Diary: Hiking Helped Me Love My Body More.

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I am not outdoorsy, but I love hiking.

Growing up,  I wasn’t an adventurous child. I preferred to be in a quiet corner with a book or reenacting movie scenes with my dolls. As I got older, I suffered from allergies and developed a fear of bugs and most wildlife. I just didn’t fool with the outdoors.

After sustaining a sports injury that left my knees in bad shape and sounding like bubble wrap, I wrote off the idea of most strenuous activities, and I was more than okay with never being an outdoors person.

Then, one day I decided I wanted to go hiking, and it changed my life. I’m sure you’re thinking, “Raquel, you claim all your travel experiences change your life!” Well, most of them do.

My First Hike

In 2015, my best friends and I planned a girls trip to Costa Rica. It was a short 4 days, 3 nights getaway, and I was responsible for the itinerary.  I decided on a mix of relaxation and adventure: in addition to frolicking on black sand beaches, we were going hiking!

I’d never been hiking, and here I was booking an excursion to hike up a volcano.

My hope was to face my anxieties and perceived limitations head on. I also needed to reconcile a lot of insecurities about what I could and couldn’t accomplish with my body. Guess what? I hiked up that volcano (and across some questionable suspension bridges) and it was one of the best moments of the trip.

After the first hike, I knew I wanted to hike more often! I started making lists of destinations with beginner to moderate hikes, and I hoped to visit them all. That meant I had to trust my body and condition it to be able to hike more often, which led to a more active lifestyle. Eventually, being more active empowered me to hike UP Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles, California. That hike whooped my ass, but I didn’t die, so I persevered.

Eventually, hiking became a welcomed addition to my travel itineraries…

Since then, me and my bubble wrap knees pushed ourselves to the limit on hikes in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Austin, Texas, and multiple times across California. It’s not always easy, and I complain and second guess myself on every hike. Sometimes, I want to quit mid-hike. I have to tell myself that getting airlifted off a mountain just because I’m tired would be embarrassing, so I suck it up and finish. 

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The sense of accomplishment that rushes over me after each hike reaffirms that my body is stronger than I give it credit for.

My Favorite Hike

Before I knew COVID-19 would completely disrupt all my 2020 travel plans, I took a trip to San Diego. It was a quick getaway to clear my mind and reset my intentions for 2020. San Diego is one of my favorite domestic destinations and great hiking trails! This seemed like a great time to take on Three Sisters Falls.

Three Sisters Falls is a 4.5 mile moderate to strenuous hike down to the three waterfalls wedged between the mountains. My hike was right after a rain storm in hopes of the waterfalls being active. While the drive up was terrifying, and the slippery trek down to the falls was nervewrecking, the views were breathtaking. I’d never viewed nature like this, and it made my soul searching feel that much more necessary.

So… about hiking being one of many of my life changing experiences…

Exploring the world – whether through food, art, or even personally challenging hikes- affords me tiny (and sometimes big) moments to discover new ideas about the world and new truths about myself. Sometimes those moments make for cool photo memories, too.

Have you ever been hiking?

Do you have a favorite hike? Or a dream hike? Connect with me on social media. I’d love for you to tell me about your experience!