7 Stages of a Hiking Trip
A bullshit-free story about hiking.
Hiking it’s a thing around Indonesian youngsters in last few years. Anyone like obliged to do it. They are going hiking for many reasons: from looking for peace, enjoying great outdoors, challenging themselves to creating a stock photo for their Instagram post.
The booming of 5 cm movie in 2012 has made hiking become trends, turning quiet mountain tops into crowded hanging out spot. The movie showing how great and gorgeous the journey is (and also state that anyone can just go hiking, without any proper preparation, heck), alluring millions of people young or old to take a sip and try by their own.
Then the world wide web join the trends, posting seductive pieces about how hiking can change your life, transform yourself to be a better person, bla bla. Charming their readers with wild dreams and imagination.
Me, Myself, one of the million people who infected by the euphoria.
My first and second hiking trip was beautiful. But if you think the journey is full of joy from the beginning to the end, sorry, you will be disappointed.
Every individual may have different story, this is a conversation inside my head during 2 ex(hausting)citing hiking trip. I repeat. If hiking trip could be split stage by stage here’s how mine looks like.
Stage 1. Happy with butterfly flying on my tummy.
When: Planning stage, a month before trip.
YES! YES! YES! What is more fun than going together with friends to a place we’ve never been to? What’s more exciting than trying something new?
Think about the once-in-a-life time journey to the wild, think about the stories you will tell to your kids, think about the photo you will hang to the (Facebook) wall.
Thinking about it make want to jump out from my skin right now. Can’t wait.
Stage 2. Capability crisis.
When: Few minutes before the departure.
What? I will walk for days? With this heavy bag? Wait, can I do this? Am I strong enough to do this? Is it too late to give up, or too early?
Stage 3. Re-evaluating life choices.
When: After a few hours of walking.
I’ve walk and walk and walk. *le me look at the direction board* Oh, still more and more and more walk to reach the campsite?
Why at the first place I decided to do this? Why?
Stage 4. Silently cursing and keep telling myself not to hike again.
When: After a harsh hour of nonstop walking.
You say the top is 15 more minutes, but it’s already 45 minutes. My feet hurts, I can’t catch my breath. Can I just stop here? Please. Anyone?
I. will. definitely. not. going. to. hike. ever. again!
Stage 5. The top of happiness.
When: Arrived at the peak
Yahoooo! Finally! I reached the top. All those pain and hard work is paid! Look how gorgeous the view from here. I can’t believe I made it, proud of myself!
*Taking selfies*
I can’t wait to tell how crazy everything is to my dad, mom, coworker, neighbour, sister, brother, niece, nephew, grandma, grandpa, my neighbour cat, my uncle dog, anything with ears…
Stage 6. Illusions of Victory.
When: Leaving the peak
Sudden realisation. Uh Oh! It’s still half of the trip. We still need to go down, and start all over again. Oh. My. God.
Stage 7. Shall we go hiking again?
When: Arrived home.
Ahh. Done. What an adventure! The journey, the nature, the time we spend together is priceless.
It’s worth it. I learned a lot. Am I a better version of myself now? Hmmm I dunno, but at least I live my life, earning a lot of stories & beautiful memories.
I definitely will do this again in the future.
When will we go again?
If you read until this point, I assume you’re itchy to go hiking. I recommend to give yourself a try. Don’t be afraid! You don’t have to reach the top, you can quit anytime. Nobody will laugh, you just save a life.
“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” — Edmund Viesturs. Mountaineer.
Sincerely, the boy who just survived his second hiking trip and thinking about his third trip.
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You can also read this. A piece about six travel quotes that I find true and inspired a newbie traveller like me. You might be inspired too!
