The Kindness of Fellow Hikers

I just have to put this out there, over the course of the last 7 months we have come across a fantastic array of fellow hikers.

In the beginning it was those few encouraging words they would share as they saw me struggling up a relatively easy trail that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Those other early arrivers who would come to the super busy Front Range trails to beat the crowds and get in a speedy workout but still took the time for a smile, “good morning” & “Enjoy your hike”.  The no judgement looks I got from them as I huffed and puffed while they passed by me,  all red-faced and sweaty.  It was just what I needed on those days I wanted to give up on my journey.  They helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve.

As we have become better at hiking, built up some stamina and I dropped some weight, there was more of a kinship with those early risers who we could tell we were also dedicated hikers and trying out new, more challenging hikes.  The ohhhh you have black diamond poles, any advice you can share on picking good poles?

The last 5-6 hikes we have met some really great people who were excited to share their experience with us and help when we needed it.  At Upper Mohawk Lake    it was Bonnie and Jim who helped us stay on the path at the beginning of the scramble so we didn’t make the same long mistake they had made years before and we avoided adding a few hours on to our hike.   At Twin Sisters, it was the cute couple who told us about Chasm Lake just under Long’s Peak diamond as must do since Long’s Peak wasn’t in our skill set yet.  At Chasm Lake, it was Lowell who let me try out his fisheye lens so we could get a picture with 180 degree views and gave me lots of tips on photography and how to learn more about it.  Then there was Brad, who overheard my type 1 diabetic husband call help to me because his blood sugar had dropped to 50.  Brad, who is also a type 1 diabetic, helped me get Aaron back up and gave us some of his supplies that he felt worked better than what we had at keeping his blood sugar at safe levels during these challenging hikes.  He was also nice enough to just keep me company as Aaron got back to a place where he could start to interact with us again. 

I have always loved to hike, even at my heaviest and least active but this new community I am starting to meet has really cemented that love for me.  As we work towards new challenges, I am so excited about who else I might meet and hope I can do for others what so many nice hikers did for us!

So here is a BIG THANK YOU to all my fellow Hikers!!!