There’s something therapeutic about hearing the wind in the trees blowing across the valley, or the smell of a southwestern pine forest. Getting outdoors and hiking is an excellent way of getting us out of our routines and out into nature. It gets us away from the reminders, endless to-do's, notifications, and stressors of home and work life and out into a place where we can experience the beauty of the creation around us and reflect on bigger things.
Every year when we visit Arizona as a family, we hike the Thumb Butte Trail. It has become a kind of tradition for us. We can track the growth of our children based on the pictures we have taken on the trail over the years. This particular trail is a 2.1 mile loop with a 600 foot elevation change that is front loaded in the first third. The remainder of the trail is a gradual descent back to its point of origin. It starts out in the pine forest at 5700 feet and progresses through the desert brush to the base of the butte at 6300 feet. The pinnacle of the trail provides amazing views of the Prescott National Forest to the west, Granite Mountain to the north and the Prescott and Chino valleys to the east bordered by the Mingus range and the San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff in the far background. It is a fantastic hike!
The trail requires a certain degree of strength and endurance. This year my boys hiked up and down like champs, but in previous years it has not been uncommon for one of the kids to be complaining for a good deal of the hike about how their legs hurt and they don’t want to continue hiking. It's good for them, right? While I expect the older kids to hike on their own, as a dad with small kids, invariably I am carrying a toddler in a hiking pack. Hiking a moderately difficult trail at altitude becomes more difficult with a human ruck sac plus water strapped to your back.
As I was hiking the uphill portion of the trail this year, I couldn't help thinking that this is why I work out and train. Yes, it was difficult, my heart rate was up, and I was winded, but I could feel the effects of all of my squats and deadlifts as my legs powered through each step. And let's not forget about the upper body training that gives strength to the shoulders, chest and core providing the stability to navigate rocky terrain while wearing an extra 50-pound pack. It is experiences like these that give training meaning. The endless reps under the bar have a purpose. They result in strength, endurance, and fortitude. They give us the flexibility to be able to do the things that we want to do. They give us the opportunity to have the adventures that we want to have. This is why we train. So, my encouragement to you is this... Don’t let lack of training, hold you back from being able to have your own adventures. Get after it!
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