Take a hike

In my new book that I am working on, my characters go on a hike. I love to hike, but that was not always the case. Hiking scared me. The only thing I saw on TV was people hiking in wilderness with no path or any way to find their way home. They climbed steep rocks and rappelled and that definitely was nothing I was interested in. All I could picture was me getting lost, my body never to be found. I will continue to leave that kind of hiking to the extreme hikers.  But, trust me, if you have never been hiking, you need to try it. There are plenty of hiking trails all over this beautiful nation that don’t require climbing mountain faces or repelling from steep cliffs. These hiking TRAILS reveal some of the most spectacular landscapes and breathtaking scenes that you wouldn’t find from the seat of your car..

One of my most favorite trips was to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Nothing could have prepared me for the feeling I had hiking down trails surrounded by towering rock formations in multiple shades of browns and reds.

The trails we followed were well marked with how long the trail was and how easy it was. I don’t know if all places are marked accordingly but for us, this was a huge factor as to whether we hiked it or not.

I distinctly remember one place we stopped at. We had left Zion and were headed to Bryce Canyon and pulled off when we saw a sign. There was a trail that was about a quarter of a mile down to a cave. We decided to check it out. Photos just could not do justice to what we found. This cave had pillars of ice extending from floor to ceiling in the most beautiful crystal blue color. It was one of my most favorite finds of the whole trip and I would have never scene it had we just driven through the area. It was like finding a treasure.

Just a few words of wisdom though if you plan to hike for the first time.
1. Always wear sunscreen no matter what, and probably a hat and shades
2. Always wear bug spray no matter what
3. Always wear well fitted comfortable shoes (that have been broken in) made the mistake of buying hiking boots for a trip once. I will never do that again!
4. Always bring water with you.
5. If you are hiking in areas like Bryce Canyon that is in a higher elevation, be wary of altitude sickness.
6. Take your time. It’s not a race. Enjoy the view
7. Watch out for wild animals.
8. Never go hiking alone, even if you are on a trail. It’s not as fun if you don’t have someone to share it with.
9. Take some snacks with you on longer hikes to keep your fuel up. Natural energy bars are great.
10. Plan plan plan! This probably should have been number one but do some research. Find a map of the trails and figure out which ones you want to hike beforehand, then when you get there ask the locals.
Also TAKE PHOTOS!
Have fun on your adventures this summer!