Hiking to the top and back of Mt. Whitney with my husband last September was equal in the mental experience and physical effort to a full marathon. I hope to take it on again later this year!
Another one of my favorites closer to home is hiking down to the beach from the road at Montano de Oro State Park, playing in the dunes then hiking back up to the road. Killer! And fun!
I just love hiking in general!
Sentinel Dome hike in Yosemite National Park. It was in June and we had to walk thru snow to get to the top. At the top was a panoramic view of not only Yosemite Valley and all the falls, but Half Dome,El Capitan and all of the Sierras. I felt like I was having an epiphany up there - our whole family experienced it and we'll never forget it. I have a picture of it in my exam room at work and when I get stressed out, I look at that picture of our family up there and feel serenity within the memories.
Yosemite is a MUST DO. Go there. Do it.
Sentinel Dome hike in Yosemite National Park. It was in June and we had to walk thru snow to get to the top. At the top was a panoramic view of not only Yosemite Valley and all the falls, but Half Dome,El Capitan and all of the Sierras. I felt like I was having an epiphany up there - our whole family experienced it and we'll never forget it. I have a picture of it in my exam room at work and when I get stressed out, I look at that picture of our family up there and feel serenity within the memories.
Yosemite is a MUST DO. Go there. Do it.
Last year, on Good Friday, we took our boys on a hike in a local park that has beautiful, nice, long nature trails that we love. It was really spiritual to be spending that time with each other and God. We decided we'd make it a tradition to have a nice long hike on Good Friday every year. We hike with our kids several times a year, but that Good Friday hike just really was special to me.
When I was a kid we used to go to Silver Lake in CA and hike up to a very small lake called Deer Lake. It was so deep you could dive 20 + feet and be secure in the knowledge that the lake was over 30 feet deep. It was sooo cold!