Editor’s note: We’re looking for a variety of young voices to contribute to “Hits Different.” If you’d like to write a commentary, send it to Area Editor Jason Hennington at jason.hennington@ granitemediapartners. com.
My dad is many things, but lazy is not one of them. Try ambitious or, perhaps, overzealous.
I have seen this personality trait manifest during a multitude of experiences, most notably on summer hiking trips. These sojourns always leave us with interesting stories.
This tradition originated when my dad, my brother and I took our first hike in July 2017. At the time, my dad decided to take us on the hardest trail. I was 12 years old, and my brother was only 7.
When my dad puts his mind to something, failure is simply not an option.
From the start of an arduous hike up to a lake, things went sideways. I had done a fair bit of research before we began, reading articles on tips for stress-free treks. One of the articles detailed an easy way to ensure your water stayed cold all day.
My interest was piqued, so a few days before our trip, I took several plastic water bottles and placed them in our freezer. The idea was that if you took the water bottles out the morning of the hike, they would defrost over the course of the day, thus allowing for a continuous way of keeping your water cold. This was the first mistake.
We unfortunately did not account for the fact we had purchased a “cooler backpack” from Costco, which insulated the bottles and kept them rock solid. Every so often on our hike, we stopped to rest, and lifted our frozen water bottles to our mouths, hoping they had melted enough to allow us a few precious trickles of water.
This particular lake is not a hike for the faint of heart, and probably not for 7-year-olds, either. It is widely considered to be the hardest hike in that area, filled with steep scrambles and a washed-out road leading to the trailhead, making the hike an additional 5 miles longer. However, after many contusions, close calls and cry breaks, we made it up to the lake.
The trail made you earn it, for sure, but the views were gorgeous. The lake was a stunning turquoise blue, and isolated on all sides by emerald evergreen trees and snow-capped granite cliffs. We decided to fish for a while at the lake (yes, we hiked with a fishing pole strapped to our backpack) and, remarkably, caught some trout.
Heading down from the lake also was a difficult endeavor, but we eventually made it back to our truck and chugged multiple (unfrozen) water bottles from a case in the trunk. I learned many valuable lessons that day about perseverance and hard work, but I have never been more sore than the day after the lake hike.
Two years later, my dad, my brother and I decided it was time to go hiking again. At this point we considered ourselves hiking connoisseurs, and we determined our next hike would have to meet two requirements that made it worth our time and effort.
First, the hike had to be hard. Second, it was absolutely essential for the trail to have a lake at the top for fishing. This hike, although not as difficult as the one in 2017, still posed a challenge. In my opinion, the lake was not as beautiful as the one on our first hike, but we did catch some fish, which made up for the lackluster views.
Our summer hiking trips took a back seat the past two years, but back in July, when my dad asked me if I was up for another outing, I was thrilled. This hike wasn’t as typical as our previous ventures. It had a unique layout, consisting of one main trail leading to two different lakes. The first part leading to the lower lake was less difficult and much more trafficked.
After our arrival, the main trail then branched off to a more strenuous and lessertraveled portion of the trail that finished at the upper lake. On the drive to the trailhead, my dad mentioned that if the lower lake was visually rewarding enough, we might fish there and then head back down without needlessly attempting the other body of water.
To me, however, this was not an option. We were going to make it to that upper lake, come hell or high water. But what followed proved to be the true education.
See Part II in two weeks.
