I think I did Section 16 in record time yesterday. (for me)
I wanted to go on a hike yesterday and face my fear of hiking alone. Some things you should know before you judge:
- A girl in Georgia who worked at the Gwinnett Center that looked just like me was abducted and killed while hiking alone. Everyone thought it was me. It wasn’t. I’m still here.
- Every time I go hiking with others and I’m in the lead, I always end up taking a wrong turn.
- It was nearing dark and a thunderstorm was brewing.
- Only Charlie knew what time I was supposed to be back and he hardly ever worries about anything.
So, with all this in mind, I set out around 4:30 to hike Section 16. For those of you not from Colorado Springs, it’s not a super hard hike but its one of the more challenging in the nearby Colorado Springs area (5-10 mins from downtown). It is no incline. Nor is it as crowded as the incline. And it takes you into the woods. And you have to walk or run a dirt road next to a babbling brook to get back to the trailhead where your car is parked. So if you scream, no one can hear you. So, you see what is in my head while I’m hiking.
Anyway…
I was bound and determined not to be a baby and go for a hike by myself. I invited people but they were all busy. Fate was telling me I needed to do this. I conquered the steep part in average time. I was kind of tired at the top, but proud of myself for not turning around when I saw clouds rolling in. I could have used this as my excuse not to keep going, be lazy, and go home to cook dinner. I kept going. The view from the top was gorgeous!
Here comes a decision: turn around and go back down the steep part, or continue on the longer, less steep, downhill trail back to the dirt road that takes you to your car. I’ve done this trail one time. I was hungover and chatting with other people. I’m also a huge klutz. I decide since I’m by myself and likely to fall and hurt myself going down the steep part that I will go down the easy way and get a decent workout in and run most of the way.
There are less people on this side. There are more animal noises. You are farther back into the woods. The clouds are moving in. It’s getting closer to 5:30. Things aren’t looking so familiar… but maybe I wasn’t paying attention last time I hiked it? So I ran. And I ran fast.
I crossed paths with father/son duos, boyfriend/girlfriend duos, single girls, single guys, people training for the ascent, people on bikes, people struggling to get to the top, a girl carrying her dog because he was tired. No one sketchy, no one that was out to get ME. I passed a really pretty waterfall/creek and didn’t stop. I ran Forrest Gump style. Because I’m a big baby.
I got to my car with 2ish hours of daylight left. I made all the right turns and didn’t get lost once. No one abducted me. As a matter of fact, I don’t think anyone would use enough energy to climb that high just to find someone to abduct. But now I know I can do it quickly! And there’s not really anything THAT scary out there. Just use a little common sense and you’re fine. I’m still a big baby, though.
In case anyone was wondering, here’s a link for what to do when hiking alone. It’s actually kinda fun if you don’t freak yourself out!
http://hikingbackpacking.suite101.com/article.cfm/hiking_alone
4th of July and Sarah/Toby wedding recaps coming soon… I know they’re out of order… Sorry…
I never thought of hiking alone as very dangerous until I read “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. I mean, of course there are the obvious terrain dangers, but it wasn’t until I started thinking about the abductions that made me concerned. It happens more than you would think. No need to worry though. Keep up the hiking!
While you’re at it you need to read “A Walk in the Woods”.
This is Jackie B. by the way, in case you didn’t know my SN.