Never Again

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http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/daily-prompt-never-2/

I normally enjoy most things that I do, but one thing that I’ve never really warmed to is walking or hiking over long distances. My mother adores going for long walks and I remember having to participate in many of them as a child and young teenager.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy exercise – I regularly played badminton, went to karate classes and I swam several times a week, but there was something about simply walking that I found boring and tedious.

One of my closest friends at school found an advertisement for a walking group and she begged and pleaded with me to join her. She was exercise obsessed, I was weak-willed and consequently one Sunday I found myself stood on the top of a hill with a group of strangers. We went through the introductions and polite conversation, and then we walked. And walked. And walked. FOR EIGHTEEN MILES.

What I had assumed was that ‘a walk’ would mean a leisurely stroll across the hills for a few hours. Instead, these people were machines. They set off at a pace that would have put them in competition with Olympians, and sometimes I almost had to jog to keep up whilst attempting to avoid an epic amount of goat poo. It was cold, it was windy and I returned home with blisters the size of two pence pieces from my mother’s hiking boots and an absolute promise to myself that I would never participate in anything like that again.

I’ve stayed true to that promise, and I can guarantee that the only time you’ll ever see me up a hill whilst wearing hiking boots is if… No, it’ll never happen.

Picture credit: The Great Outdoors.

54 thoughts on “Never Again”

  1. I’m one of those weird people that loves walking. It’s invigorating to me. As a speed walker I can sympathize with someone who did not know what they were getting into.

  2. EIGHTEEN MILES? Those people are hardcore! When I think “going for a walk” I think five miles or less… And I tend to enjoy walks that length.

    Of course, I’m sure I’ve walked more than that at one time, but it’s while I’ve been doing something — exploring a convention, fleamarket, etc. And I always have fun doing that of course 🙂

  3. But what if someone asked you to go hiking downhill, and offered you a frilly pair of hiking shoes? I’d hate for you to rule out hiking all together… Just make sure someone is available to airlift you out when you get to the bottom:)

  5. It’s odd how our parents make us do things we hate. Mine was gardening. I still hate it and I know I should actually like it but I’m still traumatised : )
    I’m trying hard not to do the same with my kids but I know I’ll fail.

    • I don’t like gardening either, but I’m lucky that The Bloke does… His whole family are avid gardeners but it’s not my idea of fun!

  6. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???? ughhh I think I would have stopped at the 5 mile mark and said “ok…I will wait here for you guys, enjoy your hike from hell!”

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  14. I like walking but not power walking. Eighteen miles? I would consider that a scratch off the bucket list and would celebrate with a large bowl of Cold Stone ice cream. Props to you, girl!

  16. “You never know what you’ve got ’til its gone…” I was never a huge walker, but loved to get lost in my thoughts while strolling in the woods. Now that my mobility is limited, I’m crushed I didn’t take advantage of more walking when I was able to!

    On the other hand – running? badminton? karate? swimming? Good for you! Never for me!! 🙂

  18. Risking it with strangers is crazy! Best to stick to lethargic walking with lazy friends, with plenty of pub stops on the way.

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  20. Reminds me of a cycling group I ended up joining through a friend’s persuasion a few years back. They used to ride bicycles through the crowded city roads to promote healthy exercise, cut down on pollution and all the rest of the feel good stuff. It felt great and I hadn’t cycled since my teenage so it felt exciting too. Until of course I came to learn two facts: one, that I couldn’t balance and maneuver the bicycle as well as I did as a kid and two, I was gonna get myself killed as I had a few close shaves with a few cars and a huge bus. That’s when I too said: never again 🙂 At least not on those bustling city roads.

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  22. Reblogged this on suzie81's Blog and commented:

    It’s been a fortnight of reblogs. I’m not being lazy, but the fact that I’m dealing with lots of stuff at work gives me an opportunity to share earlier posts that you may have missed. It’s a short, silly response to a Daily Prompt, and it made me smile when I re-read it.

    Don’t forget to check out the winners of my New Year Week 2 competition!

  23. I love, love, love walking. iPod on and I get my walk on. Have you noticed (probably not) that whenever you are out walking and pass another walker they ALWAYS say hi. However, there’s always the chance you might discover a dead body as it always seems to be the walkers that discover them haha!

  25. Have to say that I just adore walking – the British scenery makes for a magical experience as you troop round in the rain and low cloud, IMHO. Australia is grand, but not the same. And spiders don’t kill you in the UK…

    • true. this is most of the reason I don’t desire to visit Australia. Let’s add in the other deadly beasties that are down there. I’m not one to be scared of spiders; if anything, they get on my nerves because I’m always killing them because people around me are scared of them. Their mere existence annoys me for this reason. However, I think a killer spider would be enough to scare me… and possibly own a lethal weapon.

  26. I love to go walking (and hiking a little bit, which to me is little more than a glorified walk), and I have been known to walk for hours along hiking trails; HOWEVER, I cannot say that I’ve walked 18 miles anywhere!

  27. This made me smile. I had a friend about 6 years ago who was determined to coordinate a hiking group. Same sort of awkward small talk amongst strangers – and I also figured out I didn’t actually really LIKE hiking 😉

  28. You have my sympathy. I once had a friend who talked me into going walking. It felt utterly pointless to me, and I sometimes think the countryside is best observed in a painting.

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