It’s Friday so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five linkup! Join in! Don’t forget to link back to your hostess and visit some other bloggers.
My Friday Five topic this week is Why I Like To Hike.
By hiking, I don’t only mean climbing mountains (though they are fun too). I mean doing walking trails especially ones with a view at the end.
- No Pace or Distance To Worry About.
You can go slow or fast. Run or Walk. You can go as far as you want and then go back to where you started. Pretty simple.
You can do it alone or with friends. Anytime, anywhere.
2. It’s Great Exercise.
Your legs are going up and down. Over rocks and trees. You also use your arms to help you climb or hold onto trees. It’s a workout!
3. You Get To See Nature At Its Finest.
Trees, flowers, birds, animals. Butterflies are my favorite.
4. It’s Peaceful.
I spent quite some time on a hike just looking out. You can forget about all the problems in the world.
5. It’s FREE.
Most hiking trails are well-marked, have parking and don’t cost a thing. And there are so many to choose from. Just download the AllTrails app and take a look.
**6. It can be Challenging.
If you are competitive, there are hiking challenges – The Fire Tower Challenge (Complete 18 in Adirondacks and 5 in Catskills) or be a 46er (climb all the high peaks in the Adirondacks).
Or climb to the top of a mountain. The feeling of reaching the top is just as gratifying as a PR.
Happy Running! Do you like to hike? Do you prefer the challenging ones or just trail walks?
I love hiking and challenging trail walks! It is true, they are relaxing and peaceful.
In fact, I think hiking is closer to humans’ natural way of moving – running was probably more an exception when running hunting mammoths and the like. 😉
I am going hiking this weekend and I’m looking forward to it!
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I actually look forward to my hikes more than my runs. Maybe because there are no races. I hope to go on Sunday and next Thursday. Can’t wait!!!
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I hike a lot on vacation and love it! I have to drive a good hour to get any real hiking around here I should go more often it’s so energizing
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Same here…most of the good hikes are at least an hour or more away. I can only go on weekends. It is the best exercise…even better than running.
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I’d love to do more hiking, but there’s not much for trails and such in my area. Certainly no mountains! Maybe we should do Rim to Rim someday!
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great idea. I guess I am lucky to have so many mountains relatively close.
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My hiking boots are 20+ years old so that should give you my answer. In fact, i recently noticed the toe is beginning to come apart so I guess it’s time for some new ones, which is a shame, because I loved them.
I like both easy walks & challenging hikes, but unfortunately it’s been hard to do challenging right now. The dogs, the husband, etc.
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The easiest thing to do is go alone. My hubby won’t go. My friends go on easier or harder climbs. So alone you can do what you want..Kinda like running solo.
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I do some solo. But the dogs & my husband do enjoy some hiking too. But Lola needs easier right now.
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Wish my hubby did. I want to climb some of the high peaks. I’m always looking for a hiking partner for the long difficult ones. But I am getting braver.
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Slowing down to appreciate nature does sound like a great idea. Actually, my husband and I often go for hikes on our “rest” days. It’s great exercise, as you say, and we are actually able to talk as we move. We are lucky to have lots of trails and hills nearby.
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You are lucky. Me too.
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You’ve included so many of the reasons that I love hiking; although, I haven’t hiked as much this summer as I would have liked. I really missed that we couldn’t go on a family trip out west this summer for a week of hiking in some of our beautiful national parks. I have loved seeing all of your pictures from your hikes this spring, summer, and fall!
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I’m really enjoying it. More than I thought.
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Thanks to COVID, we’ve been doing a lot of hiking this year and I really love it! I think we are planning to repeat one of our favorite hikes now that the trees are starting to change colors. Maybe this time we’ll take one of the dogs! I’ve enjoyed seeing all your hikes on IG! Thanks for linking up!
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Yes I agree. And I need repeat done from the spring.
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I don’t do much hiking. But for my last two vacations we did a fair amount of hiking.
It is a lot of fun and a great way to see a place.
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It really is. I never hiked much before the pandemic but not much else to do now.
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When I have time and the gumption, I go for a run. I have less gumption these days, so I prioritize my running. When ever we go on a vacation again, I’m sure we’ll do some sort of hiking.
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Right now I have the hiking bug. That will end once it gets cold. I will continue to run all year but it’s a struggle without any races to train for.
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