The world is insanely beautiful in so many ways. Valleys and mountains and rivers and oceans and deserts and flats. It's all insane. It's so insane to me that all of these different, beautiful things can exist in the same space. It's insane that the world is so diverse, so colorful, and so different all at once.
The problem with the beauty of this world is simple: much if it takes physical work to get there.
When people hear that I worked at a summer camp (on a mountain!) for five summers, they might wrongly assume that I am someone who is in shape. I am not. I am not a fit person. Taking a flight of stairs exhausts me, and almost always I will choose to ride the escalator instead of heaving myself up the non-mobile stairs.
Once, on a health kick in high school, I texted my dad that I was going on a jog and to not worry when I wasn't home. His response was simple: who is this?
I'm not an active person. I never have been. Laziness is the way to go. I love doing nothing. In fact, not doing things is often preferred.
Even last weekend, after not leaving the house all day, it took some convincing from Carly to get me to walk around the lake with her. Because, yes, even a walk around the lake can be a bit too much for me.
In the end, the walk around the lake was beautiful. The moment I actually get outside I'm always thankful that I made the effort, it's just the getting there which seems to be a problem. The weather in the Bay Area continues to floor me. It's February and it's in the 70s. The 70s! We've been opening our windows to let in the fresh air. The sun leaves golden shadows on everything. It's absolutely beautiful. It's even nicer now that the sun is staying out even longer.
But still, when my dad called me while I was on that lake walk with Carly and I told him I was outside, his response was shock. Because outside + Jenn =/= a good way to spend my time.
However, back to my first point, the world is insanely beautiful. I want to see it. Who wouldn't?
So, this past weekend, while the weather was bright and warm and beautiful, I went on another hike.
On Saturday, Amanda and I looked up how to get to Twin Peaks. I'm slowly making my way around the different things you should do in the Bay Area, and Twin Peaks is one that we hadn't been to yet. One of the first results via Google was something called an "urban hike" which is where you hike, but it's up back roads and stairwells.
I am here to tell you that urban hiking is probably harder than regular hiking.
To be fair - I've never gone on like, an intense regular hike. The hikes at MLR don't really count. It's like, slight incline, flatness, dip, flatness, slight incline, you made it! But this? This dumbass urban hike? Ohhhh man.
It didn't start all that bad. We stopped for lunch at our regular place (The Melt owns my heart) before taking Muni to the Castro. Muni is weird, it's like a bus, but underground, and small, and really fast. I'm too used to BART. But the Castro is beautiful and full of rainbows and so many dogs everywhere. Most of that part was downhill, which was great.
Then, we made some turns, following our great little article, and then, well.
We started downhill, and were literally going to a place called Twin Peaks. So. Yeah. It was lots of uphill.
Lots of it.
So much uphill.
For a while it was just slightly sloped, but then the angles got steeper and steeper and at the end of every street we would just stand there, catching our breath, cursing urban hikes for all they were worth. Stairs were almost better, even if they were basically straight up. But still. My poor calves. My poor thighs. My poor, un-toned butt.
Anyway.
It was worth it. No matter how lazy I want to be, I know that it's always going to be worth it. The world is overwhelmingly beautiful. The higher we got on our climb, the more of San Francisco that stretched out beneath us. We could see downtown, we could see the ocean, and if we looked hard enough we could see Oakland in the distance.
When we made it, of course it was worth it. To stand on top of the world? Holy shit, everyone. That's a sight to behold.
After I sent some pictures to my mom she asked, "Did it make you feel small?"
I get it, feeling small at a sight like that, but why feel small when you can feel empowered? There's so much to see out there. So many cities and oceans and views that are different from one another and still so beautiful. So many blues and greens, or oranges and reds.
And it's all for us.
(Unless, like, we continue treating the world like shit and climate change ruins everything and then there's a nuclear war. But that's a conversation for a time when I'm less angry.)
I don't think me or Amanda realized how intense that weird urban hike would be. It was worth it, but again, exhausting. Especially for someone who prefers limited physical movement at all times.
When we got home, we were ready to sleep.
On Sunday, however, I had agreed to go to the Redwoods Regional Park (not Endor, that's the National park) with my roommates as well, and as much as my body would've preferred that I cancel I hadn't been to the Redwoods yet and was looking forward to it.
We took two buses to get there and obviously it was beautiful. It was sort of the opposite peak of the one we were on in San Francisco. From SF, we could see Oakland in the distance. At Redwoods, we could see the city in the distance. (Not as great a view, as it was clouded with trees, but beautiful when we got glimpses anyway.)
I was wearing my Toms (my Chacos the day before weren't used to being used, so I'd gotten some weird blisters) and had asked, again and again, if this hike would be intensive. Everyone agreed no, it'd be fine. Once my mom sends me my hiking boots (hint hint nudge nudge, Mom!) this won't be an issue, but for the time being, Toms were on my feet.Bad move. Also, not the easiest hike.
The Redwoods were phenomenal (one day I'll get to see Endor, just not yet!) and we'd, for some reason, agreed to hike one of the loops.
Again, I won't deny that it was beautiful! And I won't deny that it was worth it! But after a day of extreme uphill movement, the loop we were walking kept going down and down and down (which meant we'd have to go up and up and up) and my calves hurt.Danielle took some phenomenal photos and we passed by some adorable dogs and overall, I'd definitely do it again. It was a regular hike, no urban streets involved, and the stillness that settled in the trees was wonderful.
When we reached the bottom of the loop, I was already dreading the upwards, but we powered through it. Amanda kept forcing me to drink water whenever I mentioned feeling lightheaded, and we all sat on a log halfway up the climb talking about childhood illnesses, and it was beautiful. Maybe not full of the same empowerment as the hike the day before, but still beautiful.
Sometimes the sights are the reason you go. Sometimes it's just to be with people who feel the same.
It's Monday and I can feel both of those hikes in my bones in many different ways. I'll joke that I'm finished with physical activity for the month of February, but that's not true.
