My Hiking Experience: Bear Mountain and My First Hike in Phoenix.
How hiking made me a stronger person.
After my college graduation from Hofstra University back in 2014, I flew to Phoenix, Arizona, where I went to complete a 10-week journalism fellowship at Arizona State University. Then I met a guy who took me hiking. I don’t remember the name of the mountain in Phoenix that we hiked. But I remember the experience.
I was excited to go hiking for the first time. I put on my favorite sneakers, some leggings, and a hoodie and went on a hike with my new boyfriend. I never went to a desert before. The cactus was pretty. The sun was hot and I liked the dry heat. The summers back at home were always humid.
This hike wasn’t like a regular stroll in Central Park. At that time of my life, I was in good shape for a 21-year-old. Still, the heat and elevation were new to me. I was breathing hard just 10 minutes into the hike. We started on a stroll. Then we started climbing up brown rocks. I got anxious. I thought, when will this end?
When we got to where the ground was even again, I had taken a rest on a rock. I cried. I cried so hard from fatigue. I cried from the fear of not knowing when this hike would end, and feeling stuck because I couldn’t turn around at this point and climb back down. What if I fell? All these things worked in my head. I got stuck on that rock.
My new boyfriend pushed me to go a little further. I drank water, wiped my tears and climbed for another five minutes. Then we reached the top of the mountain. I was anxious to see when it ended and didn’t even know I was almost finished. It was the most beautiful view I have ever seen. The hike was worth it. To see a beautiful Phoenix from the top of a mountain made the sweat and tears worth it. It was a loop trail and the way down was an easy hike.
Hiking Bear Mountain
The loop trail and view of the top of a mountain were what I expected when I tried my luck with hiking again this year. I went to Bear Mountain in New York. I thought I would get the same loop experience with a beautiful view. Yet, when I went for the first time, I chose to take the yellow trail with a friend. Bear Mountain has different trails that can be followed by looking at the marking on the trees. There’s yellow, white and red.
When we took the yellow trail, we kept climbing, and going over streams, rocks and fallen trees. This hike was a real hike. We saw people passing us with hiking poles and hiking boots. I realized I kept slipping on the rocks because I wore the wrong shoes. I had on regular running shoes like when I went to Phoenix.
We took a few breaks; then, my friend pointed out that we were climbing for too long and had to turn around to get back to the bottom of the mountain. When I realized that this hike was not a loop trail like in Arizona, I cried. I wasn’t going to get a view of the top of the mountain as I expected. Moreover, I had to go over the same hard steps I had just taken. I cried because sometimes I run from a challenge. Running from a challenge is my main character flaw. I sat on a rock and could not move. My friend pushed me to keep going. I was sore after that hike, and it was at least worth the workout and adventure.
Hiking Bear Mountain Again
I was tired of running from a challenge. So, I decided to go to Bear Mountain again, with the same friend. Since we hiked the yellow trail before, we chose to hike the white trail this time. This trail led directly to the top of the mountain to a tower where we saw the beautiful view I had expected on that yellow trail. This time around, we hiked up stone steps for about two miles. It was just like climbing steps. It was not scary at all.
I was more prepared this time around. I had bought a pair of Columbia hiking boots for 100 dollars. And while I didn’t cry, I was a bit nervous climbing down the rocky steps. I kept thinking I might fall off the side of the mountain, but I didn’t. This hike was worth both the workout and the view.
What I learned from hiking, is that life is unpredictable and rough. And when the going gets tough, push a little further. You might stumble across something beautiful. Moreover, don’t forget about the people who pushed you when you were too afraid to push yourself.
