Over the Hill

So a friend and I recently discussed going on a morning hike and yesterday, instead of just discussing it, we decided to actually do it. We went to the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve and, because we both enjoy walking, decided on doing a trail marked as difficult. In my head I thought "How hard can it be?" Famous last words! We set off on the trail in question and at first I wondered what all the fuss was about. It was a gentle stroll with the sun peaking out from behind the clouds and a gentle breeze wafting over us. And it carried on this way for quite a while. Then we spotted a trail that lead up what, in my mind, was a moderate hill. Yeah, right.....

The picture above is from the promotional material for the nature reserve's website. You can see the loose rocks and sand on the trail and in places you have to literally climb over boulders in order to carry on. My friend, being much fitter than me, went up the trail like a graceful gazelle, seemingly effortlessly. Whereas I trudged up the trail like a wounded buffalo. I was huffing and puffing in a way that would put the Big Bad Wolf to shame, barely halfway up what in my mind had now become Mount Everest. Embarrassingly I had to stop a few times to catch my breath while my friend was barely winded. But thankfully I persevered and was rewarded, after an hour or so's dragging myself over rocks and tree branches by sheer will, with the realization that the summit was just above me. A few more rocks to climb and branches to avoid, while sounding like an asthmatic elephant, I finally reached the top. The view was absolutely spectacular! My friend stood proudly, admiring the beautiful scenery, while I was standing next to her trying not to pass out.

Thankfully the route down was much easier, even though you had to rock-climb your way down in some places. And, inevitably, I did end up on my backside once, but thankfully my pride was bruised more than my body was. All in all it was a great experience, even though I thought she'd have to leave me up there. And now it has given me a new goal: to become fit enough to walk that same trail without looking like someone had dumped a bucket of water over me.