Hiking involves long, vigorous, and sometimes adventurous walks — from plain ground to elevated climbs. It stretches your bones and rejuvenates your being. Hiking trips, especially those requiring backpacking, are always transformative for me.
But as much as I love hiking, there have been a few invitations that I’ve had to decline. During a July 4th holiday, I received a text message from an old hiking buddy. It was an invitation to a five-day hiking trip in West Virginia. As exciting as the invitation sounded, I had to turn it down because of a lack of resources (I gave away my tent last Fall) and the stamina needed to have a well-balanced trip.