It's interesting, because looking back over the past five years, we had been slowly building to this point. On every trip we took, Francesca and I would eventually find ourselves on a local trail with nothing but ourselves, a bottle of water, and a trail map (if one was available!).
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Hiking Peace Valley |
In the fall of 2010, we had made a concerted effort to get ourselves off of the sofa and into the world. Our goals were to lose weight, tone up, and generally feel better. However, our trips to our local gym were becoming less and less fulfilling with each walk on a treadmill or whatever it is that you do on an elliptical. We'd put the volume up to drown out the incessant grunting from people working-out nearby. When we heard someone shout "You don't want it as much as I do!" while extending his arms up to the sky (like Rocky Balboa on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art), we knew we needed to do something else, or we were going to end up right back on the sofa.
On those nights that we couldn't bare taking ourselves to the gym, we started walking. We'd walk around our development. We'd walk on the footpaths at a very small, local park. We would just plain walk. And, we'd talk. We'd observe. We'd enjoy.
One Saturday later that fall, we were looking for something to do. I pulled up a map online and looked for anywhere in the area with green. I never realized how many places there were to choose from! I settled on Lake Nockamixon, and we went with camera in tow - to "take a walk" - again with nothing other than a bottle of water. Now, we didn't walk far - probably no more than 1 mile. But we were outside. The sun set on the horizon, its fading beams glistening on the water. There were no televisions, no grunting, no screaming. It was beautiful.
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Lake Nockamixon |
On April 9,2011 we went to Peace Valley with the idea of replacing our trip to the gym with a walk on their trails. What a day! We began our journey at the Nature Center and headed off down the Lake Walk trail. It had just rained several days that week. We were dressed in our casual pants, regular shoes, and sweaters. We had no hat to block the sun from our eyes, and we slid and sloshed around in the mud.
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Hiking in Peace Valley with muddy shoes |
We literally were entirely covered with mud! But we didn't care. We continued along the Lake Trail until we found a small clearing. There was an old bench looking out onto Lake Galena. There was no one around. We sat and looked onto the Lake.
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Hiking along Lake Galena |
And that's when we knew. We knew we'd be coming back. Better prepared and better equipped. The first thing we needed to do was get some boots! Ankle-high - keep the mud out!
Now here we are only four months on, and Hiking with Impunity was born. We have a mission, and while it's a lofty one, we are hoping to fulfill it.
The mission of Hiking with Impunity is to provide a resource website that can benefit both beginner and experienced hikers. The first way we will attempt to meet this mission statement is through the publication of articles about hikes we have taken, books we have read, gear we have used, and the people we have met along the way. Integrated within each hike article will be educational points about the skill of hiking - for it is a skill, requiring physical, mental, and emotional toning. As time moves on, we will look toward the development of a network of contributors across the country and the world who will write articles about hikes local to their area, giving our readership a wide variety of articles and perspectives to read.
Hiking with Impunity will provide the space for a community to develop and evolve, and for the relationship between Hiking with Impunity and it's readers to strengthen. Coming soon to the website will be a forum, giving everyone a chance to become a member and offer their own views on their favorite hikes, gear, books. Or, maybe you have a story you'll want to share. A tale of an encounter with a doe, a chipmunk, or a bear.
It is the mission of Hiking with Impunity to be your resource, your website, and your community. We thank you for your support. Now grab a walking stick, grab a pack, and some fluids. Hike with your friends! Hike with your family! Hike with impunity!