To begin this, you need to know that we are not outdoorsy people. Do we love nature? Yes. Do we joke about going camping? Yes. Do we go camping? No. We walk to McDonald’s and get a $1 ice cream cone. We’re urban creatures that like trees surrounding us.
That said, with summer in full swing, we’ve both been craving some extracurriculars that don’t involve the GMAT, planning our future, doctors, work, or the GMAT. Mainly the GMAT. That sucker takes up a lot of free time, man! Anyway, before I got back from Florida, I asked my cute husband if we could go hiking over the weekend, to which he nearly screamed in my ear (we were on the phone..), “YES!” A few google searches on his part, a plane ride, and a quick car trip to Forsyth County, and we found ourselves at Sawnee Mountain. It was morning. The sun was shining, the trees were thick, the birds singing. It was idyllic.
Until we realized that our “hike” was a few walking sticks and rock climbs away from being a bonafide lost-in-nature hiking experience. Guys! It was intense! The round trip to the top of the mountain was maybe four miles. Not terribly long. I can do four miles pretty easily. But this? This was the most hardcore four miles I’ve done since I was training for rugby and kept running for fear of brutal tackles. It was all sunshine and daisies (or shade and moss, given our forested surroundings..) until the path started winding at a steep grade up the side of the hill. I’m pretty sure everyone else knew secret paths or something, because no one was sweating like we were. No one. We checked everyone that passed us for heavy breathing and sweat stains. We were the only culprits. So that really could say more about us being out of shape than the intensity of the trail….
Alright, so it probably wasn’t that bad. I told you we weren’t outdoorsy people! Thing is, we loved it. The whole two hours that felt like Day 1 in the Arena in the Hunger Games. (I swear we heard cannons announcing deaths…) It was beautiful and such a good experience for us. No phone calls, no texting, hardly any photos because I had to focus on not tripping on rocks. We had great conversation and kept one another going. By the end, we smelled horrific, but were smiling and feeling like woodsmen. We now have a goal to find a new trail around here every other week or so. GMAT, be darned! We will make the most of this summer, steep hills and all!
