Sunset hike in Arches National Park
I’m thrilled to be joining the WanderBloggers team and look forward to sharing my adventures on hiking and the outdoors with all of you wonderful readers! Nothing makes me happier than picking a destination off of the map, hopping into my car and driving away into the horizon for the weekend. If that destination happens to be a national park or a hiking trail, then all the better! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and love that there are so many interesting and beautiful places nearby to explore. State Parks, National Parks, waterfalls, redwoods, trails by the ocean and more! My favorite way to relax is by being outdoors on the weekends – hiking, camping, backpacking, walking. Nature has a way of calming down even the most hyper mind. It’s impossible to hike a trail and not come back feeling inspired and rejuvenated!
In today’s digital age, we spend a lot of time staring at computer screens and our phones. It is refreshing to be able to switch off technology once in a while. Hiking pushes you to be present in the moment. Email can wait, so can text messages. You just need to pick a trail, put one foot in front of the other and go find your happy place.
In my happy place
Along with hiking and backpacking, my other favorite activity outdoors is camping! Most people experience the joy of camping early in life as kids, but for me it happened only when I was an adult, although that did nothing to dampen the excitement and magical feeling of sleeping under the stars. My first camping trip was at Death Valley National Park, where we spent the good part of an hour trying to anchor the tent down to the ground to prevent it from being blown away by intense gusts of wind. In retrospect, it was a fun and memorable experience even though none of us got much sleep that night.
My goal for this blog is to share all I know about hiking, national parks, backpacking and camping and provide information and tips on how to prepare for intense treks like the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Anybody can do it, all it takes is time and practice. If you are the kind who loves nothing better than setting out early on a sunny weekend to be amidst nature, walking on well-trodden trails, breathing in the fresh air and getting the blood flowing in those legs, then you have come to the right place and I would love to hear from you in the comments! But if you are skeptical on whether hiking and backpacking is for you (Do you worry about getting dirty – Trails mean mud, right? Or getting bitten – I have to walk where bugs and other critters have gone before me?) then I will do my best to showcase the benefits of being outdoors. Nature’s beauty is for all to enjoy!
Let’s go hike!
John Muir captured the essence of life on the trail by saying “throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence.” So, what are you waiting for? Lace up those shoes, grab that sun-hat and let’s get out of here! Looking forward to meeting you on the trail.
Happy Hiking!
~ Trupti