Take a Hike

I haven't been hiking since I was lured into doing it by a tiny badge for a Girl Scout vest, so needless to say I was apprehensive about my second trip to South Mountain Park to try out one of the trails. I had brief visions of myself giving up half-way through and sitting by the side of the trail while toddlers and the elderly passed by me with pitying looks. However, I've been hearing from classmates that it could be a lot of fun, so I decided to give it a shot.

Luckily, South Mountain has its own Web site, offering descriptions of each trail as well as difficulty ratings, so that I could plan accordingly. I talked a friend from one of my classes into coming with me on a Friday morning, coaxed by promises of breakfast after an 8 am hike. We found the description of the Telegraph Pass Trail most alluring, with claimed "easy to moderate difficulty", a 1.5 mile length, and most importantly, "first .5 mile paved." Paved was the key word.

The whole trip was actually surprisingly enjoyable, the trail was better than I expected and the view was nice. Plus it felt good to already be up and exercising by 9am, in a way that was much less painful than going to the gym - not to mention there's no gym fee.

If you want to try something outdoorsy, or if you want to feel less guilty about all the liquid calories you'll consume this weekend, try a hiking trail on South Mountain in the morning and brag about it later.
— Megan Hunt