Peaks & Paths
Jovanna Talarico
I love the feeling of pushing yourself and being rewarded with the untouched and undisturbed smells, sounds, and sights of the earth. It almost feels as if you are handed down a secret everytime you uncover something new. That previously unknown slab of granite, that wonky misshapen tree on the windy beach, that clearing between the trees that uncovers a pointy, snow-capped peak with its name completely unknown to you. You log that new spot into your mind and the next time you go back you become a bloodhound who knows exactly how close you’re getting to your target. You recognize the downed tree with its blanket of moss or that wobbly rock that almost pulled you into the creek. And once you finally reach that spot, staring right at who you came to meet, this mischievous smile grows onto your face: ah, there you are.
You know when it's been a week of gloomy cloud cover and you turn the corner to rainier vista and finally get a little glimpse of the mountain shining in all its beauty? My friend! Hello! So nice to see you again! We depend on seeing these places again like we depend on seeing our friends again. It’s a relief. You ever look at a concrete slab along the street and think thank god you’re still here? Not exactly.
Everyone's journey into the outdoors looks quite different. My own divulgence into hiking began in high school. I pretty much just wanted to find a form of exercise that wasn’t running and I immediately got hooked by the boost of energy I’d feel after being done with a hike. A healthy drug indeed. During the weekends, I’d accompany my dad on this nearby hike until I started going more frequently and doing it by myself. Eventually, I reached a level where I’d need to repeat the hike to feel challenged and I wanted something new. I needed something new. Because of my relentless stubbornness in testing my abilities and my parent’s disapproval of me going alone, my dad started joining me in pushing bigger miles.
I’m an absolute junkie for those big mile days. I love the challenge. I love the distortion of time you feel from having to start in the dark. I love the feeling of tender, swollen feet, burning quads- being wasted in your body but uplifted in your spirit. It’s unbeatable. The idea of what you are capable of gets expanded beyond what you once believed and you get this renewed energy and self-confidence. It's like the same high you get when you finally succeed at some goal you’ve been itching to reach but just haven’t yet. Like summiting a mountain you’ve been studying for years, finally completing a turn on a snowboard and not getting thrown on your ass, getting over the fear of using some new machine you’ve been eyeballing at the IMA, or even just taking a step outside and going for a walk alone.
The outdoors has this innate ability to nurture and strengthen your sense of self. It lets you face your fears, test your abilities, sit in silence and stare at a mountain that isn’t going anywhere- a mountain that’ll be there to say you made it when the trail whoops your lungs or when you absolutely crush it.
Whether getting outside is a physical or a mental barrier for you, or maybe none at all, we are here to help. Come on a hike with us! Or more like hang out with us since it is winter quarter. Poke into our upcoming events and say hi! Share your stories and we’ll share ours, and if you need a little more help or motivation to get out, let us know. From a walk in the neighborhood to a long ass walk in the woods, forge your path and follow it. That's the beauty of hiking right? Every path is different. Can you imagine how bored you’d get if they weren’t?
