite places of all time is the summit of Sharp Top mountain in Bedford. To get there, it’s a 1.5-mile hike with about 1,300 feet of elevation gain.
Needless to say, it’s not easy, but it is a lot of fun getting there. It’s a continuous climb over mixed trails — gravel, dirt, boulders, tree roots, rock steps, and a very small amount of pavement. Once you get there, though, the view is just breathtaking …
Yesterday, I headed there with my dog, Duke. It was the first time I’ve been there since May 2010 when I went there with a group for a long run/hike.
Duke took to the trail like a pro. It’s amazing to me the instincts that animals have in an environment they’re not used to. While we’ve been on trails before, we had never been on anything like this.
Whenever we came to a point where we needed to go up rocks, he spotted an easier route. Duke, who has never even jumped in the back of my Ford Escape, had no problems jumping up or down over rocks.
As for me, it felt good to have this extra time on my feet without it being a run. After Saturday’s race I felt pretty good, and this just felt like extra bonus time in a higher elevation to help prepare me for Blue Ridge.
More importantly, though, I was just happy to be back on top of a mountain. I certainly hope that another two years don’t pass before I get back.
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