When do I become a hiker?
Can I let go of that imposter syndrome?
I have just come out of a 5 week housesit…my new world of living in other people’s homes while they are on holiday/vacation…
My car is packed up with my suitcase, my chilly bag, my toiletries, computer, my book, my chargers, my hiking container…
My hiking pack is filled with lunch, extra warm clothes, water, Personal Locator Beacon and my first aid emergency kit…I have my hiking boots and walking poles….
I drive to my friends, transfer my day pack (due to weather conditons our overnight tenting hike is now a 5–6 hour day hike) and we set off driving for the mountains…1 hour and 45 minutes away….
As a passenger, I eat my banana, drink my coffee, take some pics and post on my Facebook/Insta story and tag my friend in…great company and a decent catch up chat….we haven’t seen each other since our last hike….
Feels pretty natural now when we arrive at the carpark, boots and gators on (my friend’s gator zips are stuck, she leaves them behind and comments she feels naked without them) , big jacket off and waterproof jacket on…gloves, hat, poles…its gonna be cold…pack on and we are off…we comment how natural this feels now compared to when we started and it was all new…
In a short amount of time we are walking, it feels like a pretty cruisy 2hr 15 min hike up, talking with people we pass, or who pass us when we stop for our cuppa overlooking a REALLY steep drop…my companion sits close to the drop, I comment she is keen and I sit a meter further back….
At the top by the hut there is a bit of snow, we put our jackets on, I swap my cap for a merino cap, more coffee, more food, more chats….amazing how we never seem to run out of things to talk about AND we can also sit in silence and enjoy the view.
I am a little hyped today and have talked all the way up…I never talk up hill!! I must be getting fitter…the 6 weeks of gym work during housesits is making a difference… I take a mental note I need to keep that up!!!
We talk about gear and when I mention I always think of the next hiking things I need (would like) up here, my friend says I should write a note…I get it done and create a draft text in my phone that will send when I get cell reception again…a text will give me a reminder I wrote a note…
Then we head down the same way, not my preference as love a loop track, but today is great as we then realise HOW steep it was heading up which was surprising! We have done steeper but this was alot steeper than it felt on the way up…how awesome and how much we have progressed in our hiking since we started walking with elevation together just under a year ago….
Wow! What a fabulous bookmark to add between a housesit and my in between home! I take a mental note out loud AND we book in a weekend to do this again after my next 4 week housesit…
Mountains, exercise, headspace, views and great company and conversations….
I laugh and say “I think I can nearly call myself a hiker”….
My friend laughs at me and says “REALLY???? How many hikes have we been on???” …and this was one of the first things she shares with her husband when we arrived back safe and sound…she found that SUPER amusing!
Mmmmmm….it made me think….maybe I have “practiced” enough and can call myself a hiker now…maybe I can let that “imposter syndrome” go ….
Yeah…maybe I can really sit into this now….here we go…
I AM A HIKER and I LOVE it!!
I have definitely found my happy place ❤️🏔💚
Take care and happy adventures!
- Please CLAP to let me know you have read this and feel free to comment with any tips, tricks, questions or ideas.
- A little encouragement would be amazing and definitely appreciated as it always takes that little bit of extra courage to press PUBLISH!
📸 supplied by my lovely friend and hiking companion (Insta @beciwi)
