First Hike

Hilary here, and the other day (Friday, May 29 to be exact) I went on my very first backpacking trip. James and I stayed at our dorm until about one o’clock in the afternoon so that we would be able to rent a tent from the rec(reation) center, only to find out that our waiting around was fruitless since they did not have any tents yet. Fortunately, we were able to borrow one pretty quickly from a fellow employee who has just graduated from Rice University. We got our backcountry meals from the EDR (Employee Dining Room), packed our packs, and finally were on our way.

This being my first hike, and being with James Everett Newman, I did not want to skimp too much on the weight of my pack. The bag started out heavy (for me), and just kept getting heavier.

A few miles later, it was time to slap some moleskin on my feet.
Still later, I started to notice the burning on my hips as my backpack continued to rub me raw.

Then James Everett Newman offered to carry mine as well as his, and manfully carried both for the last three miles of our trek.

My legs hurt, my lungs hurt, and so far I felt pretty miserable. Then we passed a beautiful view of the canyon that took my breath away. My breath is taken away all the time at this altitude, but this was different.

Despite the not-all-together stellar start to my backpacking career, it sure was worth it.

Also . . . James had a blast.