Adventures in being a bad fiancee

[jethrien]

It seemed like a good idea, really, it did.

I like hiking - I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors. chuckro didn't. He's not fond of exercise, and he grew up preferring to stay inside and play with his Gameboy.

But skiing is an outdoors, physical activity that had seemed daunting, too. And once I got him to try it, he ended up liking it and having a good time.

I thought hiking might be the same way, too.

Apparently, I was wrong.

I will admit that my mother was right. We should have taken the really easy trail. Mostly flat-ish, rambling through the woods for 15 or 20 minutes to a spectacular overlook, watch the hawks for a bit, go home. But we'd driven all that way, and I hadn't been on a real hike for two or three years, and I missed it. And I didn't quite remember how steep the trail out of the basin was.

So my father and I insisted that we take the full trail. Which is a really nice hike - down one side of the valley, across the valley floor, up the other side, and back along the ridge. There's about 20 minutes of steep hill, and then the ridge is all bouldering. There's also two very short stretches of actual climbing involved. My brother and I did it when we were significantly younger and shorter.

And, well, in my memory it wasn't as ambitious a trail as it is in reality.

Chuckro was happy enough on the way down and on the flat section. But miserable on the way back up and along the escarpment. Because, well, it was hard. Really pretty hard. And this was pretty much the first real hiking he'd been exposed to.

So apparently I blew it. Mom was right, I should have eased him into it. Now he doesn't believe anything we say. (For the record, it was my father who declared that we were halfway up and we'd be at the top in fifteen minutes. I said it would take twice that. I was right. But I'm afraid now our credibility is shot when it comes to predicting how much more physical exertion there will be in the near future. Thanks, Dad.) Somehow, I doubt there will be much hiking in Chuckro's future.

Oops.

Comments

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

As I commented earlier, I thought this was going to be more of a "gentle walk in the park" sort of thing. That, and we set off from her parents' house--there really wasn't much opportunity for me to stock up.

Normally, I do try to have nuitragrain bars or something with me.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. I didn't realize you didn't realize that this was actual hiking, not walking in the park. I should have been more descriptive.