Hiking challenges your mind, too.

Have you ever thought about all the pieces and parts of yourself that hiking might be challenging? Definitely it can challenge our physical abilities but can you think of anything else?  What about our mental abilities?  Have you ever gone out to do a long hike, or one that is over rough terrain?  Maybe one that lasts more than one day, or the weather is sketchy?  Here are just a few things you might be thinking about and figuring out.  How would you go about plotting a route, or would you just need to decide which of the many routes you might take?  Might you need to research the route?  Is there running water to deal with, or heights and drops in the trail?  Here’s something you might have wondered about.  What essentials do you need to be sure you have in your pack? Do you have absolutely everything you need.  Since this is about and for women over 50, have you told people where you are going?  Do you need to figure out who to tell?  How about your electronics, are they charged.  Do you have contingency plans for this hike?  What if you have an accident?  So, lots of things to think about, lots of ducks to get in a row.  What a great opportunity for challenges other than just our bodies. So, then we go and complete the route.  We end up refreshed, renewed, maybe a bit exhausted.  But so excited and unstoppable, about what we can still do. We can prove to ourselves that we are still capable of accomplishing our goals.  That is a deep truth about hiking and what it shares with us when we head out on the trail.  Whether you hike one mile down the road or fourteen miles through the wilderness you will come home with a feeling of accomplishment and the renewal of our spirits is addictive.