This is an ode to the humble morning hike.
To one of the only reasons I'll wake up at 6am. To seeing the sun before most of you. To brisk air slapping my face. To flexing my toes and stretching my legs. To feeling the heat flush my cheeks. To rabbits and birds. To mist and fog. To the middle-aged Asian couples in their matching respiratory masks. To the elderly dudes in their short-shorts. To the people walking dogs...lots and lots of dogs. To the solitude of the less-beaten path. To the rising hum of the city. To the rustling leaves and crackling twigs. To the dirt tan swirling up my legs. To the ocean views on a clear day. To the haunting haze on others. To the pain of hustling it up a steep incline. To the freedom of running full-tilt on the way back down. To the feeling of being on top of it all.
To owning the day before it has a chance to own me.
***
Re-reading this, I think I just wrote the copy for a new Nike ad.
JUST DO IT!
What Would Ed Do?
It. But on, like, Aconcagua or something.
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I like this. To own the day before it owns you, nice touch.
ReplyDeleteI usually don't see a soul when I get up early. But I guess I see the Asian ladies on the way down sometimes...
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what part of Griffith Park I'm hiking that early - the trail to the Observatory and the trail up Commonwealth are both fairly well-traveled (yes, even at 6:15am!), but the eastern end of the park is much quieter.
I'm not much of a morning person, but I can appreciate the sentiment. ;D I'm much more likely to be the last person down the mountain than the first person up.
ReplyDeleteFlew back to L.A. yesterday on Southwest Airlines. Their in-flight magazine, Spirit, had an excerpt of an Ed Viesturs book. Thought of this blog, of course. ;D
ReplyDeleteI've linked it here, although I guess there's a fair chance you've already read it.
Thanks - I'll check it out!!
ReplyDelete