#like okay so packing up the car and driving six hours through the wilderness of central Nevada to a trailer in the middle of nowhere

[jellogram]

Tomorrow is moving day and you would think that since this is my ninth moving day in 18 months that this would be super chill for me but no. Every goddam time I get anxiety about it.

[warmblanketwhump]

Hey!! I have a request if your taking them. What a about a whumpee getting sick on a long car drive? For some reason they can't stop anywhere, so the caretaker has to use the few things they have in the car to make sure whumpee dosent freeze/get sicker

Thank you!

“Hang on, B.” A’s eyes dart nervously over to B, then back to the slick road. “We’ll be home in a few hours, okay? Just a little bit longer."  B just moans again, not even bothering to open their eyes. They’re wrapped in their coat, mumbling feverishly to themselves as they lean their forehead against the window.

It had all happened so fast. For the past week, A and B had been road tripping through national parks, camping in the rustic wilderness, hiking through lush forests and beautiful mountains. This morning, they’d both decided they’d had their fill of the great outdoors and planned to make the long drive back home. But as they packed up and began to tear down the tent, things started to take a turn.

“That last hike really pushed me over the edge,” B groaned, flexing their hands and rolling their neck and shoulders. “I’m sore all over this morning.’

“S’pose it just means you’re out of shape,” A joked, playfully shoving B’s shoulder. B winces, then tries to cover it up with a weak smile, but A doesn’t miss the weariness in their eyes that wasn’t there yesterday.

B starts out driving—the plan was to alternate 4-hour shifts—but 1 hour in, they’re visibly uncomfortable, constantly fidgeting in the seat, keeping one hand on the wheel while they massage their legs with the other, frequently sniffling and clearing their throat.

Finally, they pull off to the side of the road, coughing wearily into their elbow, then slumping back into the seat and hugging themselves.

“What’s wrong?” A asks.

A shudder ripples through B. “I need my coat. Aren’t you freezing in here?”

A frowns. The climate control went out in the car a few days ago, but the weather is moderate outside—just a little cloudy, with a hint of fall in the air—but not chilly enough for a coat.  “You’re that cold?

B nods, eyes slipping closed. “And my hands hurt so bad I can barely hold the wheel.” They wince again, rolling their shoulders and shifting in the seat again. “I don’t feel good.” 

A reaches over, pressing their hand against B’s forehead. It’s a bit warm, but nothing too concerning. Still, B looks exhausted. “Why don’t you switch me? You look like you could use a little sleep.”

A should’ve known something was wrong when B doesn’t even put up a fight—just wordlessly switches spots, curls up in the passenger seat, and closes their eyes. 

That was 10 hours ago, and it had all been downhill from there. B was now in no condition to drive at all, alternating between labored breathing, wracking coughs, and soft groaning. They'd slept some a few hours ago, but now they've crossed into that sleepless fever delirium, where even rest took effort. 

Making matters worse, they hit a front of weather, and the once-pleasant interior of the car was now bitterly cold as the rain and ice pelt the windshield. The gusts of wind buffet the small car, nearly blowing it off the road, and A has to keep flexing their fingers to make sure they haven’t frozen to the wheel.

If A had their way, they’d stop at the nearest doctor's office and get B six kinds of medicine to make them feel better. But it's almost midnight in the middle of nowhere, and A hasn't seen a town for miles. And even if they did, would anything even be open?

A sharp cry suddenly jolts through A, and they whip their head to look at B, then back to the road. “B? What’s wrong?” 

“Please...” B whimpers. “Stop.” 

A flicks on their turn signal and pulls over to the side of the desolate road, punching on the overhead light. “Talk to me, B.” 

“Cold,” B forces through gritted teeth. A shudder wracks their body. “Can’t you turn on the heat?” 

But there isn’t any heat—there hasn’t been any in the car for days, and A doesn’t know how to change that or explain it to a delirious B. They can’t fix the console, they can’t see a warm place to stop— 

The sleeping bags. 

Of course. A can’t believe they didn’t think of that before. Flinging the door open, they barrel out into the stormy night and grab both sleeping bags from the trunk, battling their way through the wind and tumbling back into the car. After some wriggling and a confused B fighting them, A manages to wrap the unzipped sleeping bags around B as makeshift blankets. 

“There ya go. Warmer?” 

B nods, curling up tighter and pulling the sleeping bag under their nose. They blink slowly, as if they’re barely holding on to consciousness. A reaches out and ruffles their hair, their heart squeezing in their chest. Hang on, B. With renewed determination, they turn back to the dark, windy road and start driving again. 

It's nearly 4 am when they finally find a gas station where they can refuel and stretch out their stiff muscles. They manage to find some stale green tea to force B to drink, and some black coffee with the consistency of motor oil for themselves. It's disgusting, but it's enough to rouse them enough for the last leg of the drive.

By 7 am, the dark skies are dawning to a cloudy grey morning, and A can feel the relief in their chest slowly growing as they spot the familiar houses and streets. Within minutes, they’re pulling in the driveway, just as B begins to stir. 

“Home?” B’s voice is small, and they rub their eyes with the edge of their makeshift blanket. 

A reaches across and lays a hand on B’s head, which is still warm from their fever. “Yeah. We’re home.” And for the first time in nearly 20 hours, they finally feel able to breathe a sigh of relief, letting their tired eyes close for just a moment. “Let’s get you inside and in bed so you can rest.” 

B nudges A’s hand back. “You too.” They lift up grateful eyes to A. “Thanks.” 

In spite of their utter exhaustion, A smiles. “Any time, B.” 

[backtothestart02]

The Football Star and the New Girl - 1/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: I suck at titles lately...oh well. Enjoy this first chap! The story itself is based loosely on a dream I had. :)

...

Synopsis:  HS!AU - They were like ships passing in the night. Would they ever meet on the same page?

...

Chapter 1 -

Francine West walked down the hall and peeked into the open doorway of her daughter’s bedroom. She found her sitting on her bed, her things packed in multiple suitcases at her feet, but she herself – Iris West, 14 ¾ years old – did not look very excited to be leaving her home without her family. She was looking at a photo album. Tears were staining her cheeks.

Francine rested her head against the door frame as she watched her, her heart aching to heal the wounds she knew would only grow more with time.

“It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

Iris’ head whipped toward the sound, and she hastily shut the photo album and tossed it onto her bed, wiping her cheeks quickly after.

“Mom!”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t interrupting, was I?”

She walked into the room, and Iris scooted over a little so she could sit next to her on the bed.

“No, not at all. I’m glad you’re here.”

They shared a sweet look, then Iris leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder. Francine held out her hand, and Iris intertwined her fingers in her mother’s grip.

“I still want to go,” she assured her.

“Yeah?”

She nodded against her shoulder.

“I need stability, mom. I can’t be moving around going from school to school every six months. I’m proud of dad, of course, and I love being with you all. I’ll miss you a lot, but…I want friends and the same school and a life.”

“A boyfriend?” Francine nudged her gently.

Iris rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Maybe…eventually. I’m only 14, Mom.”

Francine nudged her again.

“14 ¾.”

Iris laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. A boyfriend would be nice, once I get to know the guy for more than a couple months. But first, friends.”

“Friends are important too.”

Iris nestled into her mother’s embrace and sat in silence for a while.

“What about Wally? Is he going to be going to new schools every-”

“I’ve decided to attempt homeschooling.”

Iris lifted her head.

“You have?”

She nodded.

“He’s only 10, so the curriculum is simpler, and he’s pretty introverted, even around us, so Ruffly can suffice for his friend. At least for now.”

Francine pursed her lips. She did want real, live human friends for her son, as well as for her daughter. But for now their golden retriever seemed to be what got the most laughs out of young Wally West. She would hope that lasted at least through another school year.

“I’d take him with me if I could,” Iris said.

“You’d take both my children from me?” Francine asked, only half joking. “What am I supposed to do all day long without your brother to drive me crazy?”

Iris looked into her mother’s eyes and saw that they were watering.

“Oh, Mom, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay, honey.”

She sighed and pressed a kiss to her daughter’s temple.

“I know it hasn’t been easy for you, losing your friends so often because we have to move. It’s the life of a military family, I’m afraid. I signed up for it when I agreed to marry the man, but you, my baby, were just born into it.”

She pulled back to look into her eyes.

“I want you to know though that if at any time the school isn’t working out for you, we’ll come get you in a heartbeat.”

Iris winced. She knew it wasn’t that simple. They were moving overseas to a new post. Iris would be staying here in the U.S. Even if the school was a bit of a move for her too. It wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to.

Still, she obliged her.

“Yeah, okay, mom.”

She smiled, but Francine knew better.

Footsteps sounded down the hallway, and interrupting their little moment came Joe West with little Wally West on his back. Joe was dressed in all camouflage wear, and Wally was giggling from bouncing up and down on his “horsie”. Ruffly was close at Joe’s heels.

“What is this here?” Joe asked, witnessing the tear streaks on his two ladies’ faces.

“Dad!” Iris sprung up.

She ran to him, and he slowly released Wally off his back, who promptly complained when his shoeless feet hit the floor.

Joe hugged his daughter tight, lifting her off her feet briefly and kissing the side of her face.

“Oh, baby girl, are you sure you want to go?”

Iris laughed when she was back on her feet again. She wiped away fresh tears.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just gonna miss you guys, but I need this. For me. Okay?”

He sighed and nodded, then looked across the room at his wife.

“She’s so grown-up.”

“I know.” Francine sniffled.

“Why is everyone crying in here?” Wally asked. “Aren’t we gonna see her for Christmas?”

Everyone laughed.

“Aren’t you gonna miss me at all, you little punk?” Iris asked, ruffling his curly hair.

“Eh, maybe a little.” He shrugged, uncaringly.

Iris rolled her eyes.

“Well, it’s time to get going then, yeah?” She looked at her parents who nodded.

“Yeah,” Joe said. “That seven-hour drive is no joke.”

“Seven hours! That’s a lifetime!” Wally whined.

Ruffly barked.

“Just wait till your plane ride,” Iris egged him on. “That might be even longer.”

Wally groaned. “I hate traveling!”

“Better make sure you have something to keep you occupied with then, Walls,” Joe said, and with that Wally zipped out of Iris’ room to make sure his many bags included plenty of toys to play with on his very long journey.

“I’ll go help him,” Francine said. “We’ll meet you at the door with his things.”

“Sounds good.”

Joe smiled, but it was pained. Once Francine had left, all the toughness had melted away again, as it often did with his baby girl.

“Boy, am I gonna miss you,” he said.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Dad.” Another tear streamed down her cheek, and he was quick to wipe it away. “You look so handsome in your uniform, Dad.”

He chuckled.

“Alright, enough sadness for now. We can do this again in seven hours.”

She laughed. “Okay.”

“You wanna help me get all a million and one suitcases out to the car?”

She took a step back and looked around her room.

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“You can apologize by helping me.”

“Deal.”

She smiled, and slowly they made their way to the front door and then the driveway with all seven of her suitcases. It took a few trips, but then she knew she would need every bit of her belongings for the long school years that lay ahead.

Her family would visit as often as they could, of course, but it would be difficult with them living overseas. She probably wouldn’t see them again until her dad was forced to move again like they were doing now.

But she’d thought long and hard   this. She longed for friendships that lasted, for a life beyond what was available to a military family. She needed to connect and to be free for a while, even at the sacrifice of not seeing her family every day, especially her mom and baby brother. This new school – Huntington Farm and Boarding School – would be just the ticket.

Out in the middle of nowhere somewhere down south, the school was on a huge stretch of lush land that also served as a farm – no animals, just crops, which was a shame, Iris thought. She’d miss having even just her dog around too.

But the place was renowned for its academics and social scene there in the middle of the wilderness. A boarding school for those who needed it, traveling families mostly; and if the colorful flyer they’d sent in the mail was any indication, Iris would absolutely love it.

“Everybody ready?” Joe asked, when everyone had piled into the car sometime later.

“Ready!” the family cheered.

Joe chuckled and started the car.

“Huntington Farm and Boarding School, here we come. Watch out for your most dazzling student yet.”

He met Iris’ eyes in the rearview mirror, and they sparkled.

“You know it!” Iris said.

Joe grinned and backed out of the driveway.

They were all on their way to bigger adventures now.

…

One year later…

Iris sat on top of the fence on the edge of the football field, waiting for who she hoped she hadn’t misinterpreted wrong. After nearly a year of first claiming he didn’t like her and then months of mixed signals, Iris was convinced he actually did like her, as much as she liked him.

Sitting on the fence post waiting for the guy to come kiss her seemed like an odd tradition, but it was built into the social aspect of the school, and she figured it was the only guaranteed way she’d know if he was really crushing or not.

She’d dressed as cute as she could for a game, and soon she’d know if it would pay off or not.

Biting her bottom lip, she gasped quietly when she saw him coming around the corner heading right towards where she had herself perched.

Barry Allen was the star football player – star of every sport he could get himself into really – and they’d been making genuine eyes at each other for weeks. Now, as he approached her, it felt as if their whole future was hanging in the balance.

He stopped about 20 feet away. Bracing himself maybe for the decision he’d have to make? Presumably have gained the courage, he continued his walk, headed straight for her and stopped directly in front of her.

Iris waited, her heart hammering a mile a minute in her chest. He was tall enough to reach her – so tall, but she bent her head anyway, and sure enough their lips met in a soft, tender kiss.

She opened her eyes as he took a step back, but the smile on his face was undeniable. So was hers.

Just as he was about to say something truly romantic – she’d decided – one of his teammates burst behind them.

“Did you just kiss Iris West?”

Barry spun around, panic on his features.

“I-”

Another teammate appeared.

“Wait, what?”

“Barry just kissed Iris!”

“But I thought he hated her. He swore he did.”

Iris tensed on the top of the fence, waiting for Barry to smooth the whole thing over. It couldn’t be that big of a deal that he’d pretended to hate her all while flirting with her on the downlow for nearly a year…could it? It was annoying to her for sure, but his teammates couldn’t be that annoyed, could they?

Barry never smoothed it over.

His teammates left, looking disgusted, and Barry looked back at Iris for one more moment, not knowing what to do. Then he left, calling after them.

“Wait, guys, it’s not what it looks like!”

And Iris sat alone on top of the fence, the magical memory of her first kiss completely shattered.

How would they come back from this?

[erinelezabeth920]

Love in the Time Of

Shame. Is the thing I want to talk about. Love in the time of shame.

I mean I don’t really want to talk about it. I’d really rather not actually, except that I have the sneaking suspicion that I’m not the only one. Not by a long shot. So here we go.  Last night I wanted to go to bed by 10pm, so I could get up early and go on a run BEFORE signing into Zoom at 7:45am to lead a yoga meditation class for my friends and family, BEFORE doing some reading of self-help books and solo meditation BEFORE I start trying to do an impossible job from my living room for an unclear number of hours per day with an attention span of basically zero to negative. 

When I write this it sounds absurd. I know that. But brains are weird. Especially mine. Remember the anxiety based overfunctioning/ underfunctioning I talked about last time? Overfunctioning much?  Anyway, that didn’t happen. We had finished a DnD session with my brother and college roommate, (my character is a rouge-gnome named Huckleberry Shake who has short purple hair, is really good at sneaking and lock picking, and carries a crossbow. I like to imagine a sort of cross between ‘Midsummer's Night Dream’ and Assassin’s Creed’.) Anyway, it was around 9:30 ish pm. It was also Cinco de Mayo, and we had picked up tacos from the neighborhood about a 15 minute drive south with a strong hispanic/ latinx population. The past couple weeks I’ve been referencing that line in ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ where they all pile into the pick up truck to go into town and go batshit crazy. “It always feels good to get away from camp, even for an hour!” Just to drive somewhere to pick up food feels like a crazy adventure these days. 

I made us magaritas when I got back; they were bright blue because we had some kind of blue liquor that I can’t remember the name of. After DnD I wanted to watch some TV. I made myself another margarita and some popcorn, which is my quarantine coping crutch. I watched this trashy but great Netflix show about teenagers in North Carolina called Outer Banks. Except the episodes kept ending on cliff hangers (OMG he KILLED HIM?), so I kept watching. I painted my toenails purple, using packing peanuts to space them out. I was kind of proud of myself actually.

It was about midnight when I went to bed. I woke up with a small headache, a result of tequila and salty popcorn and poor quality sleep. I was going to go on a walk/ run and listen to the news. I didn’t. I snoozed the alarm about ten times. It was raining out. I led my yoga class and ate some sourdough toast. And here we are. The light is filtering through the apartment windows, as I sit on the couch in my sweat pants. The crazy thing is, I just feel SO much shame. And guilt. Guilt for having a headache, shame for not waking up early to do all these things I honestly don’t even need to do. I feel shame for not writing more often, shame when I look at the dishes that are dirty. Shame when I don’t go outside to go on a walk, exercise, or when I close my work laptop early to lie on the couch and scroll through my phone.  I’ve been trying the past couple weeks to figure out this phenomena that seems to be happening to me, but also to other people I talk to. I feel okay for about 3 days, and then completely collapse. I just can’t do anything, flatline, but there doesn’t really seem to be a direct cause. It’s just like dropping on the roller coaster without warning. I was telling a friend the other day that on weekends, all I do is sleep. Usually I’m a very active person who has an almost clincally hard time sitting still. I haven’t felt like this, I told him, since I worked the hardest jobs in my life- full time wilderness therapy or residential treatment for children with Autism working 12 hour days. I work MAYBE six hours a day these days but probably more like four, broken up by lying on the couch watching documentaries and scrolling on my phone. So why am I SO DAMN EXHAUSTED? 

I did some research the other week into chronic stress for a newsletter article I was writing for parents of my elementary school. Chronic stress is different than acute stress, I found, because it has no concrete beginning and end. It’s not like a car crash or a loved one dying. Instead (for those of us with the intense privelage not to be on the front lines- god bless if you are) it’s a constant low hum in the background through news headlines, grocery store lines and crossing the street when another person is coming your direction on the sidewalk. It’s a disruption of normality with no conceivable ending, sending our brains into a low key 24/7 flight or fight mode, draining us with tiny doses of adrenaline and uncertainty that build up over time. It’s not in the forefront, but it’s there in our tight shoulders, exhaustion, inattention, insomnia, short fuses and total lack of motivation. Until we can’t take it any more and crash, seemingly out of nowhere. And then the whole thing starts again. 

As Brene Brown says, “We’ve hit our collective weary.” In one podcast episode she interviews a grief expert. He says, we are all grieving right now. Even if we don’t name it, we’re showing the symptoms. But instead of grieving the death of an individual (for most of us), we are grieving the lifestyles we’ve lost (work settings, close contact, friendships, normalcy). And grief exhausts us. BUT, because most of us aren’t experiencing acute grief (ie a loved one dying) we feel shame on TOP of that grief, that we shouldn’t be tired or inept when others have it SO much worse. It’s a meta emotion. Shame layered on grief like a terrible lasagna. How can we be justified in experiencing grief when all we do is sit on the couch and watch Netflix and eat snacks for hours a day? We’re not even in a wartime or something concrete that gives justification and purpose. Instead it’s just a vague, deep sense of disruption of life as we know it. But it’s just as real. I was walking on the beach at the time I listened to the podcast; when he said the words, “We are grieving the loss of the world as we knew it,” the sun was setting over the water. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

A few weeks ago, Andy cut my hair. When the pieces fell to the floor of our friend’s porch and the scissors snipped away larger chunks than I woud have liked, my stomach dropped. I started panicking. I felt like the world was ending. I don’t panic when I read the news, go to the grocery store in a mask, or even read the death toll. But when my hair fell to the ground around me in the gathering twilight, I absolutely lost it. I came home and sobbed. It was the first time I’d cried since the pandemic began, and it’s like it just all came out. I was so angry at Andy, and he felt so bad. I was a shell of a person for twelve hours. I cancelled morning yoga for the first time in six weeks, lamenting everyone would have look at me close up on a screen. I wanted to stay in bed forever, (until we fixed the haircut and it actually looked pretty good). But for a second there I was broken, and it was because of a goddamn haircut. I mean for Christ sakes, people are dying out there. It made me feel so petty and stupid. There’s a global pandemic happening, and I am distraught FROM MY HAIR?!

But that’s how grief works. We can’t look at the thing head on, it’s too much. A death toll is just numbers. Our brains seek to survive, to normalize, to adapt just to get through. So instead the trauma seeps into the corners, slowly creeping into our bodies and collective exhaustion until one little thing causes the world to come crashing down. The straw that breaks the camel’s back. And then we feel overwhelming shame for being so affected by something so little. For me, my lizard brain was honestly convinced I would never be attractive or happy again. 

(ALSO to be fair we watched, ‘Little Women’ a few days later. In the movie there’s the scene where Jo cuts all her hair off to give her mother money to travel to their sick father in the war. She’s then pictured crying under the stairwell. “Is it mother?” her sister asks. “No,” she says, “It’s MY HAIR!”. "See?!” I said to Andy.)

The underlying theme here is shame. We’re ashamed of our emotions because they don’t seem justified. Comparative suffering. My suffering isn’t nearly as bad as others, therefore I should not feel this way. I’m ashamed of myself for eating snacks and worried I’m going to gain a bunch of weight. Then I’m ashamed for being ashamed instead of being body positive. I’m ashamed of myself for enjoying an evening with drinks (yes plural), popcorn, painting my toes and watching teenagers who are actually in their twenties look for buried treasure. Honestly, it sounds like a great night. And it was. 

I just finished re-reading “The Four Agreements”, the Toltec wisdom book. The first agreement is “Be Impeccable With Your Word.” I assumed from the first time I read it, it meant “always tell the truth”. The reality though, is it means, our words have power. Especially our words about ourselves. Just this morning I entered my enchilada and margaritas from yesterday into my ‘Weight Watchers’ app and felt terrible. I told myself I was fat, lazy and useless. Which seems absurd when I write it out, but that’s the honest to goodness narrative inside my head. Being impeccable with our word means watching what we say to ourselves, because our words create a reality. We create our own cycles of shame. 

Even at this moment, typing this, I feel ashamed that this piece of writing is so scattered. My English major brain is mad at me. Get it together Erin. Find a cohesive theme and stick to it. Get emotional, but not too emotional. Tell stories, but not too many stories. But writing at it’s best is vulnerability and transparency;  and honestly right now it’s hard to hold on to any one thought for longer than a few seconds. And I’m pretty sure it’s not just me. Little pieces, scattered thoughts, just trying to put the puzzle together. (Oh and don’t even get me STARTED on puzzles... Andy is MUCH better than me at them, and, saving the face of our relationship, let’s just say that is another dangerous straw perched on the camel’s back through only the fault of my own...) Anyway, I think at this point, just find anything that makes you smile. Literally anything. I personally like Brad Leone’s Bon Appetite Youtube channel “It’s Alive.” He makes me laugh so much. The episode with him and Orville Peck making elote almost broke me.  Find those things, hold on to them and be kind to yourself. It’s okay to feel less than. Just remember you’re not. We’ve collectively hit weary, the point in the race where you’ve been running for so long, but the finish line is so far away. It’s okay just to go one step at a time. 

Paint your toes. Eat your popcorn. Drink your margaritas. Whatever we can do just to survive. One step at a time. You’re not alone. 

And that’s love in the time of. 

[littlemissvincentvega]

First of all, I always love catching up on your fics cause they're amazing. Second, do you think you could do a bit of a fic with the dogs and reader going on a camping trip? I feel like these idiots would fucking nearly die out in the wilderness alone 🙃🙃🙃🤣

first of all i adore u thank u odojdosdlaskj ♥♥

and yes i can!!! thats amazing LOL also i’m so so sorry this took so long!! i hope u like it bb :DDDD lots of love xxx

-

“Where’s the cigs? Where are my fuckin’ cigs?!” spits Mr. Pink, twisting and turning in the backseat, fumbling around trying to find the pack.

“Would you sit still?” sighs White from the driver’s seat, glancing at him through the lopsided rear view mirror. “Thought you quit, anyways?”

“I did.” He glares at Brown, who is squinting at his Gameboy. “Are you quite finished?”

…

Nothing. “Hello? Am I fuckin’ invisible?”

“Huh?” Brown mumbles, eyes fixated on the screen.

Slightly disgruntled, Mr. White turns to Pink, hands clamped on the wheel. “Can you just leave him to play on his video game and stop bein’ a little shit about it? Please?”

“A half hour. A half hour of that shitty Tetris playin’ over and over, so ex-fuckin-scuse me if it starts to grate!” Pink scowls, crossing his arms and rolling the window down. Sighing dramatically, he stares out of it, not a word more. 

“I beat my high score!” exclaims Brown, a few minutes later.

Orange turns around to him, his head between the two front seats. “Nice one, man. Gimme a turn now?”

“Sure,” he says, passing it over. Pink watches this from the corner of his eye, secretly wanting a turn, but he isn’t prepared to swallow his pride– not now, not ever.

“Hey, White, how long till we get there?” Brown asks.

“Uh… ‘bout an hour or so? Ain’t so sure, how long we been on the road?”

Brown checks his watch. “Forty-six minutes exactly.”

“Yeah, ‘bout an hour then, if the traffic treats us well.”

-

“How d’ya think Pink’s copin’ with Brown, then?” Blonde asks, a smirk present on his lips. He’s driving the other car accompanied by Mr. Blue and Nice Guy Eddie, and it’s a million times less drama-filled than White’s.

Eddie scoffs. “Fuck knows. Probably strangled him by now,” he says, and the three guys share a chuckle.

“You should give ‘em a call, I could use some entertainment.”

Eddie grins mischievously and pulls out his clunky-ass cellphone, dialling Mr. Pink’s number. “Hello??”

“Pink, it’s Ed. How’s it with you guys?” he asks, sharing a smirk with Blonde.

“It’s fuckin’ impeccable.”

“Less of the attitude, motherfucker.”

“Ask him how Mr. Brown is,” whispers Blonde, nudging Eddie.

“How’s Brown?” Ed sniggers.

“Don’t talk to me about that– that little retard!” Pink splutters, eyeballing Brown.

Eddie tuts loudly. “What did I say about the attitude? How far away are you guys, anyway?”

“I dunno, like an hour, White said earlier?”

“A’ight. Sive drafely, man.”

“What?”

Eddie sighs, smiling at Blonde. “Just don’t fuckin’ crash the car, okay? I’ll see you guys later.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

-

At least an hour and a half later, White pulls over, the wheels crumbling over the gravel. Mr. Orange flings the door open and jumps out, looking up at the trees towering over them. Rather than staying at a family-friendly campsite type of place, Eddie had opted for a slightly dangerous forest that a friend of Joe’s had recommended. There’s no sound of human civilisation to be heard, only the rustling of leaves and sweet birdsong, though White suspects that it wouldn’t be quite so uneventful when dusk arrives. “It’s so warm,” says Orange, taking off his leather jacket and chucking it on the passenger seat.

“It’s too warm,” Pink groans. “Christ, even my asscrack is sweaty.”

“Do you have to?” asks White, screwing his nose up in disgust. “We’re surrounded by all this beautiful nature and you’re talkin’ about your asscrack?” He places his hands on his hips waiting for Pink’s response.

“What do you expect me to do? Not tell you?”

White chuckles, defeated, and opens the trunk. “Jesus Christ. C’mon, help me get the tent out.” Despite Mr. Pink’s concerted effort in trying to convince Eddie to let him have his own tent (”I need fuckin’ privacy, come on!”), he had been unsuccessful. “I’ll share with Mr. Blonde, you share with Mr. Blue and Mr. Brown, White can share with Orange,” he had decided.

“Can’t he help instead? It’s boiling,” complains Pink, nodding at Brown– he’s slumped in the backseat with his head leaning against the car door and his mouth wide open, fast asleep.

“Nah, he’s sleepin’, leave him to it for a bit. I’m not havin’ you two bickering while we set up the tent.”

Pink huffs, scowling at White when he has his back turned, but helps heave the tent out of the trunk while Orange gets everyone’s belongings out of the car. White looks up at him with a smile. “Thanks, kid, just leave ‘em there.”

“Sure.” Just as he says this, the other car pulls up a little too close to Pink, who screeches when he almost gets run over. “What the fuck was that, man?!” he splutters, waving his arms about at Mr. Blonde.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t see ya there,” Blonde sniggers, stepping out of the car, the gravel crunching beneath his cowboy boots. Pink throws a dirty look and continues to help lay out the tent. “Where’s Brown?”

“Asleep,” Orange mutters.

“What’s up, fuckers?” bellows Eddie, striding out of the car and stretching. “Woah, fuckin’ beautiful here, huh?” he adds, admiring the scenery.

Blue emerges from the backseat, his hair a little fluffed up– presumably, he had been asleep for some of the journey. “Not bad here,” he remarks, whipping out his cigar and lighting it, his moustache furrowing.

It’s almost as if Mr. Brown has spidey-senses or something– at that moment, he had stirred, taking a minute to fully wake up. “Oh, hey guys!” he beams, knocking on the car window and waving at the other Dogs.

“Christ, here we go…” Pink mutters under his breath.

Yawning, Brown jumps out of the car. “How can I help? I wanna help!”

“By gettin’ back in the car?”

“Huh?” asks Brown, not catching what Pink says and marching over to White & Orange. After a LOT of bickering and arguing about how to put up the tents, the boys finally stand back and admire their handiwork. By now, the sky has turned a beautiful honey shade, the warm colours melting into one another.

-

“Where’s the damn food?” Eddie asks. All of the guys are sitting around a campfire that Blonde had managed to light (after a good round of arguing, obviously).

Blonde shrugs. “Thought Brown was s’posed to bring it?”

“Was I?”

If looks could kill, Brown would have been laying dead right then and there. Pink glares at him, not even blinking. “Yes,” he says through gritted teeth, “you were.”

Brown laughs nervously, six pairs of eyes on him. “No I wasn’t– you guys put me in charge of snacks.”

“Kid, we put you in charge of food. Y’know, as in the shit we’d hafta cook up & eat?” answers White, keeping his cool. “But what snacks did you bring?”

Brown jumps up and fetches his bag of food while the guys share pitiful glances with one another. “Uhh… Oreos, potato chips, some Wonka candy, Dunkaroos, cheese balls and… Hubba Bubba.”

“Hubba Bubba? You brought gum? That ain’t a fuckin’ snack,” Eddie scoffs, chuckling.

“I know, but it tastes good.”

“So what you’re sayin’ is you brought fuckin’ kiddie food,” Pink scowls. Although pissed off (it doesn’t take much let’s be honest), he snatches the cheese balls off of Brown and crams a few in his mouth.

Orange shrugs, leaning over and taking the Wonka candy. “I don’t care, this shit’s pretty good. S’better than nothin’.”

“Yeah. Pass me some balls, Mr. Pussy,” Eddie smirks.

To make things easier, Brown lays down a scarf of his (he had packed three, just in case) and carefully places all of the snacks on it. It’s a strange concoction, admittedly, but like Orange had said, better than nothing.

-

As dusk approaches, the sky is a deep purple and the wind rustles through the trees. It’s slightly eerie, but the atmosphere is light, so none of them really mind. They’re all still around the fire, now lying on blankets Brown had packed, sharing stories and having the occasional bicker. “Do you guys believe in werewolves?”

“What?”

The guys blink at Brown, who’s gazing up at the moon. He’s laying wrapped in his blankets with his hands behind his head. “I was just thinkin’ about An American Werewolf In L–”

“No, hold up. What the fuck does that have to do with our damn conversation?” Blonde demands, chuckling. He takes a drag of his cigarette and exchanges a smirk with Eddie.

“It doesn’t.”

“Christ, that’s my cue to leave. I’m tired,” Blue sighs, smiling to himself. “You guys are too much.”

“If you’re sure. Night, man,” Ed smiles. The other guys say goodnight and watch Mr. Blue disappear into the biggest tent (which, to be honest, isn’t so big). Blonde flicks the ash from his cig into the fire, his baby blue eyes lit up from the gentle flames.

Fidgeting slightly, Brown flops onto his back, putting his hands behind his head. “Camping is boring.”

“No, it’s fuckin’ dangerous is what it is,” Pink huffs.

White looks at him, nudging Orange with a smug smile. “Alright Mr. Expert, why’s it so dangerous?”

Pink sits upright and glares at him. “Well… well– what if a fuckin’ bear mauls us?”

“Be a fuckin’ miracle if he mauls you, that’s just about the only thing that’d shut your goddamn mouth.”

“Fuck you, man! I gotta take a squirt, where’s the bathroom?”

Pink looks across at Eddie, who shrugs. “How the fuck should I know?”

“Well where am I supposed to piss?”

“Blonde’s hair. Could use a wash.”

Vic drops his cigarette at the sound of this. A perfect opportunity to play-fight. “You’re a little bitch, anyone ever told you that?” he chuckles, pouncing on his chubby friend and tackling him to the ground, soiling that violently blurple windbreaker jacket of his. “I’ll piss in your fuckin’ mouth, ya little bastard!”

Eddie breaks into laughter, struggling to get Vic in a headlock as they tumble around. Meanwhile, the other guys are sat blinking at one another– it’s safe to say that random outbreaks of play-fighting between those two are a regular occurrence. “Brown, you come with me, I can’t deal with all this gayness. You need a piss too?” Pink sighs, grabbing a flashlight from his bag.

“Yeah, I guess we can do it on a tree.”

With that, the two saunter off to go find a spot away from the other guys, leaving Orange and White to deal with Ed & Vic. “You two fuckasses finished yet?” White pipes up, running a hand through his hair and earning a snicker from Orange.

Panting, Eddie breaks away from Vic, shoving him back down and taking a seat himself. He wipes his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, his cheeks rosy. “Think so. Think I won there, don’cha agree, Blondie?”

“I think I fuckin’ won, Edward.”

“Agree to disagree?”

“Bunch a queers, you guys,” Orange sniggers, nudging White.

“Oh yeah? What are you two then? You’re practically White’s twink!” Eddie retorts. He throws a couple of cheeseballs at them both as they all share a chuckle, the fire still crackling and throwing white-hot lashes at their skin. Sighing in contentment, he lays down (not bothered in the least about the dirty ground), gazing up at the sky– upon seeing this, the other Dogs do the same, admiring the masses of tiny stars. 

-

“HEEEELP!!”

…

“HELLO? AM I FUCKIN’ INVISIBLE? HEEEEELP!!”

Pink looks around in a panic, his head whipping from one direction to another. How the hell did they even manage to do this? ‘I swear,’ he thinks, ‘if I die here tonight I’ll make it fuckin’ known it was Brown’s fault.’

“Uh, Pink?”

“What?”

“Uh, technically if you were invisible they could still hear you, like, it’s in the name, man. Invisible? Like vision? So they’d still be able–”

Pink cuts brown off with one of his deadly glares. He’s impatient at the best of times, but they’d managed to get lost in the middle of a pitch-black forest at night-time with no cellphone, no way of contacting the others and, worse of all, stuck with Mr. Brown. Trying to keep calm, he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “Just help me yell for them, alright?”

“They should be able to hear, I mean, it’s not like we’re that far away.”

He scoffs, marching in what they assume is the direction they came in. “We wouldn’t have to yell if you’d have just listened to me.”

“Fuck you, man, I didn’t do anything!”

“‘Ooh, let’s take this fuckin’ turn,’” Pink mocks in a higher-pitched voice, waving his hands around, “‘Yeah, that’s really fuckin’ safe, why don’t we just get our dicks out and stick a sign there sayin’ ‘FREE FOOD’ for the bears to see?’”

Frowning to himself, Brown quietens down, trailing behind him like an ashamed puppy. He kicks a few twigs as he saunters behind Pink, wishing they could just get back already. After a couple of silent minutes (aside from the sound of wet leaves beneath their feet, the swishing of leaves in the night’s winds and the very distant smell of the smoke from their campfire), he speaks. “What if somethin’ bad happened to ‘em?”

“Shut up, nothin’ bad’ll’ve happened. Even if it has, they’ve got their guns. So shut up, they’re fine.” Although it’s in a snappy manner, it’s Pink’s best effort at showing a smidge of reassurance.

“If you say so, man. Sorry if I, uh, y’know, pissed you off back there.”

“Whatever, it’s nothin’. Just help me yell for ‘em, knowing those queer bastards they’re probably in the tents fuckin’ each other or some shit,” Pink scoffs, a slight smirk present on his face. It’s barely visible, but it’s there. A little more at ease, Brown manages a nervous chuckle and precedes to help his colleague holler for the other boys.

-

“Hey, what the fuck is this?! An orgy? We were fuckin’ stranded out there, didn’t you hear us yelling?”

Pink emerges from a few trees and stomps over to the campfire, a subtle shiver about him. Whether it’s from the temperature or the situation, the others can tell he’s shaken up. After a few seconds, Brown follows, looking equally as uneasy. “We yelled and yelled and none of you motherfuckers responded!” spits Pink, glaring at them all lying on their backs.

“Why are you guys lying like that?” Brown asks.

“Didn’t hear ya,” says Blonde. “Well, we did, but we thought it wasn’t important. You only went for a piss. A piss is a piss.”

White rests his head on his elbow, looking up at the two. “Did you get mauled by a bear?”

Pink scowls. “No.”

“So what’s the fuckin’ problem?”

“Fuck you guys, I’m goin’ to bed. Rather listen to Blue have a fuckin’ wet dream than be around you pieces’a shit. G’night,” he huffs, disappearing into the tent without another word.

“I think I’m gonna go to bed too, I’m tired,” Brown sighs. “And it was pretty scary out there. But it’s been a good night, thanks you guys.”

White smiles at him. “Thanks, kid. Have a good sleep.”

“Night, man,” adds Orange.

After exchanging a lot of goodnights with the other dogs, Brown crawls into the tent and, soon enough, the guys can hear him sleeping soundly– and by that I mean quietly snoring. “Don’t hafta see him to know his mouth’s wide fuckin’ open,” Orange jokes, looking across at the tent. He yawns, stretching out on his blanket. “I could sleep right here.”

“Yeah, me too, man,” Ed agrees.

“You guys are fuckin’ gay,” smirks Blonde, earning a slap on his cheek from Eddie. 

“Says the guy who tried to fuck me in Daddy’s office.”

“You little bastard–” Vic begins, a smile full of mischief appearing on his face. Two seconds later and they’re tumbling on the ground in a tangle of arms & legs while Mr. White & Orange sit watching, chowing down on some potato chips.

Orange leans in to speak to White, “I wish I’d have brought my camera, Joe’s reaction to this would’a been priceless.”

“Ah, that’s where you’re in luck, my friend,” White smirks, reaching over for his bag, “because I just so happened to bring my little Polaroid. Thought I’d never use it but I grabbed it on the way out just in case.” He hands it to Orange, who promptly squints into the viewfinder and snaps a picture. The second the flash goes off, both Ed and Vic’s heads snap round to look at the two laughing guys, utterly confused. 

“What the fuck are you two doin’? Did you just take a fuckin’ picture of us?” Eddie asks, eyes wide and curious. 

“Might have done.”

“Give it here, I wanna see if I look like a fatass.” Eddie scrambles for the camera, but Orange holds it out of his reach. Besides, White has the polaroid in his pocket. “Give it, motherfucker!”

Mr. Blonde is lying on his back now, hands behind his head and watching them squabble. “Forget it, Ed,” he says suavely, “you’ll look like a fatass either way.”

“Queer.”

“Asshole.”

The four share a chuckle, obviously not meaning anything by the bickering. With a yawn, Orange grabs a blanket and begins to stand up. “I’m fuckin’ exhausted, I’m going to bed. See you assholes tomorrow,” he snickers.

“I’ll join you,” White replies. “G’night, you two.” His laughter lines showing a little more after the night’s dumb escapades. He and Orange disappear into their tent as Vic & Eddie insult them goodnight. It’s quiet after that, the two remaining guys lying looking up at the stars, utterly mesmerised. The campfire crackles scarcely and, after hoisting blankets over themselves, the boys accidentally fall asleep in the midst of the night. 

-

OK RIGHT i’ve just finished writing this post but i think i’mma do it as a 2 part thing bc i feel like this is pretty long for one of my fics. like the next morning/travelling home etc will be in part 2 :) \DKLASJLKDA I WANNA GO CAMPING W THESE PRICKS NOW LOL

[firsthandfirecracker-blog]

Journal [8.5-8.7]

8-5-89

I saw her again.

It sounds crazy to admit that—that I “saw” her. But here I am, hours later, still chilled to the bone.

Her face won’t get out of my head—that subtle smirk. Those eyes. The way they narrowed the more I told that cop about her, like I was betraying her.

I can’t be alone with my thoughts right now, so I’ve turned to my journals. I pulled them all out from the dusty bin in the back of my closet and spread them on the rug. I didn’t start journaling until after I got back from college, but there’s still plenty to go through. Six years’ worth, to be exact.

Larissa was only twelve when we started classes. Poring over those journals, she’s brought back to life before my eyes, bright and fierce and determined. She was full of hope in those days—maybe her situation wasn’t the best, but she was going to make it better. She had to.

I wonder what happened. When did the light die from her eyes? When did the switch flip? Or was it slow and steady, like a forest fire in a thunderstorm, determined to blaze yet doomed to fail?

The truth may lay somewhere in between, I suspect. Maybe my journals will tell me something. I can feel their presence, almost; they vibrate with importance. I’m going to take out all the pages about Larissa, line them up end to end, and read them. I hate to tear into my records like this, but information is more important than sentiment right now.

8-6-89

Funeral today. Nolan dances on my skull; my head aches.

8-7-89

Couldn’t sleep last night. I showered and slept (at home, for once) and laid in bed for two restless hours. Then, I got up and started reading.

I’ve been through ‘83- ‘87 already. I journaled less frequently then—the habit was new when I first moved back, and at times it wasn’t a habit at all. Honestly, it’s painful to read these old accounts. For instance, this one:

10-22-83

Fifth class with Larissa today. She’s a quick learner, but she’s got a long way to go. She’s enthusiastic and pretty agile, too—her love of jump-roping proves it—but she’s neither accurate nor powerful. Of course, she’s twelve, so I’m not worried about it in the long run. I guess I’m just concerned that she’s gonna hurt herself again.

We’ve been doing mostly conditioning and practicing form, but today she insisted that she get a chance on the bag. I swear, I was gonna say no, but she just gets this look in her eyes when she wants something that’s impossible to resist.

Well, long story short, she almost sprained her wrist. She was all red-faced and sniffly, but she didn’t cry—not when I showed her how to ice it properly, or when I began wrapping it up, even though I was sure it hurt. To distract her from the pain, I asked her about her week, thinking she’d mumble something about school and be done with it. To my surprise, she opened up like a flower, gushing about all the cool stuff she’d done. She was most proud of befriending this cat that lived in the park; she’d been saving bits of her lunch to feed it, apparently.

She was so animated when she told me, free arm waving as I pinned the bandage in place. Seeing her shine so brightly, I can’t help but worry. Nothing that pure can last.

I can still picture her so clearly: that bright smile, those determined eyes. But reading back on it now, I can’t help but wonder what brought her into the gym in the first place. What drives a twelve year old girl to learn to fight—independently of her parents, no less? Perhaps more importantly, why didn’t I question it sooner? Why didn’t I push harder? Why didn’t I—

Nevermind. I could keep myself here all night considering what-ifs and should-haves. I need to move on.

9-8-84

Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Larissa started taking classes. She’s thirteen now and she’s got the attitude to prove it. Looking at her these days, I can’t help but remember myself at that age. Like Larissa, I’d always been a spitfire, and when I entered my teens, it only got more intense. I hope she’s not getting into the kinds of trouble I got into at that age.

Oh, who am I kidding—she’s a kid. Of course she’s going to get in trouble. I have to remember that it’s not my job to protect her, but to give her the tools that she needs to protect herself. She’s certainly come a long way from where she was a year ago: she actually landed a punch square to my jaw today when we were sparring. When she realized what she’d done, she threw her hands straight up and let out a holler. Naturally, I saw that she’d left her stomach open and socked her one. She fell back onto the mat, and for a moment I worried that I’d hit a bit too hard, but then I realized that she was laughing.

Her class is always my last of the day, so she helped me clean up, putting the mats back in their place and sweeping the floor. Just as I was about ready to see her off, she stopped short and spoke:

“Can we get ice cream?”

I frowned. “Shouldn’t you go with your parents?”

At that she wilted, a look I’d seen only once before, at her first class.

“They won’t care,” she said at last. The specter dancing between her eyes was gone; she turned abruptly and flounced out the door.

I’ve long suspected that Larissa has a neglectful, or at the very least ill-informed, home situation, but I don’t have anything to prove it. She clams up if I ask about it, and I wonder if it’s even my place to.

So, yeah, we got ice cream. I got a simple strawberry cone, while she went all-out with a sundae. I couldn’t help but laughing, seeing the chocolate drizzle reflected in her saucer-like eyes.

“We’re celebrating,” Larissa said, “’Cause we’ve been in class for a year. That’s a long time.”

I smiled softly. I used to think a year was a long time, too; it was only after… well… anyway, I couldn’t argue with her, because it was a long time in teenage years.

“Ms. Wilder, I’m gonna be in your class forever.”

I laughed and ruffled her hair. “Good, because there’s so much more to learn,” I said, but now, hours later, I can’t help but wonder if I jinxed it.

Again: no parents. I’ve thought about it a lot in the years since then. They were always this… blank space, I guess, this chasm in her story. I knew she had them, and I knew she lived with them, but I never once met them. Not once in six years. Normally I wouldn’t allow a child to sign up without parental approval, but Larissa had this hungry look in her eyes, or something close to it, a look that told me she wasn’t being provided for. So how could I refuse her? How could I condemn a girl to a life of neglect when I could instill in her the tools she needed to better it?

Not that it worked, but… anyway. I’m tempted to blame myself, as always, but looking back through these journals, it’s clear that there was more to the story.

3-12-86

This has been the longest six hours of my life.

I was coming back from the grocery store around seven p.m. when I passed the church. It’s still burned into my eyelids—that spire, looming high overhead. My gut lurched, but I didn’t have to wonder long to see why.

Not three blocks past the church, I saw someone walking along the side of the road. I recognized those messy blonde curls: Larissa. She carried her shoes in hand, bare feet dirty with roadside muck.

I pulled up next to her and rolled down the window.

“Larissa?”

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and I caught a glimpse of a tear before she scrubbed it away with her sweater.

I was about to hop out of the car when she opened the door and slid in.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

She sniffed. “I’m fine.”

“Larissa…”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

I started driving, my mind at work.

“I just got groceries. Why don’t we stop by the park and eat sandwiches? We don’t have to talk.”

For a moment she looked like she’d refuse, but something in her softened and she nodded, slumping against the seat.

I laid out napkins and sandwich fixings in the trunk of my car while she wandered around the park, balancing on anything she could find: tree roots, parking blocks, the little fence by the playground.

“Order up!” I called, and she came running over. Her eyes were still puffy, but she smiled as she bit into the ham sandwich. I did the same to my own, causing a bit of juice from a poorly-cut tomato to spill down my shirt. We both laughed, and for a moment I could almost forget the strange circumstances that brought us here.

We didn’t talk, in the end, choosing instead to listen to the songs of the crickets and the whisper of the wind.

“It’s about time I take you home,” I said when the sky was dark and our bellies were full.

She looked at me, and I saw It again, that looming something that stood between us.

“Can I stay in the spare room tonight?” she asked, uncharacteristically looking down at her hands. She was a stickler for eye contact.

In answering I hesitated—that was my first mistake.

“Your parents will be worried about you.”

Her lower lip jutted out. “They don’t care.”

“I’m sure they love and care about you—”

“They don’t care,” she spat. “Don’t you get it?”

Seeing her then, I’m not sure I did.

“Look… you can stay, but I just want to call them and—”

Larissa sprang up.

“Of course, you just have to play it by the book, don’t you? Did you ever think that some rules need to be broken?”

Her eyes were moist as she turned and took off for the road.

“Larissa!” I called, panicked. I sprinted after her, but her adrenaline must have took over—she ran faster than I could hope to catch up. Doubled over on the side of the road, I recalled my groceries and my open trunk. Once I’d recovered a little, I jogged back to my car and packed everything up, then took off down the road.

I didn’t find her, though. Finally I gave up and cruised by her house, hoping to see some sign that she made it home. As I passed by, I saw that the light in her window was on and hoped for the best. I thought about asking her parents, but knew she’d never forgive me for bringing them into it. I don’t even think they know she takes classes.

I ended up just returning home. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect on it all, I wonder if I was wrong not to contact her parents earlier. Must the cost of caution be the trust of someone you care for?

Part of me thinks I was wrong not to ask about what was going on, but I know she wouldn’t have answered me. Probably would have run off sooner. Still, there’s a thread to pull here. What happened that night at the church? I should ask around, see what I can dig up.

I don’t know if I can keep reading these… I can still see the face of that young girl who first walked into the gym, her excitement when she succeeded, her fury when she failed. Through it all, she was so alive, and now she’s—

I have to move on. It’s like this clock is ticking inside me, I don’t know for what or why, but I can’t rest until I find the answer. And the answer is here. So I’m skipping forward a bit, because I remember the golden years quite well. After that first year, when she was unsteady on her feet, fire roaring but unable to direct it. No, it was after that, when she started to gain confidence but before she got jaded.

I’ve been thinking about what that cop said—maybe she intended to fight someone. Looking back, I think that maybe he was right. But it wasn’t just one person. She wanted to fight… I don’t know, the system? Her community? Everyday injustices? (Ok, don’t project, Naomi)

My head is spinning. I need to take a break.

…

Well, it was a shit day, but at least I made it through. I’m at the park because I couldn’t stand to be in my apartment for another minute. Hopefully the fresh air will help to get my investigative juices flowing.

I think my students could tell that something was off today, but it’s not like I’ve been hiding it, exactly. I cancelled all my classes after I heard the news, and today was my first day back. There was just this weird energy with them, like I was delicate. They weren’t exactly in top form, either. I think we were all just distracted and didn’t really want to be there considering the circumstances.

Whatever. No use stewing in it; if I want to get some sleep tonight, I’ve got to get through these next few years. Of course, by this time I was journaling every day, so there’s much more to go through. I have one journal for each class of hers over the past two years, except one. Can’t remember why I didn’t write that day, but there must have been a good reason. I’ll think on it and see if I can’t figure out which class that was.

As for what I do have, most of the journals read pretty much the same: summary of the class, some routine stuff about form and improvement and whatever, the odd note here or there. But there are a few that stand out, like there’s something between the lines that I can’t quite read. I won’t rest until I can.

Here’s an entry I found particularly significant re: fighting someone. Maybe that cop was on to something.

12-10-87

Larissa came in ready to pick a fight today. She half-assed her warm-ups and clearly didn’t bother to stretch. I’m not proud to admit it, but I may have escalated things a bit. I suggested we go straight into sparring since she seemed so eager to get it over with; she agreed.

When we fought, though… I’ve never seen her do it with such ferocity. Often when we’re sparring she’ll end up giggling because she’s enjoying herself so much and because, well, sparring can be funny sometimes. This time, though, she was all business. She was so focused, like this fight would decide something, though I don’t know what. And her eyes—she had this far-away look, like she was fighting someone else. I can’t help but wonder who that could be.

I tried to make small talk with her after class, which she usually goes for, but this time she aggressively brushed me off, turning her back to me like a child. I just let it happen. It’s not my business, after all, as she’d stressed to me a dozen times or more. Funny, she didn’t used to feel that way. Used to be that she was all too eager to share… or maybe it was only certain things she was sharing.

I guess what really got to me, though, is the car that came to pick her up. I’d never seen it before. Usually her brother or Jill would come pick her up, but this was some big SUV-type car, and I swear it had the brights on because it blinded me just to look in that direction.

I don’t usually do this, but I ended up accompanying Larissa out the door, hoping if I got around the lights I could see inside. But the windows were too darkly tinted for me to see anything.

I’m sure it’s fine; I’m just paranoid. Years of suspicion really haven’t gotten me anywhere, so I should probably just drop it.

This is the first occurrence of someone I didn’t know coming to pick her up. After this entry, it happened more frequently—a trickle at first, but by ’89, it was becoming more and more common. She was always cagey about it, like she didn’t want me to know who it was.

Well, it’s about time I found out, isn’t it?

This next entry is the one I kinda told the cop about, though in fewer words. I don’t need a journal entry to remember it crystal-clear, but since I’m a glutton for punishment I read it anyway.

8-17-88

Larissa came to class high today. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. I should be able to let it go, but it feels like some… contract had been broken. Larissa could say anything she wanted, but I always got the impression that she respected our time together. She was—maybe not happy, per se—but grateful to be there.

I noticed it from the first moment she walked in the door. She had a certain spring in her step, one I hadn’t seen in years, not since the early days of our classes together. I barely got to say hi before she was out the door, doing her weekly run around the warehouse to warm up. I thought about warming up with her, but she seemed like she wanted to be alone.

When she came back, we stretched together, then we moved on to bagwork. It’s something we do every class, but this time she just couldn’t get with it. The point of working with handheld pads is to train speed and accuracy, not power. But Larissa had this, I don’t know how to describe it… a manic look? She was always spirited, but this I’ve never seen before. It was like she couldn’t control herself. Her first few hits would be soft, like they should be, but they’d keep getting harder and harder until I had to stop the session and remind her of the exercise.

It wasn’t long before I had to stop the session completely because she just wouldn’t listen. I suggested that we move on to shadow boxing—no point wasting all your strength on air right?—but then she rolled her eyes at me and I kind of lost it.

I can still hear the conversation now, echoing over and over in my brain:

“Larissa, are you high?”

She gave me an incredulous look, like I’d insulted her.

“I don’t want to put you in a corner… I was just wondering if you wanted to talk about it.”

“Naomi, I’m not here to talk. I’m here to fight. You know that.”

I’d opened my mouth to say something more, but she launched herself at me, throwing a sloppy, overextended punch. It was easy to dodge, but she kept coming at me. From her mouth came this savage cry, like a wounded animal fighting for its last breaths.

The look in her eye was so wild that I’ll admit, for a moment it scared me. In the end, I had no choice but to shove her back, landing on the padding below with a thud. She looked up at me with those red-rimmed eyes and I could see her shredding me to pieces in her mind. After a silence that seemed to stretch on for ages, she scrambled to her feet and stomped toward the door.

“If you can’t train me, I guess I’ll have to find someone who can,” she spat.

“Larissa!” I cried out, but she was already gone.

And now here I am. Alone in the gym, wondering if she’ll ever come back. Wondering why it feels so important that she does. I’m not sure I’ll ever know.

Famous last words, right?

I have a million more questions now and no answers. My head feels like it’s splitting in two from the pressure of my unknowing. But I will know… I must. I can’t rest until I figure it out: What killed Larissa Kearney? What killed L͝ariss͘a̸ ͢Ḱe̶ar̷ney͏? What ki̸ll̀ed̢ L̶a͢r͡i̢s̡sa ҉Ke͏a͢rn͢èý?͝ Wh̀a͞ţ ̶k͞il͢l̛e̛ḑ Ļaris̷s̨a͝ ͘K͜e͘a̶rņey? W̺̻͔͎͖͚̫̕h̳̻͖a̭̲̝͈̜͢t̠ ͟k̼̖̬i͏̠̻̦̤̞l̠͇͕̼l̼͖̪͔͇e͉̘̼͟d ̩͞Ļ̺̺͔̭͚̲̳a̮̬͟r͖͎͍̤̤ḭ̛̠̫̭̝͙̜s̛̠̤̖̼̣̻̤ș͓̠̖͇͔ͅa͎̠ ͓̜̫̫̭̱̬͡K҉̬͕͇͇ͅe̫̭̱̪a̺͖̜̬̱̰r͉̺͉̳̘̙͖ņ͉̣ey͈͘?͚̤̲ W̰̠̼̼̹͞h҉̭̭a̤̮̘̲ͅt̮͔͉̭͘ ͓̭̗͇̠̣̩k̬̙̪iḽ̜̤̗̟͇̖́l͍̟̹̩̰e̬̝͖̹̦̟̕ͅd̵͖̹̩ ͓̹̞̜Ḽ͇a̢̞͔͍̜̖̯r̝͟į̜s̰͉̹s̲̫̞̘͠a̶̠͈͇̱̠ ̸̹K͜e̫̮͈̱a̸̱̦̤͕͈̠r͍͈̹̭̙̥͟ͅn̡̬̯͍͓è̤̠̰̪̟̠y̵?͔̼͞ W̲͔͖͇͖h̛̬̬̤̰̝ͅa̧̖̘̩t̳ ̠k̙͈̻i͇̲̣̪̬̯l͔̠̘l͏̦e̖̖͇͎̣̹̙d̶ ̧L̥̝͘a̶̗r̴͉̰̻̠i̫͙͝s̴̯̪̣͔̰͇s̳͚͇͢a͉͚͚͓̫̝͍ ̤̝̙̕K͇̮e҉̗͎ͅͅa̟̞͔̜̦r͢n̫̱e͖͡y҉͙̹? W̻̭̙̤̠̪ͅh̰̬̮͢a̜̯̤̼̳̩͡t͙̳̖͞ ͚̬̬̯̀k̞i̴͕̦̭͍ļ͕̹͔̺͖̩ḻ̜̙̝͙̜e͎̼̺̭͓͎d̫͚̣̺̩̀ ̤̭͚̬̝L̙̟à͕̪͕̗̖̜r̦̳̳̩̦͉i͍s͈̙͍s̀a͕ ̢̮̙̪͖̬̙̲Ḳ̫̩̹̫̻e͏̺̭̲a̶̩̱̭̤̣r͕̟͠n̡̥͈e̼̣̺̙̬͓y̰̞͙̤?͕̪̘̼̭ W̰h͓̘͙͕̰a͖͚̰͉ṭ ̴̣͎͖̗͈͙k̛̘̜̺͚̭i̭̜̝̣̝l̳̼̞͔̟̣͠ͅl͔̻̤̰̜̙e҉̝͔̯̺d̯͔ͅ ̙͎L͙a̤̤͢r̰̫̥̘̺̕ḭ̩͍͉̹̻͠ś̱̩s̖̕a ̫K̛̠��͓̣̻ę̜̮̹a͏͓͙r̹͚̖̜n̷é͎̝̦̯̬y̖̲̕?̥̘̠ W̑̆h̨̪͎ͬ͒ͫ͊̊͆å̸̖͙̭̫̝͖̦̔ͨ͂̿́ţ̼͓̮̖̝̃͒͆ͣ̌ ͉͠k̪̘̱̯̞̻̓ͬ̋̏i̼͕̪l͉̙̻̤̾̄̓ḽ̶͔̺̠͙̻e̴ͣ̂ͣ͆͊̒d̸̬̲͈̣̹̅̓̔̈̽ͩͩ ͥ̿ͫḼ̸̟̥̖̞̽ͤ͂͌ͫ̑̅ä̭ͫ͛ͣ��r͚̼̤͓̝ȉ̵̻͕̫͚ͣ̿̔̋s͈̗̺̲̉̎̅͆͟ș̙͖̖̳̥̺̇ͨͦ͑á̛̀ͩͮ̑̄ ̳͉ͪ̍͆͛͞K̗̘͋̓̇eͧ̽ͦ̐ͥ͂̄҉͕̣͓̯͇͍̲a̫̗͙͈̓̒̎̈́̎̄r̶̫̞̮̹͕͕̞̉ͧ͑ͩ͛̑ͣn̴̠̱̗̯͇͐͌ėͣ̐͂͗̓͏͍̲̙̘̜̟͕y̻̦͔͙̪?͉͉̭̪͚͍̫̆ W̘̺͗hͦ́aͫ͒ͨ̾t͙͞ͅ ̺͙͖͍̽͂̚k͚͍̳̞̽̈ͥͬ̈i̲̦̝̗ͭ͑͆̐ͧͅll͏͖̭̫͙̰̯e̼ͬ̉̄d͙̫̼͇͖̅̈͗ͥ͆͠ͅ ̨ͦ̃̍L͇̘͇̖͉̖̳͐̒ͬ̍͊ͬ͟ā̸͈̣͚̻̜ͧ̓̂ͭr͓͋̾i̥̪̫̫̐̾̑ͥ̚s̭̮̙͐͌̊s͓̰̣̪ͧ̌͗͟a͈̦͉̗͉ͯͭ̇̂̑͆̚ ̣̟̟͙̫̏̓ͯ͡ͅK̴̬̈́ͬ̋ͥ̔ͣ̚ḛ̤̦͈̻͕̳̋̒aṛ̞ͭ̓̓͆͗ͪn̲̼̮ͮ͆̐̎̌e̸̘̟̓͊ͮ̈y̐̂̂͑̑͗̾?̭ͤ͜ Ẅ̲̠̠̘́͑̿h̄̀̆́ḁ͕͕̤͈̂ͦ͊̅̄̐ṭ̺̠̦̊͗́̏̓̒̚ ̡ͧ̒k͚̝̲̼̣̱̮ͮͨͤ̚̕i̥̖̋́l͉̰̭̪̰̀ͭͨl̅̃e͔̠͙̜̟ͭ͋̎͆̾͗d̡̈́ ̋ͦ̍Lǎ͚̰̆̅ṛ͎̲͆̈́ͯͧ̚͝i̛͍̮͈͈̫͇͖s̱̤͂̍͞s̀a͑͏̫̻̘̲̦̞ ̖͍̤̙ͬ̔ͭ͑̂̕K̊ͦ̅̃͏̱͚̭͚̳̤e̳͖̞͈͚͎ͤ̄ͥ́a̞̖̜͇̜͍͌͛̓͜r̢̖̩̻͆̇n͂҉e̿͐̀̽҉̮̲̺ͅy̜̘̠ͥ̄ͦ͂?͚͇̼̲ͧͭ W̖̥͕͚̦̖̫̯͉̍͒ͪ̆ͯͣ̕ḥ̀͌̎̾ͮ̍̃͢a̘̬̻̩̯̒ͦͩ́t͎̝̻̼̃̾͊ͦ̉ͥͅ ̛͈̬̭̤̺̾͋̿ͨ͢͞k̰̎̇͠ȋ̶̛̠̝̼̬̘̭̍̆̑̇ͮ͗̃l̺̘̜̱̭ͦ̈ͩ̔ͥ̊̒ͩ͠l̙͔̜͑̈ͬ̒͠e̝͎̰̼͍͓̦̋ͫ͑̌̌͌͗d̴̷̖̒̈́̐͌̾ͣͅ ̻̜̜̝͐͊̋ͥL̸̬̞͍̲̦̻̍͋̈̈̎̋͜ą̶̸̬̲̩̰̄̄̿r̝̫̺̝͈̮̠̖͙ͤ͑̑i̷̪͉͍̍̑̈̒ͤs̯͕͖̘̥͚ͬ̋̏̌͜s͔͈ͫͧ̌̆͒̀̚aͭ͑̚͏̼̜̪ ̸ͦ̆ͫ̄̽͏̹͈̠͔͙̙̩̳͟K̸̟͖̭͖͈̟̪͙̭̆͗̎̄͂̋͋͆͢͡e̛̜̖̬̩̱͊̓̔ͮ̽á̧̨̖̮͚͖͖͍͔ͦ̔̊̽͑̋ͨ̚ṙ̴̵͉ͥ̑͗͛n̢̮͎͕̞͊̔͗͞ȩ̰̥̖͕͖̳̬͍ͣ̿͊̀̆͂͢ÿ̸̗̙̭͎̣̖̩̭̓̒ͮ̅̉͘?ͤ̀͐̋͛̀̄̏͏͕̣̘̭͎̞̀ Ẅ̵̡̺̫͚͙̞̬́ͭ̾͠h̘̣̻̄̉̌̏̀a̶͈̫̞ͣ̊ͮ́ͫ͌͗̀̕t̴̢͉̪̫̩͒͑̊̀͒̈́̋ ̛̗͖̞̮̍ͮ͑́̚͘kͧͣ̈̀͊̿ͮ͆ͨ��̟̠̞̞̭͝iͮ̊ͤ̅̊ͨ̃ͦ̀́҉̮͓̻̩̣̭̮l̷̰͔̞ͤͥl̴̞͔̘̘̫̠͉͋ͬͩͨ͋͒͌͞ȇ̠̼ͩͩ̉̄͂͑́ͅḑ̬͔̳͈͍̋̉ͣ̚͜ ̨͚̑̔͌ͬ̚Ḻ̵̟̯̲̩̱ͦ͆͒̎̊͊̂ͫã̜̮͚̝͚̙̻̃ͦ͘͜͡r̴̰̱̘͍̲̻͆̓ͤ̽̑̽́̎͊i̠͔̜̙̝̪̠̭ͩͫ̀͟s̱̳͕̯̬ͬͦ̓̍̽͊ͮş̗͉̼̟͚̻ͫ͌̆̽͑̒ͬ̚͘a̧̢̘͓͒͐̅̾͑͋͐͞ ̶̬͕̮̺͂ͧ̍̒K̗̯̜̠̔̎͞e̯̹͇͉͇͎͙̞̾ͬ̃́̌̌̏ͫa̦̖̖̪̒̓̊̒̄̄̚ȑ̶͓̪͉̤͍̳͛n̢͍̭̤̣̪̯̳͈͖ͤ͋̉ͥ̊ͪ́eͥ͏̗̖̹͜y̨̮͙͎̳ͥͧ̽ͤ̅ͨ̈́̿͂́?̪̣͎͌ͬ̈̀͂͛  W̷̪͕̪͔͗̃̔ͮ̈͆h̢͔̮͔̿ͪ̄ͫ̆aͬ͗ͨͩͧ̽ͨ͏̵̼̠t̵͙͍͖̬̼͖̊͆̽ͭ̈͠ ̨̪̲̥̾ͧ͊ͤͭ̅͌̀͞k̭ͪ̍̎̓̐͋͘͜iͪͦͧͧ̾ͪ̏҉̥̘̝̣͖̝ͅͅl̻̟̹̜͉̮̩̟͉̉̋̉l͆҉̷̤ȩ̶̱̤͈͍̹ͤ̇d͇̞̯̳̼̃ͫ̄ͦ̔͋ ̮̰̘̥̹͉̱̈ͩ̓̏͂̀̉ͪL͋ͦͣ̐ͥ͑̒͊͘͏̫̠̖̻̼̠͉ạ̾̈ͨ̋̎̀͠ȑ̡̬̯̪̫͎͌͂̌̔ͬ̿̋̈́i̸̺̮̲͖̓ͮ͒śͪͬͫ́͏̳̟ś̈͑͗͌ͭͧ҉̫̩͔̹̺͢ȧ̵͖͓̤̗͉̜͗͒͑̂̿ͯ̀ ̰̘̅̾̓͜K͇̞̝̑̈́͋͛e̩̦̖͉̣͈͔̽̎̓̅́͂̀̄̀̚͜ͅa̶̔ͥ̏ͨ͂̉̏ͧͩ҉̩̟̝̹̘͇r̴̾ͣͬ̌҉͙̹͓̱̬n͈̣̹̣̪̻̝͛̃ͮͧ͟ͅę̴̲͗̽̚y̲̲̟̤̣̜̺ͯ̓ͤ͢?̷̨̢̖̹͓͇̺̉͋ͤͯ W̸̩͎̥̲ͨ͗ͧ̀͟h̤͈̣͇̭̪̟ͥ͑ͣͣ̚̕͟͡ͅȧ̠̮̗̭͒̃̓̉ͤ͊̕t̵̨̧̺̙̟̖̀̀̉ͬ̎ ̡̘̖͊̈́ͧ̒ͭ̓͝k̰͚̫̯ͥ͆͋̈ͮ̊̏̑͒i̞̖̿̂͌ͩ͟l̶͉̮̟͈̱͙ͧͨ̒̓̉́͝l̄̍͊͒ͩͥ̀͏̪̀͢ͅeͩ͑ͥͧ̂͗ͧ͏͈̞d̯͓͕̮͈̔ ̭ͯͫͬ̄̄̂ͧ̿̈L̸̺̬̫̗̝ͪ̉͂̓̀̅́ȃ̩͉͔̯͍̼̯̮̎͂r̖͎̘͛̽́̔͗ͮ͂͟î̖̺̝̩̞̓̈͋̄̉͊͛͘s̴̷̉ͩ͏̜̳͙sͥ̋ͮ͘͏҉͈̞̗̼͔̬ͅa̫̤͇͉ͬͫ̅̀̾̊̈́͞ ̶̗͙͔͇̏͂K̫͋̈͌͒͗̅̚̚͢͡e͇̘̫̠͚̺̼̊ͩͩ͊̆̑ͪḁ̸̯̈͗ͤ̅ͦͮͦ̊r̀̉̃ͣ̂͊ͫ̂҉͓̯͖̀͝n̮̟̩̫̘͈ͮ̎̉͑̾͊͛͘̕e̴̷̺̠̜͚̮̼ͥ͛̌͑͋͢ͅy̛̺̯̹͉͚͓̩̅̌̎̑͒ͪ̔̓͐̀?͓͒ͧ̽͠͠ W̍̑̑̈́̊̀͏̠̯h̷̛͈̥̙͕̊̊à̡͆̆ͣ̈́̒̐͏̶͍̹t̵̼̯̺̺̞͈̻̫̃ͣ͊͝ ͎̄̌ͣ͗ͬ͜͠k̡̺̮̲̟̪̗͔̿̾͆̌ͯ͋́ͣ̕͜i̻͈͖̣̪ͭ̊͌ͨ̂ͩ̐͑̔l̨͍͎̻̫̝̟̻̝͋͗ͥ́ḻ̵̥͚͎̙̮̻̗̃ͥͤ͊̍ͩ̈͗͛͘͞e̶͓͎̣͖̝̗͆ͫ́̋͐̆̓͂͛̀͠d̢̨̦ͯͯ̄ͮ̈́̈ͫͥ̚͜ ̶̶̧̯̥͂̿ͮL̥̫̠͍̟̹͔͚̻̀͒̇̄̂̚͞a͆̃̑̾ͪ͛̃ͬ҉̼͙̺̜̯̺r͓̼̤̖̬̼̞̎̊̑̎̅i̼͓̹͎̬̲͒̃̊͆͒̋̑̆́s̫͒̐͂̓͟s̵̵̼̗̮̪̥̽ͭͨ̌̎̑̌͝a̩̥̳̤̝ͫ̒͊̾͞ ̟͉̟̟̱̬̪̱ͭͬ̂̊̂́̌̎Ǩ̺̭ͩë́̏͒ͨ͂̊҉͈̯̞͘a̜̱͓͓̣͆ͦͮ̅̽̚͝͝r̼̲̱̺͖̯̪̮̂ͮ̅̀͋͐n̜͑̈͒ͬ̏̿̓̚̚͘ȩ͍̫̺̫̼̼̣͚̔̃͡y̪͓̥̻͙̬͇ͯ̀͑̓̾͑̉ͤ?̷̫͔̠̼͈͖̋͑̔ͣ W̨̞̝͕̜̹̞̮̱̟͇̦̭̭̗̩̬̰̑͛̀́ͦͣͤ͒ͯ̌͂ͭ̉ͬ́̊̾͒ͭ̀̀ͅḩ̴̳̖̰̦̗͉̲̝̺̳̩̣̹̲͔̊̓̿͋̀ͅa̵̷̻͓͔͔̦̣͕̺̙͔̜͓͕͇ͭ͗̌̔͒̑̅̊̇ͦ͆͘͢t̵̟̘͍̯͐̑͛̊ͣ͛̈́̈͢ ̸̸̡̧̬̮͇͇̪͎̩̝̣͈̦͚̲̥͍ͦͥ̌̀̊ͯͬ͋ͧ̍͊͋̏ͪͦ́̀ͬͅkͫ̅ͤͮ̆̀͐̐͐ͤ̋̍̏̚͜҉̵̴͇̱̱̤̭͇̩̱̩̹̩̻̰̼͎i͛̅ͬͦ̓ͩ͗̉҉̼̫̞̮͙̲̣̖̺̗͈̖͉͍̻̳̭͉̤͟l̵̡̤̯͕͕̩̘͖̟̤̻̰̝̭̝̭̻̤̾̔̌ͭ͑̏ͭͧ̌̃ͪ̏͒̏͝ͅl͖̳̳̝͉͍̲̼̫̭̙̠̠͇̦̟͚̹̇ͣ̿ͬ̌̀͋̈ͬͫ͊͛̄́͟e̡̧̛̫̤̯̬̰͓̤͔̭̲̤̞̰͈̣̦̿ͩ̎͑̈́́̚ͅͅd̸̴͆̄ͦ̽̍ͥ҉̵͔̘̠͕͙͓̗̹͢ͅ ̸̶̸̗͚̝͎̘̳͍͉̹̫̻̬͚̞̻̐̓̿̒͆͑̓͑̍̋̏̋̈́ͨ͠L̶͉͉̙̯̬̬͚͕̃́ͧ͋͒͌͊̓͑͗ͬ̅͊͒͞ą͚͖̞̱̟̰̗͈̙͓̣̦ͣ͆̏ͭͬͪͬ͒̾ͮͦͦ̽́r̲̻̰̟̳͇̭̙̝̺̪̠͔͇͖ͦ̾̇͗ͦ͊͌ͨ͘͟͟͝͞ͅͅi̵̶̦̲͚̞̭̮̱̲̩͍̹̟ͪͮ̅́͟͝s̻̳͔̝͙̤͎̣̻͖̜̯̞ͭ͗͛ͭͩ̋̈ͥ̃̓̇̇̓͗ͫ̋̊̚͠s̾͊͋̿ͥͮ́͒̏ͣ̈̓ͬ͑͋̆̋̚͢͏̢̯̹̻̣͓̗̘̩͎̗̻̠͉͉̬̤͓̕͢a̸ͮ̎ͯ̅͊ͯ̀̅̒̌̄́͋͑́͏̭͍͇̬͖̖͍ ̨̼͇͍̯̯͉͇̮̖̪̼ͧ͛̈͊͌͛̂ͬ̈͒̚K̸̷͍̠͍̺̤͔̬̼̹͉̱̠̭̗ͫ̂̅̅͊̔̅ͯ̋̔̒̒͌ͩ̓̚ͅe̅ͥͪͯ̂ͥͮ̋̎̋ͣͫ̓̒̊̅҉̴̯͎̩͔̙̱͕̪͚̪̘̺͎̖̟̯͞ã̷̆ͭͬ̈́́̾̆̔̔̎̍͋ͥͩ̚҉̭̭̞͖͕̹̗͍͇͝r̡̨̞̝̜͉͕̗̙̩̭͖̠̦̪ͯͮ̒̄̏̂ͮ͢͝n̵̞̰̠͕̹̗̹̘̩̮͍̰̝͔̮͈̥̯ͣ̑́ͮ̀̀̀̚͘e̷̸̻̺͈͓̫̼̠̟ͫͮ͆̓̇̓ͫ͑y̡̛̛̰̱̹̮͓̙̜̙͈̝͌ͪ͂ͦͨ͗̃̒ͬ͆͂̌͋ͣ̽̇̂̆͂?̭̘̫̲͚̥̖̣̮͔͍̝̞̥̯̯̦̭̱̐͐ͭ̃͊͟͢ W̡̖̘̹̙̟̖̺̗̥̟̘̮̯̠͕̞͔͛͒͂͗ͪ̂̊̃ͫ͊͗̇͌̆͐́͗̀͜͠h̯͓̙̹̖̬͎͚̦̙͎̟̅̾ͫ́͊ͣͣ̓̾͘͝ȃ̘̖̰̲͇̲͈͙̝̲͇̎ͩ̉́t͂̒̾̒̃̌̇ͪ̆̽́ͮ̐ͧ́͏̰̮̪̙̖̜̹͖͙͕͇͈̣͍̗ͅ ̨̧͚̪̼͕̍̈́ͫͭ̅ͭ̆ͯ̀ͩͮ͊́́k̆̊ͨͪ̓͑̓ͣ͆̐̔͂́̊ͪ͗͗̏͏̷̢̨̡̳̫͇̹͔̟̗̯̘̝̮̱i̐ͯ͊̏̄̚͡͏̵̬̟̪̥͈͇̗̫̘̺͝l̛̛̠̲̭̯̮͎̝͉͙̱̫͔̫̘̼̼ͤͥͧͪͯ͒̐͒ͩͧ͛́͒̋̌̋̊̽ͭl̶̡̙͈̪̱͎̿ͩ̆̊͒̅ͫ͂ͨ́̚̕͜eͧ̈́͒͑̿́̾ͤͨ̍̈ͫ͆ͪ̉̍҉̴̛̹̞͓̞͇͍̰d̸̍̊͐͗͡͡͏̲̙̮̘̼̫̤̼̪̝ ̧̧̨̛̜͉̟̮̗̠͖͍̪͈͎̺̹̙̤͎̑̍̓͂ͨͩ͗͛ͨͭ͑͑̋ͮͮ͌͆͡L̵̸̛̮̟͖̮̝͙̟̳̳̙͇͍ͦ̑̋͌͋͗͌͛͌ͫ͟͠ȃ̡͉̗̻̥̻̮͓͊͊͋ͣ͐̉ͨͧ͊̇ͨ̽̍̓͝r̸͓͍̙̠͒̾̑̍ͤ̕͜i̡̛̩̖͉̥͕͈͇̳̥̹̦͖͉͇̮̟̍̍̂͗̓ͥ̒̔̅ͤ͛ͮ̑͑̅͟͡s͗̅̐́̋͒ͮ͑͌ͥͬͤ̈͋̔͟͏̧̨̥̣̖͎͚͈̟̝͍̭͚̘̘̼̳̰̟͉s̴̨̥̳̱͚̱̘̱͛̀ͨ̇̂͂ͣ͡a̦̯̠̝͂̀̋̈ͬͫͪ̐ͫ̆ͬ̿͜͜ ̐͋ͯͫ̋̂͒ͦ̾̅ͨ͛͌̇͌͒͏̀҉̯͕̼̹͙̬̦̘̫K̄ͦ̊͐͛̔ͧͦ̇̌ͪ̔͊̐ͣ҉̡̻̫̹͖̪̕͞͠e̴̷̢͋̄͊ͭͣ͋ͨ͏̪̘̹̼̙͚å̸̤̠̩̘͕̼͗̓ͪ̑̅͝͞͝r̳̮̤̹̪̖̗͓͍͕̋̈́ͦ̅̃̊͒̆̃͛̾̔͂̕͢͠͝n̉͋ͬ͗͂҉̵̵͠͏̦͍͇͔̫̝e͙̭̭̫̞͙͉̟̝̳͓̹͇̬̪̾̃̈́̃͐̀͟͠ͅͅy̙̖͙̮̖͇͆̈́́ͧ̃̅̋ͦ̚͘̕͡?̵̢̰͍͈̰͎̰ͥ̐̀̀́ͬͨ̀̈́͑̾ͧ̃ͤͬ͛̐͆ͦ̀͡ W̴ͩ̎̇̒͑́̌ͬͣ̏͆̉͐̐ͣ҉̧͚̝̰̗̣̫̤̘̟͉͔̫͕̰͎͘h͐̓ͣ̀͋̏̃͐ͯ̒ͮ͂͑̌̐̐͏̸̖̹̬̺̘a̶̳̮̗̭̔̏͆ͧ̓͆ͦͣͮ̕͜ț͇̜̹̭̘̰̦̭͈̯̯ͧ̆ͬ̂ͭ͒̓͊̀́̚͜ ̴̡̛̠͎̫̟̿̋ͦ͐̓ͮͮͬ͛ͣ̽̀ͥ̔̔̎ͩ͜ͅk̴̮̝̱̟̤̭͕͚̊̔̓͊ͤͭ͊̊̔̕͝į̸͖̲͇̟͉̭̤̩̖̬̺͍̪̝̩̽̒͐͗ͮ̌̅ͨ̈͋ͨ͝ͅl̢̧͎̼̜͎̙̜̤͕̭̻̻̟̮̎̐͌̀̎̿̔̍͌͛̈́̐̓̽͞ͅlͫ̊̆̿͗ͧͪͦ̓ͤ́̾̃͐̽̒̚͏҉̺̻̫͇ė͛̎̀ͪ̃ͭ͆̋͒̆̎̾ͯ̍͜͏̠̗͍̠͉̞͉d̢̗̥͍̠͙͍̮̳̫̞͚ͨ̈ͭͧͪͮ̈ͪͫ̽̓̀͟͠͠ ̷͕͚̮̘̯̯̰̎ͧ̏ͯͨͨͧͣ͋ͯ͘͟͜ͅͅL̴̸͇̹̤͓̱̱̻̱̘̰̻͎̤̦̖̊̅̑̐̐̓̓ͦ̕ą̷̞̦͉̲̒ͭ̓ͥ̄͆̌̽̏ͧ͒͑͟͡ŗ̵̖̟̤͚̹͔̠̯̖ͣͤ͑̈́ͬ͑ͯ̑͗̇̚̕î̴̓ͮ̑̈́ͣͮͫ҉̫̯̪̹͓̱̖̹͉͉̞ͅͅs̷͇̞̪̫͕̤̳̫̑̒͆̄͑͝ͅş̹͉͙̦̦̝͈̼̱͇̗͇̞̒̓ͦ̋͗̽̆ͪ͒́̽͆͝͠ͅa̷̶̷̛̰̦͍͉̜͕̻̣̤̫̞ͫ̌̉̃ͨͯ̌͟ ͇̯͈̼̟̘ͦͪ͑̔ͥ̾̋ͬͮͧ̌̾̌͆̀͘Ḳ̷̛̛̮̘̖̙̓ͨ̂̎́̾̃ͥ̃̑ͯ̅́̚͡e̔̒ͯ́��̛ͤ͊̔ͬ̈̄ͥ͌ͯͧ̔̒͠҉͇̹̺͚͉̗͕̠͙͍̲a̵̢̡̞̩̺͎̖̻͉̜̙̟͔͖̅̊̂̍̃͆̈̑̓͆ͩ̃̈́͋͗ͧ̚͡ͅr̠̠̬͍̲͖͈̣͕̹̎ͦ̔̈́͛͋ͮ͌̀́͞͡ͅñ̵̒̍͊͌͋̒̋̿̊̾҉̷̨͙̲̞͎̜͎̼̪̣͙͇̙̭e̸̞͔̥͔̯̰̻̮͍̳̜̮ͣ̔̋̃̆̈́͊̐̅̏̆͐̀ͯ̂̀́̚͢ỳ̸̨̍̌ͧ͒̔͜҉͚͍̗̱̯͖̖̲̪̱͓͙̗͖?̧̨͔̼̹̮̑ͭ͗̓͒̍̄̔ͭ̋͆ͧ͆̐̿͢͞͝ͅ

[andavs]

Happy Thanksgiving, here’s some more of this older!Stiles AU that I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to name eventually since it keeps going.

“It was somewhere over here, I remember this bend in the stream,” Erica said, carefully stepping over a fallen branch. She was moving slowly, cautiously, like she was afraid to trigger another seizure. It was probably too soon for her to be out wandering in the woods, but she insisted she was okay and who was Stiles to tell her she was wrong?

Scott knew more about her epilepsy and he was walking with her, so if anything went wrong with her, he would know what to do. Stiles was more focused on the ground, looking for anything out of the ordinary as they moved deeper into the preserve.

“That’s where I slipped,” Erica continued, pointing to a groove in the muddy bank from sneakers sliding. “So I think it’s…” She straightened and looked around her, hesitating.

“It’s okay, take your time,” Scott assured her with his big, earnest eyes. And despite the fact that it was already in the first moments of getting dark, he added, “We’ve got all day.”

Speak for yourself, Stiles didn’t say aloud. He was running on no sleep, he hadn’t changed out of his uniform in over twenty-four hours now, and he still had to stop by the store on the way home because he was pretty much out of real food.

Despite spending his teenage years getting the groceries for the house and demanding his dad eat healthy meals, all of his amazing shopping habits died surprisingly fast once he moved out on his own. Now he just had a real bad habit of putting it off for days on end and finding himself at the one twenty-four hour convenience store at 5am after a night shift, shamefully filling his arms with microwave burritos while Hector the cashier watched in judging silence.

He didn’t like that an eighteen year old had that kind of dirt on him, but they had an understanding, wherein Hector told no one about the burritos and Stiles looked the other way that one time he saw a six pack of Bud Light in the cashier’s backpack behind the counter. It was Bud Light and Stiles was buying six burritos and pack of gummy worms. There was already enough silent shame between them.

“This way,” Erica decided with a nod, but still glanced at Stiles before moving like she was expecting him to tell her she was wrong.

He just nodded right back and followed her lead.

He always felt a little awkward around Erica; she was so quiet and shy that he felt like he was railroading her into conversation every time he talked to her, but Scott always insisted she wasn’t normally like that. Which...still didn’t make Stiles feel great about it.

You’re just a little intense, she’ll get used to you, Scott said every time he brought it up, but he’d also been saying that for four years. It wasn’t looking good.

They clambered up a small embankment with more slips in the mud, and there at the top...was nothing.

“It’s gone,” Erica said, taking a few more steps forward.

“You’re sure it was here?” Stiles couldn’t see any signs of the leaves being disturbed or anything to suggest half a body had spent any time in the area, but to be fair, he wasn’t exactly an expert tracker or one with nature. There was a big difference between reading about processing forest crime scenes and having experience with reading one, and Beacon County didn’t exactly see a whole lot of wilderness murders for him to practice on.

He pulled himself up the embankment with the trunk of a skinny tree and glanced around for signs of blood, but with all the rain the night before, he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t find any.

Erica growled a bit in frustration, looking around desperately. “I know it was here! I saw the body and fell back—” she gestured back down the embankment, which looked like a painful fall “—and then the attack started and I was in the ambulance.”

“It has to be close by, I’m pretty sure I can smell it,” Scott said, wrinkling his nose. “We’ll spread out,” he continued, glancing to Stiles for agreement, which he readily gave because it kind of looked like Erica might cry.

“Yep, good plan! Stay within sight of each other.” And then Stiles jogged away like a coward, because he couldn’t handle tears from Scott, let alone Scott’s friend who maybe kind of hated him. It was hard to tell with Erica.

They searched for the next hour, until it was actually getting dark, but they couldn't find any signs that a body had been there. The area seemed completely undisturbed, as far as Stiles could tell from his minimal experience.

Maybe too undisturbed.

Deputies were in the area the night before, they had to be to find Erica, and yet there were no bootprints, no signs of the paramedics…

Rain didn't cover up that kind of activity.

All of it was giving Stiles a gnawing sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, setting his nerves on edge. That also could've been the lack of sleep, or running into his high school crush for all of ten seconds before the guy vanished into thin air without another word, but he was pretty sure it was more the crime scene. Or the lack of crime scene, in this case. It was more than unease, it was a prickling at the back of his skull, a shivering down his spine.

Kind of like he was being watched.

The first thing he did was look for Scott and Erica, who had not split up and were instead walking closely together not far away. He glanced around briefly, looking for anything out of the ordinary and seeing nothing, then jogged back over to them.

“Guys, it's getting late. Let's head back to the car.”

Erica looked disappointed, but she nodded and started off in the way he gestured—but Scott hung back to say,

“Stiles, I think someone’s here.”

Stiles frowned as that feeling in his stomach lurched. “What do you mean?”

Scott hesitated, cocked his head to the side, and said, “I can hear heartbeats.”

It was a kneejerk reaction to roll his eyes, but Stiles managed to stomp back that instinct and keep in mind that the bite on Scott's side had healed to nothing overnight. And if he could heal like that, how weird was super hearing anyway?

Oh god, he was about to be step-brother to a freaking werewolf or something.

Open mind, keep an open mind...

“More than one?”

Scott nodded. “I think there’s two. Maybe three?” That uncertainty didn’t make Stiles feel all that great about things.

It was getting dark quickly so Stiles couldn’t see much through the trees, and he couldn’t hear anyone approaching either. But even if Scott was wrong and his feeling was nothing, it was time to be heading home anyway. There was a curfew in effect, and it wouldn’t look great if a deputy was helping kids break it.

“Okay, come on. We’re leaving.” He pushed Scott towards Erica, who had stopped to watch them with raised eyebrows, and hoped that managed to distract Scott from the click as he unclipped his holster.

It didn't.

“Just in case,” he murmured, and Scott pursed his lips but didn't say anything.

They kept moving, as quickly as Stiles dared with Erica still recovering and Scott without an inhaler. He had no idea who was out there, but it felt like they were following them, and if Scott's constant head cocking and concerned glances around were anything to go by, Stiles wasn't wrong.

“I think they’re getting closer,” Scott threw back over his shoulder, which made Erica stop dead and whirl around.

“What? Who are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“State police,” Stiles lied. “They got called in to help search the preserve and I’m not on the clock, so we’re not supposed to be out here.”

Erica didn’t really look like she believed him, but she started moving again and didn’t push the issue. He could really appreciate someone who knew when to save a conversation for a later date. And who could really book it when the situation called for it.

Like, really book it.

Scott noticed his confusion and called over in a loud whisper, “Exercise helps her epilepsy!”

So not as delicate a flower as her baggy clothes implied.

They made it back to the jeep in record time, unscathed but thoroughly unnerved. Scott dove into the back seat and Erica slammed the passenger door shut behind her, with the experience of someone who had ridden shotgun with Scott driving many times.

Stiles started the car and flipped on the headlights aimed back at the dark preserve, looking for anything that would explain every hair on his body standing up on end to the point of being painful. But there was nothing; no state police or deputies, no creepy axeman serial killer looming out of the darkness…

Just trees.

Stiles took a deep breath and pulled back onto the road, willing his body to calm the hell down before he started freaking out Scott and Erica.

“Nice hustle back there, guys,” he said casually, and glanced at Scott in the rearview. “Breathing okay?”

Scott nodded. “I’m fine.”

He wasn’t even out of breath.

*

Stiles dropped off Erica, booted Scott out the door at the McCall-Stilinski home, and managed to squeak into a real grocery store fifteen minutes before closing.

Suck it, Hector.

*

The next day went by in a similar manner, except instead of doing any of the errands he meant to, Stiles spent the majority of his day off googling werewolves in his underwear. It started as a joke, swear to god, but about forty-two links in it wasn't very funny anymore.

It just so happened that it took approximately forty-two links to find himself on a nondescript site that...didn't sound so crazy when paired with what he'd seen happening in Scott. Or at the very least, it didn't seem as crazy as the wolfkin forum framed by tiled silhouettes of wolves howling at the full moon. He never wanted that kind of knowledge about butt plugs with fluffy tails, but because he was Stiles, of course he read it all.

By the time Scott texted that he was done with lacrosse practice and needed a ride home, Stiles was metaphorically knee-deep in printouts of all kinds of theories and thinly veiled conversations between people in forums, academic articles and the craziest of crackpot sites (minus furries et al). He would've actually printed them out, but his printer was old and paper was expensive.

He grabbed his laptop on the way out the door; it was time for a talk with Scott.

Since Scott was still grounded and barred from Stiles’ apartment for the duration, they both went back to the McCall-Stilinski household to hang out. If he wasn't at school or work, he was to be at home, and it was just an added bonus that Stiles could shamelessly steal their food rather than face his dwindling checking account or Hector. He got paid in a few days, it was just tight at the moment.

And also the whole werewolf talk that needed to happen. That was kind of a priority.

“Would you stop that?”

Stiles looked up from his computer, frowning “What?”

Scott looked over his shoulder and jerked his chin towards Stiles’ left hand resting on the table, and his silently drumming fingers.

“I can hear that.”

“Seriously?” He’d been doing it so lightly Stiles couldn’t even hear it with his ear a foot away; there was no way Scott heard it at the stove over the sound of whatever he was frying.

Scott looked over his shoulder again. “Seriously. It’s really annoying.”

“Or awesome,” Stiles muttered under his breath, turning back to his open laptop where he was secretly googling werewolf with childish glee. And also concern. A bit of disbelief.

“Not awesome. I could hear every class in the school happening at the same time.” Scott took the frying pan off the burner and dumped his food onto a waiting plate. “It was impossible to focus.”

He put the pan back on the stove to cool, then opened the fridge as he continued,

“I mean, what if this is an infection or something? What if my body’s flooding with adrenaline right before I drop dead?”

Stiles squinted at the fridge in judgment. “Yeah, most infections don't give you super healing abilities. They're pretty much known to have the opposite effect, what with the infection thing.”

Scott straightened to give him an exasperated look around the fridge door. “You know what I mean.”

“I do, and I've been looking into things all day, so get your food and sit down so we can talk.”

“It's not another PowerPoint, is it?” Scott begged around a groan.

“That'll come later, this is still in the gathering information stages.”

“Obsessively gathering information,” Scott muttered, bringing his plate to the table and setting it down with a loud thud. Stiles didn't miss the sass, he wanted that known, but he put  aside his own retort in favor of gaping at the mountain of food Scott had piled on his plate.

Yes, he was sixteen and still growing, but he'd never tried to put down that much food at once before.

“Dude.” Stiles gestured to the mountain.

Scott shrugged. “I'm hungry. What'd you want to talk about? And if it's the sex talk, you're too late. My mom's a nurse.” He shoveled a large bite into his mouth that was almost grotesquely mesmerizing in size.

“Oh, and can I borrow your car tomorrow night? There's this party that Allison invited me to, and…”

Stiles watched him talk and eat in unison in disgusted fascination for a couple seconds before snapping himself out of it and interrupting with,

“Werewolf.”

“There wolf,” Scott dutifully finished around his bite of food, because Stiles was forcing a steady diet of cinematic classics down his throat. He was a little proud, but there were more pressing issues at hand.

“No, you're a werewolf.”

Scott chewed slowly. “I haven't seen that one.”

“It's not a movie, Scott, I'm serious. I've been doing a ton of reading today and I'm pretty sure you're a werewolf.”

That finally made him stop eating. He half smiled, like he wasn't sure if he was supposed to find this funny—which for the record, he wasn't.

“Thank you?”

Stiles sighed instead of hitting him. “No, literally.” He spun his laptop around so Scott could see the most helpful site he'd found. “That was a werewolf that bit you that night in the preserve, ninety percent sure.”

Scott frowned at the screen, then looked up at Stiles with concern.

“This is stargazing.”

The site members were using an astronomy club as a cover. Probably. They might've also been an actual astronomy club who met up for significant sky events, but Stiles knew doublespeak when he saw it. He took a class once.

“Yes, it is, but it's also werewolves.” Still nothing. “These are your people, Scott!”

Scott wrinkled his brow doubtfully. “Are you recruiting me for another one of those board games? I told you, I don't want to play those with you anymore. You take it too seriously.”

“It was armor piercing! It's literally in the na—no!” He forced himself back on topic from Scott's intentional redirect. “I'm being dead serious. It's all right here!” He gestured down the computer screen, to the pages of links of information about cycles and the pull off the moon. “I mean the hearing, the healing, you haven't needed your inhaler—the appetite.” He glanced significantly at Scott's plate.

Scott raised an eyebrow and did the same. “I just had lacrosse practice. I was hungry.”

“You just ate more than my dad and I combined on Thanksgiving.”

“So? So I'm hungry and I don't need my inhaler as much, that doesn't mean I'm a werewolf. They don't even exist!”

Stiles rubbed a hand over his face. “Scott. You insist you got bitten by a wolf, your side was covered in blood, and the bite was gone the next day!” He shook his computer screen a bit for emphasis. “That is everything I've been reading today!”

Scott pinched the right side of his face uncertainty. “So is that a no on the car?”

“Yes!”

He deflated like he'd genuinely been hoping to borrow the Jeep after all this.

“Are you serious, Scott?” Stiles continued, “You’re grounded, and also you're a werewolf!” He was really hoping that repetition would help it sink in.

It wasn't.

“Great, I'm a werewolf, but since both our parents are working…”

Stiles felt his eye twitch.

“Scott, my dad’s working because there’s an advised curfew and half a body still missing. That's not supposed to be an opportunity to get laid, and also, don't do that, you're sixteen, and your mom will kill me.”

Scott’s crooked jaw was clenching in that way Stiles usually tried to avoid, because though it didn’t happen often, it usually ended in...

“I’m not trying to get laid, I just want to actually experience high school!” he shouted, slamming Stiles’ laptop closed. Stiles just barely managed to jerk back his hand to keep his fingers from becoming casualties, but Scott was on a roll and didn’t notice.

“I thought of all people you would understand, I mean, I’m tired of being the loser with one friend,” he continued, very loudly, “and sitting on the bench every game, or eating alone all the time because Erica misses school constantly. Things are finally getting good, and I made first line, and there’s this gorgeous girl who I like, who actually likes me and wants to go out with me! So just stop with this werewolf bullshit and try being happy for me!”

He pushed back from the table and stormed off towards the stairs, leaving Stiles sitting alone, staring at the hand-sized dent in the metal casing of his computer.

[pinkabby2]

The White Hawk’s Creed CH-1

Walking around the big room the small child sighed softly to herself, not knowing how to get out. 

"What are you doing here young one?"

The small one turned around and got slightly frightened at the figure hiding in the shadows.

"Don't fret little one. I'm not like the others to hurt such fragile beings."

The little one slowly moved near the shadow where the mystery being was. Not knowing what or who it was she was on edge. Not knowing how she got here or anything.

"I used to be just like you, young, tiny, shy and chubby like little ol' you."

Soon something like rocks started moving before a tall staff moved twenty feet away. The young one looked over at it with stars within her eyes.

"Go on, touch it."

The young one looked at the shadow shocked but moved over to the big rod. Tracing her hand down, she was able to trace a small design of a spike.

"Ah yes, the Assassin's symbol. That symbol has been hidden for centuries from B.C."

What the mysterious figure said next shocked the youngster.

"Will you be willing to continue this prophecy?"

Nodding her head yes the hidden figure chuckled a light heart filled laugh.

"Step back child and you shall see me."

She stepped back and the being started getting up, more Rocks fell on the ground causing them to groan out. 

"Young Keeper, fulfill your light once again."

The staff glowed a bright gold before the dark part of the room grew sunlight. Showing a six-pack and a giant blue and gold hawk mask his eyes had a yellow hue. White and blue shackles on his ankles and robe. A white cloth that looked like a giant halo over its head that tied around its arms. Giant, marvelous blue wings opened up from behind the giant male.

"May this one be the one to continue the prophecy of the Creed!"

Slamming the staff down the ground, the ground around the girl glowed up.

"Show your wings and fly little bird, show the new generation what we have!"

The girl looked up at the Pharaoh and smiled before walking up to him and reaching her hands up to him. The Pharaoh looked down at her slightly shocked but bowed down to her height. She grinned and continued what she was doing, she began rubbing his mask laughing.

"Little birdie~"

The Pharaoh looked even more shocked at her speaking a word to him.

"Let's get you back to where you came from..."

....

"Mom something's wrong!"

"What's happening?"

"Her vitals were riding sky high but now they look like they're not even moving. She's breathing shallow as we speak."

The small girl's hand grasped onto her twin's hand causing the twin to gasp silently.

"Mom she's awake!"

"Honey! Oh, thank God for your oka-"

Her mother, Kassandra hesitated slightly as she noticed the mark now on her arm.

"Anya, did you paint that for your sister?"

"No, why?"

"Oh no, please not my baby..."

Anya looked over to her mother, not ever seeing this sort of worry before written in her eyes. Aya looked at her mother slightly confused about what she was talking about.

"Mater! Why are you acting like this?"

"This,"

Kassandra pointed to the newfound tattoo getting ready to tear up. 

"Is something that has hurt many people."

Aya grasped onto her mother's hand and gave her a weak smile. Kassandra looked in her eyes and stopped moving, she looked in shock and smiled softly.

"Alright then. I'll teach you the way."

"Wait what-"

.......

"This is the spear of Leonidas. It has worn out for me but maybe for you, it won't."

Standing in the middle of a field Kassandra and Aya were sitting down in the grass. Kassandra's little friend, Ikaros, was flying above them both in a circle keeping watch.

Aya took hold of the spear then suddenly started swinging it around calmly. Kassandra smiled softly as she witnessed herself in her daughter.

A few minutes later Aya walked up to Kassandra and gripped her shirt trying to get her attention from Ikaros.

"Yes, hon?"

Aya brought up a grass chain that she made after a few minutes and pointed at it. Kassandra looked utterly confused about what she was trying to get at before realizing that she needed a chain for the spear.

"I'll go get some for you, Ikaros watch over her while I'm gone okay?"

A squawk could be heard from above and Kassandra took it as a yes. She soon left Ikaros and Aya by themselves.

"Finally your mother is gone- I thought I wouldn't ever be able to come out."

Aya turned around and saw a human male body but the head was a hawk, white feathers and gold outline before blue markings coming from the sides of the eyes. He wore a hood on top of his head and the design on the back was small gold, blue and red wings with two rings surrounding them.

"Alright. Here is the first part of your abilities."

Haros touched the Assassin mark and allowed an eye to appear on the bottom middle.

"May the games begin."

......

It's been more than ten years that little Aya has been training with her Spear. Now a 15-year-old going into high school, Aya was certainly worried about many things. Still going through her mute phase she would be worried that the people would treat her differently. The small voice of the god spoke in her head.

"Cheer up love, I have the perfect solution for that."

A snap was heard before he started leading her in the forest. Soon Athens training camp was spotted causing her eyes to widen.

"Yes you're going in there, remember you are a part of the Creed."

....

"Okay when I mean you are a part of the Creed, I didn't mean that you knock them out."

Aya rolled her brown eyes and unlocked the cages that held down prisoners.

"Oh because you don't want blood on your hands? You're gonna get them anyway."

Aya stopped at the last cadge that held a tall two-legged monster, long red to black hair that led into a tail with a small blue bead making it into a small ponytail. 

'I feel a large power from your young one.'

"Yeah, she's my baby!"

'...what the hell.'

The beast had a deadpanned look across its comma like face looking at the taller bird man next to her. 

'You have very big energy to kill armies'

"HEY DON'T IGNORE ME!"

Aya paused for a second before punching the bird and unlocked the door. The tall two-legged fox walked out and looked at Aya in admiration before bowing its head. Aya just placed her hand down on it and began petting him before they both walked out leaving the birdman alone in the wilderness.

"Oi, Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!"

He squawks, running to catch up with them.

......

"My name is Zoroark but you can call me Zo, I'm a dark Fox type Pokemon."

Aya grasped onto Zo's fur and placed her head in.

"Ah, I almost forgot. I can do very interesting things."

Aya tilted her head and looked at Zo before seeing a twin of herself once again- wait so would that be considered triplets?? Aya raised her hand and Zo followed her movements.

"Well let's get a move on, we have to get Aya all packed up to get to Japan."

"Oh, the Japanese are the worst. They kicked me out after I had Ramen!"

Haros glared down at the fox, "You robbed someone's bowl and ran out chugging it down your throat." The fox chuckled nervously before looking at Haros in confusion.

"Wait how the hell did you know?"

Suddenly Haros was whacked in the back of the head by a hula hoop, when he turned around he saw Aya already on top of the hill and standing in a bad bitch stance.

"Oh shit we need to hide, her mother's coming-"

.....

Anya was up in her room doing what the gods knew while Kassandra and Aya were sitting downstairs watching the movie play on the new TV.

"God I wish you didn't have to leave in a few more days... I'm going to miss your love."

Aya turned over to her mother and snuggled her forehead upon her shoulder. Slightly yawning at how late it already was.

Kassandra soon sung a silent Melody and said one part, Aya smiled softly as her eyes were slowly closing. "Send me kisses through the gray skies~" She gracefully hummed the rest in a peaceful melody as Aya then fell asleep.

"May the gods be with you."

...

"Today's the day kid, wake up!"

Haros spoke with a loud ass squawk. Aya groaned and turned to her clock before turning around to Haros, who was fully dressed up like he was going to the Bahamas. 

With a small grip, Aya held onto the alarm allowing him to speak. "What we need to get a move on!"

It was four in the damn morning.

Aya yoted the alarm at him, making a hard crack, the alarm shattered into pieces. She gave him the bitch stare and he groaned softly at the non-existent pain.

Looking forward Aya noticed Zo was in the corner of the room, curled in a small ball. Aya wondered why it was sleeping on the floor but didn't question it.

Slowly Aya got up and did her morning routine; showering, putting on clothes, jewelry, doing hair, eating breakfast, then brushing teeth before she does her day off right.

Sure it took a while but it was already slowly becoming lighter outside as she put her luggage in the car. Haros helped out slightly, carrying everything he could. 

For the rest of the 4 hours, Aya just sat down in the living room playing Assassins Creed Origins. She swore the game was wack from the fact that literally, the female has the same name and skin color as her.

Coincidence?

I think not.

After a while, Anya walked down with her black hair up in a messy bun. Aya waved at her but Anya just ignored her and headed off to the kitchen. 

Bitch.

Kassandra soon walked down after, her eyes stained a light pink as Aya could tell she was crying.

"My little Ella's leaving the nest..."

Aya smiled weakly as she walked up to Kassandra, embracing her youngest child. 

Aya patted her shoulder before pointing to Anya. Kassandra got the jest and nodded before Aya walked over to the door. Sure their goodbyes weren't as formal as others about they knew how to get straight to the point.

"See y'all in the Underworld-mHp!"

Aya dragged the god by the beak before yeeting him in the back seat of the RAM Truck. Soon she got in the front seat with a random woman driving and they were off.

After ten minutes the lady changed into Zo and grinned wickedly, gripping on the steering wheel. Haros looked at the fox's face and already knew what shit he was about to get in.

This was gonna be a hell of a time.

...

Alright! This is the first chapter of "The White Hawks Creed" and I have no idea how to feel rn :') Corona kill me now I hope yall enjoyed this and if you didn't then STFU it gets better. I'll try to write more chapters of this and post it with photos like I did in this chapter but I might not cuz that took a whole hour. Jesus Christ so yep I already finished writing chapter 2 and I'll post it when I corrected everything! :) thank you and b y e.

Follow me on other websites to read more of my stories!

https://www.quotev.com/pinkabby2

https://www.wattpad.com/user/pinkabby123

https://www.instagram.com/pinkabby211/

[jamessoto778]

Guide to arrange hiking adventure

When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time.

Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power.

If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole.

Although hiking can an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be! It can also be super simple and fun: • A quick jaunt (such a great word, right?) around your local park after work. • Exploring the woods behind your house with your kids on a saturday morning. • A half-day hike with your friends on a fun nature trail. • A full day or overnight hike that also includes camping. Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass.

Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter. What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class.

If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to strenuous activity.

You get to pick your speed and difficulty, you can always find a way the right amount of challenge for you.

keto backpacking food http://www.savvyhiking.com/tips-to-choosing-keto-hiking-food-for-a-multi-day-hike

1) Decide how long you have to hike.  This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with  trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring extra change of clothes.  Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time.

However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome!

2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me.  However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in.

3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.” Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero.

4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail!

Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not over complicate this step. Just get started.

best cold weather hiking pants http://www.savvyhiking.com/best-cold-weather-hiking-pants-gearing-up-for-a-winter-wonderland-hike

Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots.

The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look.

5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where are when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back.

We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult.

You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities.

So right now, you should have answers to the following questions: • How much time you can dedicate to hiking. • Who you will be hiking with. • Your level of experience • Using AllTrails.com or GoogleMaps to pick your hiking location. • Who you will tell about your hiking experience. This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome! In all seriousness, I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking.

WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN?

We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here, but we at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade.

hiking shoes for wide feet http://www.savvyhiking.com/finding-the-best-hiking-shoes-for-wide-feet-women

Just don’t a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear!

Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear choice keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time.

Okay, let’s look at our feet. Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options: LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance.

Here are my favorite options if you in the market for some new hiking shoes: • Merrell Vent Hiking Shoe • Merrell Trail Glove 4 (Men) – I have the blue ones. They rock. • Merrell Trail Glove 4 (women)Oh what’s that? “Steve I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?” Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike.If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip won’t give you the grip you need to get over them.

LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market.

“Why boots over shoes, Steve?”

Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection.

best hiking socks to prevent blisters http://www.savvyhiking.com/beginners-guide-to-picking-the-best-hiking-socks-to-prevent-blisters

REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment.

My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail.

WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey, and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected.

These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams!

[hotfitnesstopics]

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings. I’m going to make a bet with you. By the end of today’s article, I bet I can convince you to say the following, “Damn Steve! Now I want to go hiking. FINE.” After all, Hiking is one of the greatest things you can do for your health, both mental and physical: It’s amazing way to get off your ass and explore your local surroundings. It requires next to nothing to get started. It’s a great bonding activity with friends, family, and significant others It’s a great date idea for the right person! You already have everything you need to get started. It’s free. As in, zero dollars. It’s a great reminder that this world in which we live is pretty amazing. Our community members love hiking too. In fact, one of our recent success stories specifically cited hiking as one of the fun activities she loved to do to help her lose 50 pounds. Today I’m going to teach you how to hike with a little help from our furry-footed friends. By the end of today’s post, my goal is convince you to have picked a trail, picked a date, and identified a fella or gal to join your fellowship (galship?). I took the above picture while hiking through Killarney National Park in Ireland many years ago, and every time I look at it, I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s middle-earth masterpiece, so I apologize (not really) for all of the Lord of the Rings nerdery running throughout this post! Let’s get you hiking. Hiking 101: How to Get Started With Hiking When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time.  Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power. If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole. Although hiking can an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be! It can also be super simple and fun: A quick jaunt (such a great word, right?) around your local park after work. Exploring the woods behind your house with your kids on a saturday morning. A half-day hike with your friends on a fun nature trail. A full day or overnight hike that also includes camping. Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass. Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter. What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise. Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class. If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to strenuous activity. You get to pick your speed and difficulty, you can always find a way the right amount of challenge for you. HIKING101: 5 STEPS TO PLAN OUT YOUR ADVENTURE 1) Decide how long you have to hike.  This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with  trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring extra change of clothes.  Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time. However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome! 2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me.  However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in. 3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.” Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero. 4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail! Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not over complicate this step. Just get started. Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots. The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look. 5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where are when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back. We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult. You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities. So right now, you should have answers to the following questions: How much time you can dedicate to hiking. Who you will be hiking with. Your level of experience Using AllTrails.com or GoogleMaps to pick your hiking location. Who you will tell about your hiking experience. HIking Footwear: What to Wear on your Feet Hiking! This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome! In all seriousness, I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking. WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN? We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here, but we at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade. Just don’t a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear! Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear choice keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time. Okay, let’s look at our feet.  Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options: LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance. Here are my favorite options if you in the market for some new hiking shoes: Merrell Vent Hiking Shoe Merrell Trail Glove 4 (Men) – I have the blue ones. They rock. Merrell Trail Glove 4 (women)Oh what’s that? “Steve I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?” Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike.If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip won’t give you the grip you need to get over them. LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market. “Why boots over shoes, Steve?”  Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection. REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment. My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail. WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey, and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected. These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams! If you’re in the market for buying new boots, this quick video is a good primer: WHAT SOCKS SHOULD YOU WEAR? If you’re wearing boots or sneakers, you want to wear socks that aren’t going to give you blisters or make your feet all sweaty and gross. Depending on how long the hike is, how serious you are about hiking, and your budget, you can look into merino-wool socks. Like the rest of your outfit, what you wear on your feet will largely be dependent on a few things: Weather! Are you hiking in the a forest and it’s 72 degrees out? Or are you hiking up the side of the mountain in cold conditions? Shoes! Are you in lightweight hiking shoes, lightweight hiking socks for the win. Hiking in big boots in cold months? Big thick warm socks are almost a requirement. Budget! Are you shopping for specific socks? Tall or short? Great. If you are brand new to hiking, just wear whatever athletic socks you wear while exercising. What’s the environment? If you’re hiking through grass, tall plants, etc. I’d go with tall socks (with your pants possibly tucked into them too). You’re not out there to win a fashion show! Here’s Switchback Travel’s best hiking socks of 2018, and here’s a great article from Art of Manliness on proper feet care after a hike or ruck!  What to Wear While Hiking: Clothing SHOULD YOU WEAR PANTS OR SHORTS? Pro tip: Don’t go pantsless through the wilderness. I cannot stress this enough. The real advice when it comes to pants/shorts is heavily dependent upon your environment. If it’s going to be cold, shorts might keep you shivering. If it’s going to be hot, pants might get too uncomfortable. Jeans? Ehhhhh. Sure. ONLY if its going to be a comfortable temperature and you have no other option. Being sweaty and hot while wearing jeans isn’t very fun. I’m a big fan of my nerd pants – the Columbia Silver Ridge pants. Although they look kind of goofy, they’re incredibly light weight, dry quickly, and can transform from pants to shorts in mere seconds! Traveling through woods, not sure what you’ll encounter? Wear lightweight pants. I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and who knows what else, so I like to keep as much of my body covered while hiking to make sure I don’t make contact with anything I’m allergic to. [2] WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT SHOULD YOU WEAR?  My favorite options are merino wool long shirts and t-shirts: they’re light, wick away moisture, hide odors, and breathe well – though you will be paying top dollar for them. If you’re just starting out, pick an old t-shirt and rock that – you can work on optimizing performance once you’ve got a few hikes under your belt. Shameless plug: the Nerd Fitness t-shirt does hold up quite well to wear and tear over long periods of time – I’ve been rocking my shirt in heavy rotation on lots of hikes for years. It can also withstand gamma rays and makes you invisible.[3] if you’re on a multi-day hike in various conditions then having lightweight merino wool shirts you can layer and not need to wash would be great. But just going for a hike in the woods in your back yard? Whatever you would wear while running, training, etc. Aka whatever won’t chafe! SHOULD YOU BRING A JACKET? I’ve been wearing this Mountain Hardware jacket on most of my hikes and it has been awesome (10 years and counting) – very lightweight so packing it isn’t a hassle, waterproof so it keeps me dry when it rains, and heavy enough to block the wind to keep me warm when it’s chilly. Don’t go out of your way to buy a new jacket if you have a decent wind breaker, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking or you’re in the market for a new coat, here’s my advice: go to a local store and try out all of the jackets until you find one you like. Once you find the perfect jacket, go home and check online (you can sometimes find the same jacket for up to 60% less) – then, ask the local store if they’ll price match or just buy it online. SHOULD YOU WEAR A HAT? You should definitely bring a hat. I’m usually rocking my Nerd Fitness hat or my Red Sox hat (booo Yankees), but while hiking in Australia I wore a hat with a giant floppy brim to keep my ears and face protected from the sun. The tops of your ears and back of your neck are highly susceptible to getting burned while on the trail, so either get some sunscreen or wear a hat that keeps them covered. The same is true for keeping pesky things out of your hair, the sun from burning your ears and face, and keep you a bit cooler. WHAT KIND OF BACKPACK SHOULD YOU BRING? Digging into the ins and outs of backpacks is far beyond the scope of this article. I’d recommend you check out my friend Chase’s Bag Review Youtube channel – guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll ever have learning about bags. So what would I recommend for a beginner on a hike? The bag you currently have! If you’re going on a short hike, you can start with simply whatever bag you have. The lighter and more comfy it is, the better. Multi-day hikes where you’re living out of your bag, packing up and building a tent each day – this is beyond the scope of this article. I have rocked a Kelty Coyote bag that I’ve lived out of for months at a time, and have also used on multi-day hikes. If you have the means and the time, and you’re planning to go on certain hikes, go to a outdoor speciality store, speak with a professional, and get fitted for your body type and type of hike you’re doing! THE MORAL OF THE STORY: VERSATILITY If your weather forecast is “75 and sunny,” and you’re hiking for the afternoon through a gradually sloping wooded forest, you can severely limit what you’re bringing with you. If it’s questionable or looks like things might change during the day, versatility is your best bet – a jacket, pants that can become shorts, a long sleeve shirt that you can take off or roll the sleeves up, etc. Don’t go out and buy all new stuff until you’re sure hiking is an activity you want to invest in.  Borrow from friends, make do with what you have Just get started. BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL BE WEARING!  In your head you should be saying, “Steve how can you read my mind?! I just decided: I’d hike in my current gym sneakers. I have a pair of gardening pants and tall socks I can wear. I have a floppy hat. My new Nerd Fitness t-shirt. I feel like I’m good to go! Perfect. Get Your FREE Nerd Fitness Resource Kit 15 Fitness traps you should avoid Comprehensive beginner's guide to Paleo diet BONUS: How to level up your life and be the hero of your own story I identify as a: Woman Man How Much Water Should You Bring On Your Hike? If there’s ONE thing you should not leave home without, it’s a water container so you can stay hydrated. “How much water should I be drinking on my hike, Steve?” Great question. I knew you were smart from the moment you started reading this article. You should be drinking 1 liter of water every two hours as a rough guideline. Increase this amount if you are hiking in very warm/desert climates. FAVORITE WATER CONTAINERS: I’m partial to stainless steel bottles or aluminum bottles over Nalgene or reused plastic bottles, but make do with what you have.  Make sure you bring enough water with you to keep you hydrated through your adventure. Going on longer hikes? Get yourself a hydration backpack (which can double as your hiking pack!) to transplant water more conveniently. Not only that, but make sure you have been consuming water before you go hiking so that you’re not starting at a hydration deficit. Hangovers + early morning hikes – water = bad news bears. Important Gear to Bring On Your Hike. If you’re just getting started, I’m going to guess you won’t be climbing to the top of a mountain in Alaska, but rather going on an introductory hike that will help build your confidence and get you rolling. Here’s what I’d recommend you bring with you on your adventure: Sunscreen – If it’s sunny outside and you’re hiking through the woods or up a mountain with a cool breeze in your face, you probably won’t be able to tell that your ears and face are getting absolutely torched.  Get yourself some waterproof sweatproof sunscreen (SPF 30 minimum) to cover up those ears, cheeks, and back of your neck. Bug spray – especially if it’s “that time of the year” in your area where bugs are out in full force.  Nothing worse than coming home to arms and legs covered in bug bites. First aid kit – Having some first aid stuff with you is a good idea: band-aids and moleskin for blisters and cuts, Neosporin or some type of disinfectant for cuts/scrapes, and maybe a bandage or two just in case. Outdoor stores sell travel first aid kits (as does Amazon), but I’d advise you to make your own (you should have these things in your medicine cabinet anyways – and then you’ll know exactly where everything is!). Pocket knife – Not essential if you’re in a park, but a good thing to have with you out in the woods so you’re prepared for anything. Like McGyver. Sunglasses – No need to go blind while out on the trail.  You probably already have sunglasses floating around your house: I’d recommend bringing the $5 ones rather than $250 Ray-Bans. Cellphone – a phone can help bail you out in case of emergency, and if you have a smart phone it can multitask as your compass, distance tracker, mapper, and so on. Even if you have a cellphone, bringing a compass or GPS system isn’t a bad idea (unless it’s bright and sunny and you’re good at orienting yourself). If you’re going on a longer hike, bringing a lightweight phone charger that you can use to charge your phone up quickly is usually pretty easy. Great Hiking Snacks and FOod! FOOD! You know, the stuff that keeps us alive. The answer to this will vary greatly depending on how long you plan on hiking for, the time of day, your love of snacking, so the advice here is going to largely mirror the advice we give in our nutritional posts! Although by no means a complete list of snacks, this is usually what I like to pack in my bag before a hike: Nuts – Almonds or walnuts. Great for snacking on, loaded w/ healthy fat and protein. Nut butters are a good healthy fat option too – my favorite is trader Joe’s raw unsalted almond butter. Ingredient: almonds! They are high in calorie content however, so if you are trying to lose weight, don’t do a 10 minute walk and eat 4000 calories worth of nuts. We in the business like to call that “counterproductive.” Fruit – I throw two or three apples in my bag; apples and nuts mean I’ve pretty much got all of the fat, protein, and carbs I need for my day. Things like bananas, raisins, and other fruit are good options as well – pick based on your personal preference and tastes. Fruit (especially dried fruit) can have lots of sugar and calories, so don’t kid yourself into eating 5000 calories worth of dried fruit and call it healthy! Beef jerky! Make your own or go with some high quality store bought stuff.  Lots of protein, easy to pack, and keeps well. Mmmmmm. What about trail mix or granola bars? You’d probably think granola bars and trail mix are synonymous with hiking, but I’m actually not a fan of either unless they’re homemade – these products are usually loaded with salt/sugar and processed grains and are pretty damn unhealthy. If you’re gonna go with trail mix, make your own with dried fruit and raw unsalted nuts. If you DON’T have other options, tossing a few granola bars in the bag isn’t the end of the world. More food advice here: Primal Trail Food A book (optional) – I LOVE READING (more than I love lowercase letters), so I always travel with my Kindle. Although hiking with friends can be fun, I also get a huge thrill out of hiking out to a remote location overlooking a valley or sitting on the edge of a river with a book so that I can spend a few hours getting lost in a story. If it’s a multi-day hike and you’re avoiding technology, then bringing a dead tree book is worth the extra weight in your bag! A camera (optional) – Although I have a camera that I travel with, most of the pictures I’ve been taking recently have been done with my iPhone using apps like Camera+ or ProHDR (which I freaking love). Both apps are worth the price. You don’t need to be a great photographer, just need to capture the moment to look back on fondly as a crotchety old grandpa. Obviously if you’re a serious photographer, you’ve already planned to pack your DSLR so I won’t get into that. Tips and Tricks **KNOW THE LOCAL WILDLIFE!** Do a quick search of your hike to know what sorts of critters you’ll encounter on the trail. If you are hiking in bear country or snake country, these are things it’s very important to know. Whether it’s carrying a can of bear mace or knowing what to look for, this can help you prevent serious problems. Also watch out for wild ostriches. **CLEAN UP, CHECK FOR TICKS** – if you’re in a heavily wooded area and carving through the wilderness, check yourself for ticks and make sure you take a shower with hot water and soap immediately when you get home in case you came in contact with any poisonous plants or things like that. I can’t tell you how many times I woke up with a swollen face as a kid because of my hike through poison ivy the day before. Aim for the high ground – I love hiking to tall things: the top of a mountain, the high point in a town, the roof of a building.  It gives you a great halfway point to stop, eat some lunch or dinner, and enjoy the view; plus, you already know exactly how far you need to go on your way down. One piece of advice on going DOWN a steep mountain or a lot of steps: Shorten your stride, and take care to land on the balls of your feet with a bent knee if possible – if you’re landing on your heels for thousands of steps, it can wreak havoc on your knees and joints as there’s no shock absorption. I remember how sore my knees were the day after hiking down Colca Canyon in Peru with my buddy Cash because I didn’t make an effort to soften my steps and take care of my body. Urban Hiking – “But Steve I live in a city, I can’t go hiking!” Why the hell not? Load up your backpack, map out a route on Google maps, maybe even find a tall building – avoid the elevator, climb the steps. Or walk until you find a park, sit on a bench and read a book. Sure, it’s not the same as hiking the Rockies, but it will still get your heart pumping and feet moving! Like The Goonies teaches us, adventure can be found in your own backyard with the right attitude! Keep track of it – If you have an iPhone or Android, download a hiking or running app to keep track of how far you go and how much hiking you do. Although I haven’t been tracking my hikes abroad (I leave my phone in Airplane mode while traveling), I’ve heard great things about RunKeeper and EasyTrails. If you have more apps or suggestions on how to keep track of your hikes, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them here. I personally use a cheap Fitbit Flex 2, which tracks my steps and elevation. Good enough! Geocaching – Great fun can be had while geocaching.  Simply go to the website, track your location, and then decide on which cache you’re going to track down. Think of it like a real life version of Indiana Jones or Uncharted, minus the Nazis and undead warriors. We geocached around Sydney for a Nerd Fitness meetup, and it was delightful! Give a hoot, don’t pollute – Pack it in, pack it out. If you bring anything with you, it better be coming back with you. Don’t leave trash in the woods, and pick up any extra trash you see out there. The wilderness thanks you for your service, citizen! Not all those who wander are lost This article is just a primer, meant to whet your appetite and make you excited to go hiking and exploring the wonderful world around us.  Here are a few other resources on hiking if you want more information.  Feel free to let me know about more in the comments: Tips for Primal/Paleo Hiking Hiking Emergencies on Art of Manliness American Hiking Society I challenge you to plan a hike for this upcoming weekend. YES, even if you’re in the opposite hemisphere and it’s really cold out! Get some great snacks, strap on your shoes, grab a friend, and go explore. I’d love to hear from you about the place you’re going hiking this weekend. Leave a comment below and let me know: Where you’re going. When you’re going. And what you’re most excited about! Promise that you won’t hike pants-less. Any tips you have for your fellow hikers. Leave a comment before July 6th, 2018 at 11:59PM, we’ll pick two winners at random and send them their own free NF Shirt! -Steve PS: We’re celebrating “Outsiders Month” here at Nerd Fitness, so if you have pictures of yourself rocking your Nerd Fitness Gear outdoors doing something epic, send a photo to contact@nerdfitness.com so I can feature you! PPS: Today’s Rebel Hero: Saint, whose success story has inspired hundreds of thousands of people. 8 years since publishing that success story, Saint is now happily married, a father of two, and just built a new swing set for his kids! Notice that little rock climbing wall? I’m sure his 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son (both Rebels already!) will be scaling sheer rock faces in no time. He’s a Rebel hero indeed. ### photo credit: 77krc Mixed Nuts All other photos from my Photostream   Footnotes    ( returns to text) The dude went hiking alone, got trapped under a rock, and had to cut his own arm off to get free and survive True story: when I was a little kid, I made myself a little bow and arrow (trying to be like Link) and unknowingly feathered my homemade arrows with poison ivy leaves. My face swelled up for 2 weeks Not really, please don’t taunt bears while wearing this shirt. You are not invisible. And he/she will eat you. #TheMoreYouKnow from Blog – Nerd Fitness https://ift.tt/2iAbhV0 via IFTTT

http://www.fitnessclub.cf/2018/07/a-beginners-guide-to-hiking-everything.html

[helloletstrythis]

We Meet Again...

Hey friendz,

It’s been a while since we wrote to you.

But we’re back.

If you’ll have us.... 

Yeah?! Okay! Great! Let’s catch you up!

a LOT has happened in the last year.

I got married. 

Lauren got married. 

Wedding planning takes a LOT out of your time. Even if you’re like me and started off the process by being like.. “I don’t want to worry about the details. I just want to have a fun day and celebrate our love...” at the end of everything you end up like... “If my mom’s cousin doesn’t like the way we’ve arranged the flowers what are we even doing here??!!?”

It’s a shame that rom-coms don’t show a lot of those real life stressful wedding moments. And they try to make brides look like the worst people ever. Poor Katherine Heigel.

But honestly, Lauren’s wedding was a freakin’ blast. My husband and I had so much fun. Their wedding was two weeks before ours and it was a nice moment to just relax and not worry about our wedding for a second and have fun.

And my wedding was amazing. I was so stressed up until and through the rehearsal dinner. And then after a good(ish) night’s sleep. (I woke up at 6am cuz I was so excited.) I decided that I didn’t want to worry and I wanted to have fun. And I had so much fun. It’s so incredibly moving to see all your family and friends there to celebrate your marriage. Like.. What?? This is just me and my love. We love each other. And all these people here are excited and like traveled miles to drink champagne with us and be happy for us that we are happy and there’s a lot of happiness and hold on I’m crying again. 

Right before our wedding my husband and I made another huge life decision. We packed up our tiny one bedroom apartment in Queens and we moved to Pittsburgh. We had been talking about moving to Pittsburgh for a while. And we considered other cities to move to as well, LA, Toronto, Boston, Orlando... But after being away from home for 10 years we were ready to be home with our families.

My family is in Pittsburgh, and my husband’s is in Ohio. So we are lucky that we are so close to everyone now.

How has the move been?

I could smile and nod my head and say what I say to people all the time which is... “It’s a big transition, but we’re loving it.”

That’s the log line of my life right now.

And it’s the truth!

But there’s a lot of details that lie in between those two things. Our jobs are not what we thought they’d be. We haven’t really made that many friends. We really miss our friends in NYC. I haven’t been doing or seeing comedy at all. Sometimes it feels like no one here really understands our senses of humor. I constantly feel like I’m saying... I’m joking. People are offended a lot easier outside of NYC. And I miss the hustle of NYC a lot. Being constantly motivated and feeling like every time you successfully leave your apartment you’ve at least accomplished something. I miss Seamless. And amazing food that could be delivered to your door at all times of the night. I miss Queens. I miss our apartment. It was small, and shitty, and the lady upstairs played the same movement of the same piece on the piano at 4 o’clock everyday for the entire year that we lived there, but it was a small thing that was ours.

But here on Sundays, we have dinner with my parents, and sometimes my aunt and uncle, or I get to see my nieces and nephews and for one brief shining moment I am in complete joy. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for a rent controlled apartment in the lower east side. 

And you can breathe here. Sit on the deck and write and no one yells at you or tries to steal your purse. And I turned off email notifications on my phone. And driving is cool! We’re buying a car. And looking at houses. And really thinking about our future. 

So.. it’s a big transition, but we’re loving it!

I spend a lot of time reminding myself what I’m working toward--the goals and the plans of my future. I often forget to enjoy the moment. I keep telling myself that this is a transition time period. But then I feel time slipping by and notice myself not noticing how I’m feeling or what’s really happening... It’s like Emily says in Our Town (Thorton Wilder)

“Do human beings ever realize life as they live it? Every--every minute?” 

I read this the other day and it struck me more than it ever has before. And I’ve read it a thousand times.

I’m not doing that. I’m not realizing my life right now. I’m letting it pass me by. And look at Emily--she died! She died young. And she’s telling us... don’t let life pass you by. Don’t think of life as a transition. 

It’s good to have goals. And to think about your future. And to go to work and remind yourself why you’re there. For your future. But there’s also something to be said for seeing where you are--even if it’s not quite where you want to be yet. 

So this is commitment I’m making to myself. To see the world around me as it is. In the moment. To take note of the time that is inconspicuously flying by. And share it here with you. 

Here’s me right now: What I’m eating: Too much fatty foods. I need to get them veggies and acai bowls back into my routine. Honestly, a lot of ham and cheese sandwiches and BBQ potato chips... What I’m wearing: My new Point Park sweatshirt my husband got me for my birthday. I love it because I’m really excited to be going back to school. (I’ll drop in more deets later.) And it was so thoughtful of him. And It’s so comfy. And I sort of feel like the West Wing cabinet crew when they work on a Saturday and have their YALE sweatshirts on. What I’m drinking: Gin. Who knew? But all of a sudden I love gin. Gin and Tonics. Bombay Sapphire. The bitter-er the better. Extra lime please. I think it makes me feel like a flapper in the 20s and I like that feeling right now. What I’m working on: The Masterclass with Aaron Sorkin. It’s an online class. It’s really cool and motivating. I love listening to the way he talks about his writing. Since he comes from an actor/musical theater background like me I feel like I really understand the way he talks about writing. And some things that have always been unclear to me just suddenly make sense.  Also working on a few scripts that I just can’t get around to finishing. I hope that writing more consistently helps me push through. But I’m really not sure-- I feel like I’ve got the yips a little bit. What I’m watching: Not currently binging anything. But been picking up and watching LA to Vegas. It’s a cheese half hour network sitcom--which is so against my vibe lately--but I’m really into it. So I’m going with it. Also if I was still in college I would say that the girl in it is a good type to tell agents of who I am. Old habits die hard. What I’m worrying about: I mean, money always. And buying a car. It’s really weird to like all of a sudden need a car and not know anything about them and not really have talked about them with like coworkers and things for years. It’s gonna be fine I know. But I’m stressing. What I’m listening to: Cardi B’s new album. I listened to Get Up 10 the other day and had a visceral emotional reaction to it. Cardi B got up 10 and I will too. Flip side and flip mood--feeling a lot of Lana Del Rey lately. It’s almost summer--prime Lana time. Plus, every six months or so I really dream about California. I think about LA and the mountains and Disneyland and not wearing winter coats, and it’s the way I cheat on whatever city I’m living in. I love California. Hoping to get out there soon. Ways I’m treating myself: Sunday nights... husband watches Walking Dead, and I take a minute to myself. Right now I’m writing to you. But sometimes I work on other writing stuff. Or do a face mask. Or hopefully I’ll start running again soon. Also, buying a lot of coffee when I really don’t need to. It feels like a small luxury I can afford right now... and that makes me feel good inside. This was a long post, but I wanted to challenge myself to keep writing. Thanks for listening. Thanks for being patient. Thanks for being my friend.

Em

[lindafrancois]

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need For Your First Hike!

Before you step foot in the great outdoors, read this guide!

There’s nothing more embarrassing than a city slicker getting lost in the woods, so let’s make sure you know where you’re going, what to wear, and what to bring.

That way your first hike will be fun, adventurous, and more importantly safe!

Today will cover:

How Do I Find Hiking Trails Near Me? (How to Start Hiking)

What Shoes Do I Wear Hiking? (Proper Footwear)

What Do I Wear While Hiking? (Clothing)

How Much Water Should I Bring on My Hike?

What Gear Should I Bring on My Hike? (Sunscreen, Knives, and First Aid Kits)

What Food Should I Bring Hiking? What Should I Eat on a Day Hike?

7 Hiking Tips for Beginners.

I’m happy you’re excited about hiking and I can’t wait for you to get started!

I took the above picture while hiking through Killarney National Park in Ireland many years ago, and every time I look at it, I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s Middle-earth masterpiece, so I apologize (not really) for all of the Lord of the Rings nerdery running throughout this post!

Our community members love hiking too. In fact, one of our recent success stories specifically cited hiking as one of the fun activities she loved to do to help her lose 50 pounds:

By the end of today’s post, my goal is to have you pick a trail, pick a date, and identify a fella or gal to join your fellowship (galship?).

Before we jump in, are you here because you’re learning to hike to lose weight? Did you hear it’s a fun way to exercise and get your body moving?

If so, you’ve come to the right place!

As I mentioned, some clients in our uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program used hiking as part of their weight loss training. These folks would rather head outside than jump on a treadmill, and our coaches designed a program so they could do just that!

Here’s how it works: your NF Coach will build a custom workout plan based on your experience level and goals. Training to climb up a literal mountain? Maybe you need to get rid of an old ring? We’ll create a plan to get you to the top!

Alright, let’s get you hiking!

How Do I Find Hiking Trails Near Me? (How to Start Hiking)

When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time. 

Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power.

If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole.

Although hiking can an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be!

A hike also be super simple and fun:

A quick jaunt (such a great word, right?) around your local park after work.

Exploring the woods behind your house with your kids on a saturday morning.

A half-day hike with your friends on a fun nature trail.

A full day or overnight hike that also includes camping.

Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or halfing, or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on the actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass.

Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class.

If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to strenuous activity.

You get to pick your speed and difficulty, you can always find a way the right amount of challenge for you.

HIKING 101: 5 STEPS TO PLAN OUT YOUR ADVENTURE

1) Decide how long you have to hike.  This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with  trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring extra change of clothes.  Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time.

However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome!

2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me.  However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in.

3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.”

Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero.

4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail!

Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not over complicate this step. Just get started.

Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots.

The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look.

5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where are when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back.

We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult.

You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities.

So right now, you should have answers to the following questions:

How much time you can dedicate to hiking.

Who you will be hiking with.

Your level of experience

Using AllTrails.com or GoogleMaps to pick your hiking location.

Who you will tell about your hiking experience.

What Shoes Do I Wear Hiking? (Proper Footwear)

This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome!

Wait, don’t do that.

I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking.

WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN?

We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here, but we at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade.

Just don’t a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear!

Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear choice keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time.

Okay, let’s look at our feet. 

Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options:

LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance.

Here are my favorite options if you in the market for some new basic walking/hiking shoes:

Merrell Vent Hiking Shoe

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (Men) – I have the blue ones. They rock.

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (women)

Oh, what’s that? “Steve, I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?”

Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike. If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip won’t give you the grip you need to get over them.

LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market.

“Why boots over shoes, Steve?” 

Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection.

REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment.

My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail.

WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey, and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected.

These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams!

If you’re in the market for buying new boots, this quick video is a good primer:

WHAT SOCKS SHOULD YOU WEAR?

If you’re wearing boots or sneakers, you want to wear socks that aren’t going to give you blisters or make your feet all sweaty and gross.

Depending on how long the hike is, how serious you are about hiking, and your budget, you can look into merino-wool socks.

Like the rest of your outfit, what you wear on your feet will largely be dependent on a few things:

Weather! Are you hiking in the forest and it’s 72 degrees out? Or are you hiking up the side of the mountain in cold conditions?

Shoes! Are you in lightweight hiking shoes, lightweight hiking socks for the win. Hiking in big boots in cold months? Big thick warm socks are almost a requirement.

Budget! Are you shopping for specific socks? Tall or short? Great. If you are brand new to hiking, just wear whatever athletic socks you wear while exercising.

What’s the environment? If you’re hiking through grass, tall plants, etc. I’d go with tall socks (with your pants possibly tucked into them too). You’re not out there to win a fashion show!

Here’s Switchback Travel’s best hiking socks of 2018, and here’s a great article from Art of Manliness on proper feet care after a hike or ruck! 

What Do I Wear While Hiking? (Clothing)

SHOULD I WEAR PANTS OR SHORTS?

Pro tip: Don’t go pantless through the wilderness. I cannot stress this enough.

The real advice when it comes to pants/shorts is heavily dependent upon your environment. If it’s going to be cold, shorts might keep you shivering. If it’s going to be hot, pants might get too uncomfortable.

Jeans? Ehhhhh. Sure. ONLY if it’s going to be a comfortable temperature and you have no other option. Being sweaty and hot while wearing jeans isn’t very fun.

I’m a big fan of my nerd pants – the Columbia Silver Ridge pants. Although they look kind of goofy, they’re incredibly light weight, dry quickly, and can transform from pants to shorts in mere seconds!

Traveling through woods, not sure what you’ll encounter? Wear lightweight pants. I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and who knows what else, so I like to keep as much of my body covered while hiking to make sure I don’t make contact with anything I’m allergic to. [2]

WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT SHOULD I WEAR? 

My favorite options are merino wool long shirts and t-shirts: they’re light, wick away moisture, hide odors, and breathe well – though you will be paying top dollar for them.

If you’re just starting out, pick an old t-shirt and rock that – you can work on optimizing performance once you’ve got a few hikes under your belt.

Shameless plug: the Nerd Fitness t-shirt does hold up quite well to wear and tear over long periods of time – I’ve been rocking my shirt in heavy rotation on lots of hikes for years. It can also withstand gamma rays and makes you invisible.[3]

if you’re on a multi-day hike in various conditions then having lightweight merino wool shirts you can layer and not need to wash would be great. But just going for a hike in the woods in your back yard? Whatever you would wear while running, training, etc. Aka whatever won’t chafe!

SHOULD I BRING A JACKET?

I’ve been wearing this Mountain Hardware jacket on most of my hikes and it has been awesome (10 years and counting) – very lightweight so packing it isn’t a hassle, waterproof so it keeps me dry when it rains, and heavy enough to block the wind to keep me warm when it’s chilly.

Don’t go out of your way to buy a new jacket if you have a decent windbreaker, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking or you’re in the market for a new coat, here’s my advice: go to a local store and try out all of the jackets until you find one you like.

Once you find the perfect jacket, go home and check online (you can sometimes find the same jacket for up to 60% less) – then, ask the local store if they’ll price match or just buy it online.

SHOULD I WEAR A HAT?

You should definitely bring a hat. I’m usually rocking my Nerd Fitness hat or my Red Sox hat (booo Yankees), but while hiking in Australia I wore a hat with a giant floppy brim to keep my ears and face protected from the sun.

The tops of your ears and back of your neck are highly susceptible to getting burned while on the trail, so either get some sunscreen or wear a hat that keeps them covered.

The same is true for keeping pesky things out of your hair, the sun from burning your ears and face, and keep you a bit cooler.

WHAT KIND OF BACKPACK SHOULD I BRING?

Digging into the ins and outs of backpacks is far beyond the scope of this article. I’d recommend you check out my friend Chase’s Bag Review Youtube channel – guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll ever have learning about bags.

So what would I recommend for a beginner on a hike? The bag you currently have! If you’re going on a short hike, you can start with simply whatever bag you have. The lighter and comfier it is, the better.

Multi-day hikes where you’re living out of your bag, packing up, and building a tent each day – this is beyond the scope of this article. I have rocked a Kelty Coyote bag that I’ve lived out of for months at a time, and have also used on multi-day hikes.

If you have the means and the time, and you’re planning to go on certain hikes, go to an outdoor specialty store, speak with a professional, and get fitted for your body type and type of hike you’re doing!

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: VERSATILITY

If your weather forecast is “75 and sunny,” and you’re hiking for the afternoon through a gradually sloping wooded forest, you can severely limit what you’re bringing with you.

If it’s questionable or looks like things might change during the day, versatility is your best bet – a jacket, pants that can become shorts, a long sleeve shirt that you can take off or roll the sleeves up, etc.

Don’t go out and buy all new stuff until you’re sure hiking is an activity you want to invest in.  Borrow from friends, make do with what you have

Just get started.

BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL BE WEARING! 

In your head you should be saying, “Steve how can you read my mind?!

I just decided:

I’d hike in my current gym sneakers.

I have a pair of gardening pants and tall socks I can wear.

I have a floppy hat.

My new Nerd Fitness t-shirt.

I feel like I’m good to go!

Perfect.

Get Your FREE Nerd Fitness Resource Kit

15 Fitness traps you should avoid

Comprehensive beginner's guide to Paleo diet

BONUS: How to level up your life and be the hero of your own story

How Much Water Should I Bring On My Hike?

If there’s ONE thing you should not leave home without, it’s a water container so you can stay hydrated.

“How much water should I be drinking on my hike, Steve?”

Great question. I knew you were smart from the moment you started reading this article.

You should be drinking 1 liter of water every two hours as a rough guideline. Increase this amount if you are hiking in very warm/desert climates.

FAVORITE WATER CONTAINERS:

I’m partial to stainless steel bottles or aluminum bottles over Nalgene or reused plastic bottles, but make do with what you have.  Make sure you bring enough water with you to keep you hydrated through your adventure.

Going on longer hikes? Get yourself a hydration backpack (which can double as your hiking pack!) to transplant water more conveniently.

Not only that, but make sure you have been consuming water before you go hiking so that you’re not starting at a hydration deficit.

Hangovers + early morning hikes – water = bad news bears.

What Gear Should I Bring on My Hike? (Sunscreen, Knives, and First Aid Kits)

If you’re just getting started, I’m going to guess you won’t be climbing to the top of a mountain in Alaska, but rather going on an introductory hike that will help build your confidence and get you rolling.

Here’s what I’d recommend you bring with you on your adventure:

Sunscreen – If it’s sunny outside and you’re hiking through the woods or up a mountain with a cool breeze in your face, you probably won’t be able to tell that your ears and face are getting absolutely torched.  Get yourself some waterproof sweatproof sunscreen (SPF 30 minimum) to cover up those ears, cheeks, and back of your neck.

Bug spray – especially if it’s “that time of the year” in your area where bugs are out in full force.  Nothing worse than coming home to arms and legs covered in bug bites.

First aid kit – Having some first aid stuff with you is a good idea: band-aids and moleskin for blisters and cuts, Neosporin or some type of disinfectant for cuts/scrapes, and maybe a bandage or two just in case. Outdoor stores sell travel first aid kits (as does Amazon), but I’d advise you to make your own (you should have these things in your medicine cabinet anyway – and then you’ll know exactly where everything is!).

Pocket knife – Not essential if you’re in a park, but a good thing to have with you out in the woods so you’re prepared for anything. Like McGyver.

Sunglasses – No need to go blind while out on the trail.  You probably already have sunglasses floating around your house: I’d recommend bringing the $5 ones rather than $250 Ray-Bans.

Cellphone – a phone can help bail you out in case of an emergency, and if you have a smartphone it can multitask as your compass, distance tracker, mapper, and so on. Even if you have a cellphone, bringing a compass or GPS system isn’t a bad idea (unless it’s bright and sunny and you’re good at orienting yourself).

If you’re going on a longer hike, bringing a lightweight phone charger that you can use to charge your phone up quickly is usually pretty easy.

What Food Should I Bring Hiking? What Should I Eat on a Day Hike?

FOOD!

You know, the stuff that keeps us alive.

The answer to this will vary greatly depending on how long you plan on hiking for, the time of day, your love of snacking, so the advice here is going to largely mirror the advice we give in our nutritional posts!

Although by no means a complete list of snacks, this is usually what I like to pack in my bag before a hike:

Nuts – Almonds or walnuts. Great for snacking on, loaded w/ healthy fat and protein. Nut butters are a good healthy fat option too – my favorite is trader Joe’s raw unsalted almond butter. Ingredient: almonds! They are high in calorie content however, so if you are trying to lose weight, don’t do a 10-minute walk and eat 4000 calories worth of nuts. We in the business like to call that “counterproductive.”

Fruit – I throw two or three apples in my bag; apples and nuts mean I’ve pretty much got all of the fat, protein, and carbs I need for my day. Things like bananas, raisins, and other fruit are good options as well – pick based on your personal preference and tastes. Fruit (especially dried fruit) can have lots of sugar and calories, so don’t kid yourself into eating 5000 calories worth of dried fruit and call it healthy!

Beef jerky! Make your own or go with some high-quality store-bought stuff.  Lots of protein, easy to pack, and keeps well. Mmmmmm.

What about trail mix or granola bars? You’d probably think granola bars and trail mix are synonymous with hiking, but I’m actually not a fan of either unless they’re homemade – these products are usually loaded with salt/sugar and processed grains and are pretty damn unhealthy.

If you’re gonna go with trail mix, make your own with dried fruit and raw unsalted nuts. If you DON’T have other options, tossing a few granola bars in the bag isn’t the end of the world.

More food advice here:

Primal Trail Food

A book (optional) – I LOVE READING (more than I love lowercase letters), so I always travel with my Kindle. Although hiking with friends can be fun, I also get a huge thrill out of hiking out to a remote location overlooking a valley or sitting on the edge of a river with a book so that I can spend a few hours getting lost in a story.

If it’s a multi-day hike and you’re avoiding technology, then bringing a dead tree book is worth the extra weight in your bag!

A camera (optional) – Although I have a camera that I travel with, most of the pictures I’ve been taking recently have been done with my iPhone using apps like Camera+ or ProHDR (which I freaking love). Both apps are worth the price.

You don’t need to be a great photographer, just need to capture the moment to look back on fondly as a crotchety old grandpa. Obviously, if you’re a serious photographer, you’ve already planned to pack your DSLR so I won’t get into that.

Seven Hiking Tips for Beginners

KNOW THE LOCAL WILDLIFE! Do a quick search of your hike to know what sorts of critters you’ll encounter on the trail. If you are hiking in bear country or snake country, these are things it’s very important to know. Whether it’s carrying a can of bear mace or knowing what to look for, this can help you prevent serious problems. Also, watch out for wild ostriches.

CLEAN UP, CHECK FOR TICKS – if you’re in a heavily wooded area and carving through the wilderness, check yourself for ticks and make sure you take a shower with hot water and soap immediately when you get home in case you came in contact with any poisonous plants or things like that. I can’t tell you how many times I woke up with a swollen face as a kid because of my hike through poison ivy the day before.

AIM FOR THE HIGH GROUND – I love hiking to tall things: the top of a mountain, the high point in a town, the roof of a building.  It gives you a great halfway point to stop, eat some lunch or dinner, and enjoy the view; plus, you already know exactly how far you need to go on your way down. One piece of advice on going DOWN a steep mountain or a lot of steps: Shorten your stride, and take care to land on the balls of your feet with a bent knee if possible – if you’re landing on your heels for thousands of steps, it can wreak havoc on your knees and joints as there’s no shock absorption. I remember how sore my knees were the day after hiking down Colca Canyon in Peru with my buddy Cash because I didn’t make an effort to soften my steps and take care of my body.

URBAN HIKING – “But Steve I live in a city, I can’t go hiking!” Why the hell not? Load up your backpack, map out a route on Google maps, maybe even find a tall building – avoid the elevator, climb the steps. Or walk until you find a park, sit on a bench and read a book. Sure, it’s not the same as hiking the Rockies, but it will still get your heart pumping and feet moving! Like The Goonies teaches us, adventure can be found in your own backyard with the right attitude!

KEEP TRACK OF IT – If you have an iPhone or Android, download a hiking or running app to keep track of how far you go and how much hiking you do. Although I haven’t been tracking my hikes abroad (I leave my phone in Airplane mode while traveling), I’ve heard great things about RunKeeper and EasyTrails. If you have more apps or suggestions on how to keep track of your hikes, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them here. I personally use a cheap Fitbit Flex 2, which tracks my steps and elevation. Good enough!

GEOCACHING – Great fun can be had while geocaching.  Simply go to the website, track your location, and then decide on which cache you’re going to track down. Think of it as a real-life version of Indiana Jones or Uncharted, minus the Nazis and undead warriors. We geocached around Sydney for a Nerd Fitness meetup, and it was delightful!

GIVE A HOOT, DON’T POLLUTE – Pack it in, pack it out. If you bring anything with you, it better be coming back with you. Don’t leave trash in the woods, and pick up any extra trash you see out there. The wilderness thanks you for your service, citizen!

Not all those who wander are lost (sTART hIKING tODAY)

This article is just a primer, meant to whet your appetite and make you excited to go hiking and exploring the wonderful world around us. 

Here are a few other resources on hiking if you want more information.  Feel free to let me know about more in the comments:

Tips for Primal/Paleo Hiking

Hiking Emergencies on Art of Manliness

American Hiking Society

I challenge you to plan a hike for this upcoming weekend. YES, even if you’re in the opposite hemisphere and it’s really cold out!

Get some great snacks, strap on your shoes, grab a friend, and go explore.

I’d love to hear from you about the place you’re going hiking this weekend.

Leave a comment below and let me know:

Where you’re going.

When you’re going.

And what you’re most excited about!

Promise that you won’t hike pants-less.

Any tips you have for your fellow hikers.

-Steve

PS: Still unsure if you’ll be ready for your big hike? I’ll again remind you of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We have clients who successfully used the program to train for hiking up large mountains, and we’d love to see if we can help you too!

PPS: Today’s Rebel Hero: Saint, whose success story has inspired hundreds of thousands of people. 8 years since publishing that success story, Saint is now happily married, a father of two, and just built a new swing set for his kids!

Notice that little rock climbing wall? I’m sure his 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son (both Rebels already!) will be scaling sheer rock faces in no time. He’s a Rebel hero indeed.

###

photo credit: 77krc Mixed Nuts

All other photos from my Photostream

  Footnotes    ( returns to text)

The dude went hiking alone, got trapped under a rock, and had to cut his own arm off to get free and survive

True story: when I was a little kid, I made myself a little bow and arrow (trying to be like Link) and unknowingly feathered my homemade arrows with poison ivy leaves. My face swelled up for 2 weeks

Not really, please don’t taunt bears while wearing this shirt. You are not invisible. And he/she will eat you. #TheMoreYouKnow

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need For Your First Hike! published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[lindafrancois]

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need For Your First Hike!

Before you step foot in the great outdoors, read this guide!

There’s nothing more embarrassing than a city slicker getting lost in the woods, so let’s make sure you know where you’re going, what to wear, and what to bring.

That way your first hike will be fun, adventurous, and more importantly safe!

Today will cover:

How Do I Find Hiking Trails Near Me? (How to Start Hiking)

What Shoes Do I Wear Hiking? (Proper Footwear)

What Do I Wear While Hiking? (Clothing)

How Much Water Should I Bring on My Hike?

What Gear Should I Bring on My Hike? (Sunscreen, Knives, and First Aid Kits)

What Food Should I Bring Hiking? What Should I Eat on a Day Hike?

7 Hiking Tips for Beginners.

I’m happy you’re excited about hiking and I can’t wait for you to get started!

I took the above picture while hiking through Killarney National Park in Ireland many years ago, and every time I look at it, I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s Middle-earth masterpiece, so I apologize (not really) for all of the Lord of the Rings nerdery running throughout this post!

Our community members love hiking too. In fact, one of our recent success stories specifically cited hiking as one of the fun activities she loved to do to help her lose 50 pounds:

By the end of today’s post, my goal is to have you pick a trail, pick a date, and identify a fella or gal to join your fellowship (galship?).

Before we jump in, are you here because you’re learning to hike to lose weight? Did you hear it’s a fun way to exercise and get your body moving?

If so, you’ve come to the right place!

As I mentioned, some clients in our uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program used hiking as part of their weight loss training. These folks would rather head outside than jump on a treadmill, and our coaches designed a program so they could do just that!

Here’s how it works: your NF Coach will build a custom workout plan based on your experience level and goals. Training to climb up a literal mountain? Maybe you need to get rid of an old ring? We’ll create a plan to get you to the top!

Alright, let’s get you hiking!

How Do I Find Hiking Trails Near Me? (How to Start Hiking)

When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time. 

Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power.

If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole.

Although hiking can an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be!

A hike also be super simple and fun:

A quick jaunt (such a great word, right?) around your local park after work.

Exploring the woods behind your house with your kids on a saturday morning.

A half-day hike with your friends on a fun nature trail.

A full day or overnight hike that also includes camping.

Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or halfing, or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on the actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass.

Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class.

If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to strenuous activity.

You get to pick your speed and difficulty, you can always find a way the right amount of challenge for you.

HIKING 101: 5 STEPS TO PLAN OUT YOUR ADVENTURE

1) Decide how long you have to hike.  This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with  trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring extra change of clothes.  Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time.

However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome!

2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me.  However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in.

3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.”

Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero.

4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail!

Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not over complicate this step. Just get started.

Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots.

The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look.

5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where are when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back.

We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult.

You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities.

So right now, you should have answers to the following questions:

How much time you can dedicate to hiking.

Who you will be hiking with.

Your level of experience

Using AllTrails.com or GoogleMaps to pick your hiking location.

Who you will tell about your hiking experience.

What Shoes Do I Wear Hiking? (Proper Footwear)

This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome!

Wait, don’t do that.

I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking.

WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN?

We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here, but we at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade.

Just don’t a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear!

Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear choice keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time.

Okay, let’s look at our feet. 

Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options:

LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance.

Here are my favorite options if you in the market for some new basic walking/hiking shoes:

Merrell Vent Hiking Shoe

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (Men) – I have the blue ones. They rock.

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (women)

Oh, what’s that? “Steve, I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?”

Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike. If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip won’t give you the grip you need to get over them.

LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market.

“Why boots over shoes, Steve?” 

Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection.

REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment.

My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail.

WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey, and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected.

These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams!

If you’re in the market for buying new boots, this quick video is a good primer:

WHAT SOCKS SHOULD YOU WEAR?

If you’re wearing boots or sneakers, you want to wear socks that aren’t going to give you blisters or make your feet all sweaty and gross.

Depending on how long the hike is, how serious you are about hiking, and your budget, you can look into merino-wool socks.

Like the rest of your outfit, what you wear on your feet will largely be dependent on a few things:

Weather! Are you hiking in the forest and it’s 72 degrees out? Or are you hiking up the side of the mountain in cold conditions?

Shoes! Are you in lightweight hiking shoes, lightweight hiking socks for the win. Hiking in big boots in cold months? Big thick warm socks are almost a requirement.

Budget! Are you shopping for specific socks? Tall or short? Great. If you are brand new to hiking, just wear whatever athletic socks you wear while exercising.

What’s the environment? If you’re hiking through grass, tall plants, etc. I’d go with tall socks (with your pants possibly tucked into them too). You’re not out there to win a fashion show!

Here’s Switchback Travel’s best hiking socks of 2018, and here’s a great article from Art of Manliness on proper feet care after a hike or ruck! 

What Do I Wear While Hiking? (Clothing)

SHOULD I WEAR PANTS OR SHORTS?

Pro tip: Don’t go pantless through the wilderness. I cannot stress this enough.

The real advice when it comes to pants/shorts is heavily dependent upon your environment. If it’s going to be cold, shorts might keep you shivering. If it’s going to be hot, pants might get too uncomfortable.

Jeans? Ehhhhh. Sure. ONLY if it’s going to be a comfortable temperature and you have no other option. Being sweaty and hot while wearing jeans isn’t very fun.

I’m a big fan of my nerd pants – the Columbia Silver Ridge pants. Although they look kind of goofy, they’re incredibly light weight, dry quickly, and can transform from pants to shorts in mere seconds!

Traveling through woods, not sure what you’ll encounter? Wear lightweight pants. I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and who knows what else, so I like to keep as much of my body covered while hiking to make sure I don’t make contact with anything I’m allergic to. [2]

WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT SHOULD I WEAR? 

My favorite options are merino wool long shirts and t-shirts: they’re light, wick away moisture, hide odors, and breathe well – though you will be paying top dollar for them.

If you’re just starting out, pick an old t-shirt and rock that – you can work on optimizing performance once you’ve got a few hikes under your belt.

Shameless plug: the Nerd Fitness t-shirt does hold up quite well to wear and tear over long periods of time – I’ve been rocking my shirt in heavy rotation on lots of hikes for years. It can also withstand gamma rays and makes you invisible.[3]

if you’re on a multi-day hike in various conditions then having lightweight merino wool shirts you can layer and not need to wash would be great. But just going for a hike in the woods in your back yard? Whatever you would wear while running, training, etc. Aka whatever won’t chafe!

SHOULD I BRING A JACKET?

I’ve been wearing this Mountain Hardware jacket on most of my hikes and it has been awesome (10 years and counting) – very lightweight so packing it isn’t a hassle, waterproof so it keeps me dry when it rains, and heavy enough to block the wind to keep me warm when it’s chilly.

Don’t go out of your way to buy a new jacket if you have a decent windbreaker, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking or you’re in the market for a new coat, here’s my advice: go to a local store and try out all of the jackets until you find one you like.

Once you find the perfect jacket, go home and check online (you can sometimes find the same jacket for up to 60% less) – then, ask the local store if they’ll price match or just buy it online.

SHOULD I WEAR A HAT?

You should definitely bring a hat. I’m usually rocking my Nerd Fitness hat or my Red Sox hat (booo Yankees), but while hiking in Australia I wore a hat with a giant floppy brim to keep my ears and face protected from the sun.

The tops of your ears and back of your neck are highly susceptible to getting burned while on the trail, so either get some sunscreen or wear a hat that keeps them covered.

The same is true for keeping pesky things out of your hair, the sun from burning your ears and face, and keep you a bit cooler.

WHAT KIND OF BACKPACK SHOULD I BRING?

Digging into the ins and outs of backpacks is far beyond the scope of this article. I’d recommend you check out my friend Chase’s Bag Review Youtube channel – guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll ever have learning about bags.

So what would I recommend for a beginner on a hike? The bag you currently have! If you’re going on a short hike, you can start with simply whatever bag you have. The lighter and comfier it is, the better.

Multi-day hikes where you’re living out of your bag, packing up, and building a tent each day – this is beyond the scope of this article. I have rocked a Kelty Coyote bag that I’ve lived out of for months at a time, and have also used on multi-day hikes.

If you have the means and the time, and you’re planning to go on certain hikes, go to an outdoor specialty store, speak with a professional, and get fitted for your body type and type of hike you’re doing!

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: VERSATILITY

If your weather forecast is “75 and sunny,” and you’re hiking for the afternoon through a gradually sloping wooded forest, you can severely limit what you’re bringing with you.

If it’s questionable or looks like things might change during the day, versatility is your best bet – a jacket, pants that can become shorts, a long sleeve shirt that you can take off or roll the sleeves up, etc.

Don’t go out and buy all new stuff until you’re sure hiking is an activity you want to invest in.  Borrow from friends, make do with what you have

Just get started.

BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL BE WEARING! 

In your head you should be saying, “Steve how can you read my mind?!

I just decided:

I’d hike in my current gym sneakers.

I have a pair of gardening pants and tall socks I can wear.

I have a floppy hat.

My new Nerd Fitness t-shirt.

I feel like I’m good to go!

Perfect.

Get Your FREE Nerd Fitness Resource Kit

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Comprehensive beginner's guide to Paleo diet

BONUS: How to level up your life and be the hero of your own story

How Much Water Should I Bring On My Hike?

If there’s ONE thing you should not leave home without, it’s a water container so you can stay hydrated.

“How much water should I be drinking on my hike, Steve?”

Great question. I knew you were smart from the moment you started reading this article.

You should be drinking 1 liter of water every two hours as a rough guideline. Increase this amount if you are hiking in very warm/desert climates.

FAVORITE WATER CONTAINERS:

I’m partial to stainless steel bottles or aluminum bottles over Nalgene or reused plastic bottles, but make do with what you have.  Make sure you bring enough water with you to keep you hydrated through your adventure.

Going on longer hikes? Get yourself a hydration backpack (which can double as your hiking pack!) to transplant water more conveniently.

Not only that, but make sure you have been consuming water before you go hiking so that you’re not starting at a hydration deficit.

Hangovers + early morning hikes – water = bad news bears.

What Gear Should I Bring on My Hike? (Sunscreen, Knives, and First Aid Kits)

If you’re just getting started, I’m going to guess you won’t be climbing to the top of a mountain in Alaska, but rather going on an introductory hike that will help build your confidence and get you rolling.

Here’s what I’d recommend you bring with you on your adventure:

Sunscreen – If it’s sunny outside and you’re hiking through the woods or up a mountain with a cool breeze in your face, you probably won’t be able to tell that your ears and face are getting absolutely torched.  Get yourself some waterproof sweatproof sunscreen (SPF 30 minimum) to cover up those ears, cheeks, and back of your neck.

Bug spray – especially if it’s “that time of the year” in your area where bugs are out in full force.  Nothing worse than coming home to arms and legs covered in bug bites.

First aid kit – Having some first aid stuff with you is a good idea: band-aids and moleskin for blisters and cuts, Neosporin or some type of disinfectant for cuts/scrapes, and maybe a bandage or two just in case. Outdoor stores sell travel first aid kits (as does Amazon), but I’d advise you to make your own (you should have these things in your medicine cabinet anyway – and then you’ll know exactly where everything is!).

Pocket knife – Not essential if you’re in a park, but a good thing to have with you out in the woods so you’re prepared for anything. Like McGyver.

Sunglasses – No need to go blind while out on the trail.  You probably already have sunglasses floating around your house: I’d recommend bringing the $5 ones rather than $250 Ray-Bans.

Cellphone – a phone can help bail you out in case of an emergency, and if you have a smartphone it can multitask as your compass, distance tracker, mapper, and so on. Even if you have a cellphone, bringing a compass or GPS system isn’t a bad idea (unless it’s bright and sunny and you’re good at orienting yourself).

If you’re going on a longer hike, bringing a lightweight phone charger that you can use to charge your phone up quickly is usually pretty easy.

What Food Should I Bring Hiking? What Should I Eat on a Day Hike?

FOOD!

You know, the stuff that keeps us alive.

The answer to this will vary greatly depending on how long you plan on hiking for, the time of day, your love of snacking, so the advice here is going to largely mirror the advice we give in our nutritional posts!

Although by no means a complete list of snacks, this is usually what I like to pack in my bag before a hike:

Nuts – Almonds or walnuts. Great for snacking on, loaded w/ healthy fat and protein. Nut butters are a good healthy fat option too – my favorite is trader Joe’s raw unsalted almond butter. Ingredient: almonds! They are high in calorie content however, so if you are trying to lose weight, don’t do a 10-minute walk and eat 4000 calories worth of nuts. We in the business like to call that “counterproductive.”

Fruit – I throw two or three apples in my bag; apples and nuts mean I’ve pretty much got all of the fat, protein, and carbs I need for my day. Things like bananas, raisins, and other fruit are good options as well – pick based on your personal preference and tastes. Fruit (especially dried fruit) can have lots of sugar and calories, so don’t kid yourself into eating 5000 calories worth of dried fruit and call it healthy!

Beef jerky! Make your own or go with some high-quality store-bought stuff.  Lots of protein, easy to pack, and keeps well. Mmmmmm.

What about trail mix or granola bars? You’d probably think granola bars and trail mix are synonymous with hiking, but I’m actually not a fan of either unless they’re homemade – these products are usually loaded with salt/sugar and processed grains and are pretty damn unhealthy.

If you’re gonna go with trail mix, make your own with dried fruit and raw unsalted nuts. If you DON’T have other options, tossing a few granola bars in the bag isn’t the end of the world.

More food advice here:

Primal Trail Food

A book (optional) – I LOVE READING (more than I love lowercase letters), so I always travel with my Kindle. Although hiking with friends can be fun, I also get a huge thrill out of hiking out to a remote location overlooking a valley or sitting on the edge of a river with a book so that I can spend a few hours getting lost in a story.

If it’s a multi-day hike and you’re avoiding technology, then bringing a dead tree book is worth the extra weight in your bag!

A camera (optional) – Although I have a camera that I travel with, most of the pictures I’ve been taking recently have been done with my iPhone using apps like Camera+ or ProHDR (which I freaking love). Both apps are worth the price.

You don’t need to be a great photographer, just need to capture the moment to look back on fondly as a crotchety old grandpa. Obviously, if you’re a serious photographer, you’ve already planned to pack your DSLR so I won’t get into that.

Seven Hiking Tips for Beginners

KNOW THE LOCAL WILDLIFE! Do a quick search of your hike to know what sorts of critters you’ll encounter on the trail. If you are hiking in bear country or snake country, these are things it’s very important to know. Whether it’s carrying a can of bear mace or knowing what to look for, this can help you prevent serious problems. Also, watch out for wild ostriches.

CLEAN UP, CHECK FOR TICKS – if you’re in a heavily wooded area and carving through the wilderness, check yourself for ticks and make sure you take a shower with hot water and soap immediately when you get home in case you came in contact with any poisonous plants or things like that. I can’t tell you how many times I woke up with a swollen face as a kid because of my hike through poison ivy the day before.

AIM FOR THE HIGH GROUND – I love hiking to tall things: the top of a mountain, the high point in a town, the roof of a building.  It gives you a great halfway point to stop, eat some lunch or dinner, and enjoy the view; plus, you already know exactly how far you need to go on your way down. One piece of advice on going DOWN a steep mountain or a lot of steps: Shorten your stride, and take care to land on the balls of your feet with a bent knee if possible – if you’re landing on your heels for thousands of steps, it can wreak havoc on your knees and joints as there’s no shock absorption. I remember how sore my knees were the day after hiking down Colca Canyon in Peru with my buddy Cash because I didn’t make an effort to soften my steps and take care of my body.

URBAN HIKING – “But Steve I live in a city, I can’t go hiking!” Why the hell not? Load up your backpack, map out a route on Google maps, maybe even find a tall building – avoid the elevator, climb the steps. Or walk until you find a park, sit on a bench and read a book. Sure, it’s not the same as hiking the Rockies, but it will still get your heart pumping and feet moving! Like The Goonies teaches us, adventure can be found in your own backyard with the right attitude!

KEEP TRACK OF IT – If you have an iPhone or Android, download a hiking or running app to keep track of how far you go and how much hiking you do. Although I haven’t been tracking my hikes abroad (I leave my phone in Airplane mode while traveling), I’ve heard great things about RunKeeper and EasyTrails. If you have more apps or suggestions on how to keep track of your hikes, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them here. I personally use a cheap Fitbit Flex 2, which tracks my steps and elevation. Good enough!

GEOCACHING – Great fun can be had while geocaching.  Simply go to the website, track your location, and then decide on which cache you’re going to track down. Think of it as a real-life version of Indiana Jones or Uncharted, minus the Nazis and undead warriors. We geocached around Sydney for a Nerd Fitness meetup, and it was delightful!

GIVE A HOOT, DON’T POLLUTE – Pack it in, pack it out. If you bring anything with you, it better be coming back with you. Don’t leave trash in the woods, and pick up any extra trash you see out there. The wilderness thanks you for your service, citizen!

Not all those who wander are lost (sTART hIKING tODAY)

This article is just a primer, meant to whet your appetite and make you excited to go hiking and exploring the wonderful world around us. 

Here are a few other resources on hiking if you want more information.  Feel free to let me know about more in the comments:

Tips for Primal/Paleo Hiking

Hiking Emergencies on Art of Manliness

American Hiking Society

I challenge you to plan a hike for this upcoming weekend. YES, even if you’re in the opposite hemisphere and it’s really cold out!

Get some great snacks, strap on your shoes, grab a friend, and go explore.

I’d love to hear from you about the place you’re going hiking this weekend.

Leave a comment below and let me know:

Where you’re going.

When you’re going.

And what you’re most excited about!

Promise that you won’t hike pants-less.

Any tips you have for your fellow hikers.

-Steve

PS: Still unsure if you’ll be ready for your big hike? I’ll again remind you of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We have clients who successfully used the program to train for hiking up large mountains, and we’d love to see if we can help you too!

PPS: Today’s Rebel Hero: Saint, whose success story has inspired hundreds of thousands of people. 8 years since publishing that success story, Saint is now happily married, a father of two, and just built a new swing set for his kids!

Notice that little rock climbing wall? I’m sure his 1-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son (both Rebels already!) will be scaling sheer rock faces in no time. He’s a Rebel hero indeed.

###

photo credit: 77krc Mixed Nuts

All other photos from my Photostream

  Footnotes    ( returns to text)

The dude went hiking alone, got trapped under a rock, and had to cut his own arm off to get free and survive

True story: when I was a little kid, I made myself a little bow and arrow (trying to be like Link) and unknowingly feathered my homemade arrows with poison ivy leaves. My face swelled up for 2 weeks

Not really, please don’t taunt bears while wearing this shirt. You are not invisible. And he/she will eat you. #TheMoreYouKnow

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need For Your First Hike! published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[lindafrancois]

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need to Know

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings.

I’m going to make a bet with you.

By the end of today’s article, I bet I can convince you to say the following, “Damn Steve! Now I want to go hiking. FINE.”

After all, Hiking is one of the greatest things you can do for your health, both mental and physical:

It’s amazing way to get off your ass and explore your local surroundings.

It requires next to nothing to get started.

It’s a great bonding activity with friends, family, and significant others

It’s a great date idea for the right person!

You already have everything you need to get started.

It’s free. As in, zero dollars.

It’s a great reminder that this world in which we live is pretty amazing.

Our community members love hiking too. In fact, one of our recent success stories specifically cited hiking as one of the fun activities she loved to do to help her lose 50 pounds.

Today I’m going to teach you how to hike with a little help from our furry-footed friends.

By the end of today’s post, my goal is convince you to have picked a trail, picked a date, and identified a fella or gal to join your fellowship (galship?).

I took the above picture while hiking through Killarney National Park in Ireland many years ago, and every time I look at it, I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s middle-earth masterpiece, so I apologize (not really) for all of the Lord of the Rings nerdery running throughout this post!

Let’s get you hiking.

Hiking 101: How to Get Started With Hiking

When you think of hiking, you might imagine a bunch of road-tested perma-travelers with oversized backpacks, hiking through epic mountains for weeks upon weeks at a time. 

Or maybe, a pair of hobbits setting out on a worldwide adventure to destroy a ring of awe-inspiring power.

If you’re just beginning your journey to a better lifestyle, just thinking about serious hiking can be enough to keep you inside your comfy hobbit hole.

Although hiking can an epic undertaking, it doesn’t need to be!

It can also be super simple and fun:

A quick jaunt (such a great word, right?) around your local park after work.

Exploring the woods behind your house with your kids on a saturday morning.

A half-day hike with your friends on a fun nature trail.

A full day or overnight hike that also includes camping.

Here’s my definition for hiking: A person (or self-aware robot) exploring their surroundings and their feet are on actual ground. Like, dirt. And grass.

Some might say it needs to be difficult, have a certain elevation change, require a blah blah blah. It literally doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you go outside and do something you wouldn’t have done otherwise.

Here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, hikers would fall into the Adventurer class.

If you’re looking for a fun “cardio” activity and want to exercise in a way that’s exciting, hiking is a great way to get your legs, feet, and body used to strenuous activity.

You get to pick your speed and difficulty, you can always find a way the right amount of challenge for you.

HIKING101: 5 STEPS TO PLAN OUT YOUR ADVENTURE

1) Decide how long you have to hike.  This is a beginner’s guide to hiking, we’re not looking to hike the Appalachian Trail. Instead, we want to start with  trails that can be done in less than a day, that won’t require you to pack a tent, or bring extra change of clothes.  Pick a hike based on how much time you have – do you have the entire Sunday? Or do you just have a few hours on a Tuesday afternoon? It took Frodo and Sam 6 months to get to Mordor, but you probably don’t have that much time.

However, if you DID want to “walk to Mordor,” I got you covered there too. You’re welcome!

2) Decide if you’ll be hiking solo or with a friend/group – I love hiking solo – it’s mobile meditation for me.  However, it’s also more dangerous should anything happen while you’re out on the trail! If you’re heading into the wilderness, I’d recommend buddying up with a friend or your significant other for your hike. It’s the perfect bonding opportunity. This is especially true if they have more hiking experience or they know the area that you’re hiking in.

3) Determine your level – if you are a hiking newbie and horribly out of shape, sending yourself out on an eight hour hike through the unmapped wilderness is incredibly unintelligent. And as your mom has probably told you before, “I thought you were smarter than that.”

Start slow, and pick places around your town that will allow you to stop when necessary and get back to your car or home quickly. No need to be a hero; it’s always better to come back excited and say “wow that was easier than I expected!” than to realize you’re six hours from home and out of steam. Well, being a hero is cool. But not THAT kind of hero.

4) Pick your hiking location – Keep it simple! Go to AllTrails.com, put in your zip code, find your hiking trail!

Or pull up Google Maps and look for big green plots of land. We call those “parks.” Google the park name, learn about it, and decide if that’s where you want to go. Do not over complicate this step. Just get started.

Ask your active, adventurous friends or coworkers if they know any good spots.

The world is FULL of hiking trails and awesomeness – you just need to know where to look.

5) Regardless of where you are going, let somebody else know where are when – if you are out hiking alone, take the time to email or call somebody and let him know that you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back.

We don’t want to hear about any 127 Hours[1] stories on NF…that would make playing video games way more difficult.

You don’t need to tell them the brand of your underwear (please tell me you’re wearing underwear) or how many almonds you’re bringing, but let them know the important details so if they don’t hear back from you by a certain time they know to alert the proper authorities.

So right now, you should have answers to the following questions:

How much time you can dedicate to hiking.

Who you will be hiking with.

Your level of experience

Using AllTrails.com or GoogleMaps to pick your hiking location.

Who you will tell about your hiking experience.

HIking Footwear: What to Wear on your Feet Hiking!

This is simple: stilettos, your favorite mini skirt, a fishnet halter top, and a vest made out of raw meat. You’re welcome!

In all seriousness, I’m a big fan of being comfortable without breaking the bank. Like, you probably already have most of the clothing you need to go hiking.

WHAT SHOES SHOULD I WEAR TO HIKE IN?

We cover footwear extensively in our healthy feet article, but I’ll cover shoes specifically in the case of hiking here, but we at Nerd Fitness are huge fan of Merrell products – Merrell shoes of various types have treated me well for the past decade.

Just don’t a lack of quality hiking boots keep you from a hike. If you’re concerned, pick an easy paced hike with your current shoes to be safe and ramp up when you can ramp up your gear!

Some people hike the Appalachian Trail in their bare feet (must be part-Hobbit), so whatever you do: don’t let your footwear choice keep you from getting started. Just make sure you break your shoes in and take them on test drives! Don’t take the tags off a new pair of shoes and then go on a multi-day hike – that’s a recipe for blisters and a miserable time.

Okay, let’s look at our feet. 

Now that we’ve done that, let’s look at some shoe options:

LEVEL ONE: Hiking shoes – “hiking shoes” are great if you’re going to be doing simple day hikes or hiking occasionally: they have good grip on the bottom, give you enough support, but aren’t too heavy that they are a hindrance.

Here are my favorite options if you in the market for some new hiking shoes:

Merrell Vent Hiking Shoe

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (Men) – I have the blue ones. They rock.

Merrell Trail Glove 4 (women)Oh what’s that? “Steve I don’t have hiking shoes! Is this the end of the world?” Well, do you have any sort of athletic shoe? Depending on the grip on the bottom, they could be decently okay for you to get started with when it comes to a basic hike.If sneakers are your only option, lace em up, pick a beginner hike, and see how they do. Just be careful on slippery surfaces – your kicks might not give you the grip won’t give you the grip you need to get over them.

LEVEL TWO – Hiking boots – I don’t hike enough or do enough multi-day hikes to justify the cost of hiking boots, but again I would point to Merrell boots if you’re in the market.

“Why boots over shoes, Steve?” 

Although many prefer trail shoes (like yours truly), I can absolutely see the value in a great pair of hiking boots if you’re going on a serious hike, traveling for multiple days, or more. They have more ankle support, thicker tread, thicker shoes, and provide your feet with significantly more protection.

REI has a great article helping you pick between Trail shoes and Trail boots. My advice? Start with what you currently have before deciding whether or not to invest in big boots. Once you build up the habit of hiking and decide you want to make it a bigger part of your life, you can make the investment.

My advice? If you are going to buy boots, go to a professional store, get fitted properly, and then break them in over many weeks before going out on a trail.

WEIRD BUT FUN FOR SIMPLE HIKES: Vibram FiveFingers – I hiked all around the globe, in various situations, wearing my Vibrams for close to 4 years. They made me feel like a ninja monkey, and a hobbit. I got weird looks, but something just felt right about being able to feel the contours of the ground beneath me. I will say, when hiking in Vibrams it can be easier to twist an ankle when stepping on a root or rock, stepping on sharp rocks can hurt, so I found myself watching my feet much more than expected.

These days, I’m much more of a trail shoe kind of guy, but some still swear by Vibrams!

If you’re in the market for buying new boots, this quick video is a good primer:

WHAT SOCKS SHOULD YOU WEAR?

If you’re wearing boots or sneakers, you want to wear socks that aren’t going to give you blisters or make your feet all sweaty and gross.

Depending on how long the hike is, how serious you are about hiking, and your budget, you can look into merino-wool socks.

Like the rest of your outfit, what you wear on your feet will largely be dependent on a few things:

Weather! Are you hiking in the a forest and it’s 72 degrees out? Or are you hiking up the side of the mountain in cold conditions?

Shoes! Are you in lightweight hiking shoes, lightweight hiking socks for the win. Hiking in big boots in cold months? Big thick warm socks are almost a requirement.

Budget! Are you shopping for specific socks? Tall or short? Great. If you are brand new to hiking, just wear whatever athletic socks you wear while exercising.

What’s the environment? If you’re hiking through grass, tall plants, etc. I’d go with tall socks (with your pants possibly tucked into them too). You’re not out there to win a fashion show!

Here’s Switchback Travel’s best hiking socks of 2018, and here’s a great article from Art of Manliness on proper feet care after a hike or ruck! 

What to Wear While Hiking: Clothing

SHOULD YOU WEAR PANTS OR SHORTS?

Pro tip: Don’t go pantsless through the wilderness. I cannot stress this enough.

The real advice when it comes to pants/shorts is heavily dependent upon your environment. If it’s going to be cold, shorts might keep you shivering. If it’s going to be hot, pants might get too uncomfortable.

Jeans? Ehhhhh. Sure. ONLY if its going to be a comfortable temperature and you have no other option. Being sweaty and hot while wearing jeans isn’t very fun.

I’m a big fan of my nerd pants – the Columbia Silver Ridge pants. Although they look kind of goofy, they’re incredibly light weight, dry quickly, and can transform from pants to shorts in mere seconds!

Traveling through woods, not sure what you’ll encounter? Wear lightweight pants. I am horribly allergic to poison ivy and who knows what else, so I like to keep as much of my body covered while hiking to make sure I don’t make contact with anything I’m allergic to. [2]

WHAT TYPE OF SHIRT SHOULD YOU WEAR? 

My favorite options are merino wool long shirts and t-shirts: they’re light, wick away moisture, hide odors, and breathe well – though you will be paying top dollar for them.

If you’re just starting out, pick an old t-shirt and rock that – you can work on optimizing performance once you’ve got a few hikes under your belt.

Shameless plug: the Nerd Fitness t-shirt does hold up quite well to wear and tear over long periods of time – I’ve been rocking my shirt in heavy rotation on lots of hikes for years. It can also withstand gamma rays and makes you invisible.[3]

if you’re on a multi-day hike in various conditions then having lightweight merino wool shirts you can layer and not need to wash would be great. But just going for a hike in the woods in your back yard? Whatever you would wear while running, training, etc. Aka whatever won’t chafe!

SHOULD YOU BRING A JACKET?

I’ve been wearing this Mountain Hardware jacket on most of my hikes and it has been awesome (10 years and counting) – very lightweight so packing it isn’t a hassle, waterproof so it keeps me dry when it rains, and heavy enough to block the wind to keep me warm when it’s chilly.

Don’t go out of your way to buy a new jacket if you have a decent wind breaker, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking or you’re in the market for a new coat, here’s my advice: go to a local store and try out all of the jackets until you find one you like.

Once you find the perfect jacket, go home and check online (you can sometimes find the same jacket for up to 60% less) – then, ask the local store if they’ll price match or just buy it online.

SHOULD YOU WEAR A HAT?

You should definitely bring a hat. I’m usually rocking my Nerd Fitness hat or my Red Sox hat (booo Yankees), but while hiking in Australia I wore a hat with a giant floppy brim to keep my ears and face protected from the sun.

The tops of your ears and back of your neck are highly susceptible to getting burned while on the trail, so either get some sunscreen or wear a hat that keeps them covered.

The same is true for keeping pesky things out of your hair, the sun from burning your ears and face, and keep you a bit cooler.

WHAT KIND OF BACKPACK SHOULD YOU BRING?

Digging into the ins and outs of backpacks is far beyond the scope of this article. I’d recommend you check out my friend Chase’s Bag Review Youtube channel – guaranteed to be the most fun you’ll ever have learning about bags.

So what would I recommend for a beginner on a hike? The bag you currently have! If you’re going on a short hike, you can start with simply whatever bag you have. The lighter and more comfy it is, the better.

Multi-day hikes where you’re living out of your bag, packing up and building a tent each day – this is beyond the scope of this article. I have rocked a Kelty Coyote bag that I’ve lived out of for months at a time, and have also used on multi-day hikes.

If you have the means and the time, and you’re planning to go on certain hikes, go to a outdoor speciality store, speak with a professional, and get fitted for your body type and type of hike you’re doing!

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: VERSATILITY

If your weather forecast is “75 and sunny,” and you’re hiking for the afternoon through a gradually sloping wooded forest, you can severely limit what you’re bringing with you.

If it’s questionable or looks like things might change during the day, versatility is your best bet – a jacket, pants that can become shorts, a long sleeve shirt that you can take off or roll the sleeves up, etc.

Don’t go out and buy all new stuff until you’re sure hiking is an activity you want to invest in.  Borrow from friends, make do with what you have

Just get started.

BY NOW YOU SHOULD HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF WHAT YOU WILL BE WEARING! 

In your head you should be saying, “Steve how can you read my mind?!

I just decided:

I’d hike in my current gym sneakers.

I have a pair of gardening pants and tall socks I can wear.

I have a floppy hat.

My new Nerd Fitness t-shirt.

I feel like I’m good to go!

Perfect.

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How Much Water Should You Bring On Your Hike?

If there’s ONE thing you should not leave home without, it’s a water container so you can stay hydrated.

“How much water should I be drinking on my hike, Steve?”

Great question. I knew you were smart from the moment you started reading this article.

You should be drinking 1 liter of water every two hours as a rough guideline. Increase this amount if you are hiking in very warm/desert climates.

FAVORITE WATER CONTAINERS:

I’m partial to stainless steel bottles or aluminum bottles over Nalgene or reused plastic bottles, but make do with what you have.  Make sure you bring enough water with you to keep you hydrated through your adventure.

Going on longer hikes? Get yourself a hydration backpack (which can double as your hiking pack!) to transplant water more conveniently.

Not only that, but make sure you have been consuming water before you go hiking so that you’re not starting at a hydration deficit.

Hangovers + early morning hikes – water = bad news bears.

Important Gear to Bring On Your Hike.

If you’re just getting started, I’m going to guess you won’t be climbing to the top of a mountain in Alaska, but rather going on an introductory hike that will help build your confidence and get you rolling.

Here’s what I’d recommend you bring with you on your adventure:

Sunscreen – If it’s sunny outside and you’re hiking through the woods or up a mountain with a cool breeze in your face, you probably won’t be able to tell that your ears and face are getting absolutely torched.  Get yourself some waterproof sweatproof sunscreen (SPF 30 minimum) to cover up those ears, cheeks, and back of your neck.

Bug spray – especially if it’s “that time of the year” in your area where bugs are out in full force.  Nothing worse than coming home to arms and legs covered in bug bites.

First aid kit – Having some first aid stuff with you is a good idea: band-aids and moleskin for blisters and cuts, Neosporin or some type of disinfectant for cuts/scrapes, and maybe a bandage or two just in case. Outdoor stores sell travel first aid kits (as does Amazon), but I’d advise you to make your own (you should have these things in your medicine cabinet anyways – and then you’ll know exactly where everything is!).

Pocket knife – Not essential if you’re in a park, but a good thing to have with you out in the woods so you’re prepared for anything. Like McGyver.

Sunglasses – No need to go blind while out on the trail.  You probably already have sunglasses floating around your house: I’d recommend bringing the $5 ones rather than $250 Ray-Bans.

Cellphone – a phone can help bail you out in case of emergency, and if you have a smart phone it can multitask as your compass, distance tracker, mapper, and so on. Even if you have a cellphone, bringing a compass or GPS system isn’t a bad idea (unless it’s bright and sunny and you’re good at orienting yourself).

If you’re going on a longer hike, bringing a lightweight phone charger that you can use to charge your phone up quickly is usually pretty easy.

Great Hiking Snacks and FOod!

FOOD!

You know, the stuff that keeps us alive.

The answer to this will vary greatly depending on how long you plan on hiking for, the time of day, your love of snacking, so the advice here is going to largely mirror the advice we give in our nutritional posts!

Although by no means a complete list of snacks, this is usually what I like to pack in my bag before a hike:

Nuts – Almonds or walnuts. Great for snacking on, loaded w/ healthy fat and protein.

Nut butters are a good healthy fat option too – my favorite is trader Joe’s raw unsalted almond butter. Ingredient: almonds!

They are high in calorie content however, so if you are trying to lose weight, don’t do a 10 minute walk and eat 4000 calories worth of nuts.

We in the business like to call that “counterproductive.”

Fruit – I throw two or three apples in my bag; apples and nuts mean I’ve pretty much got all of the fat, protein, and carbs I need for my day.

Things like bananas, raisins, and other fruit are good options as well – pick based on your personal preference and tastes.

Fruit (especially dried fruit) can have lots of sugar and calories, so don’t kid yourself into eating 5000 calories worth of dried fruit and call it healthy!

Beef jerky! Make your own or go with some high quality store bought stuff.  Lots of protein, easy to pack, and keeps well. Mmmmmm.

What about trail mix or granola bars? You’d probably think granola bars and trail mix are synonymous with hiking, but I’m actually not a fan of either unless they’re homemade – these products are usually loaded with salt/sugar and processed grains and are pretty damn unhealthy.

If you’re gonna go with trail mix, make your own with dried fruit and raw unsalted nuts. If you DON’T have other options, tossing a few granola bars in the bag isn’t the end of the world.

More food advice here:

Primal Trail Food

A book (optional) – I LOVE READING (more than I love lowercase letters), so I always travel with my Kindle. Although hiking with friends can be fun, I also get a huge thrill out of hiking out to a remote location overlooking a valley or sitting on the edge of a river with a book so that I can spend a few hours getting lost in a story.

If it’s a multi-day hike and you’re avoiding technology, then bringing a dead tree book is worth the extra weight in your bag!

A camera (optional) – Although I have a camera that I travel with, most of the pictures I’ve been taking recently have been done with my iPhone using apps like Camera+ or ProHDR (which I freaking love). Both apps are worth the price.

You don’t need to be a great photographer, just need to capture the moment to look back on fondly as a crotchety old grandpa. Obviously if you’re a serious photographer, you’ve already planned to pack your DSLR so I won’t get into that.

Tips and Tricks

**KNOW THE LOCAL WILDLIFE!** Do a quick search of your hike to know what sorts of critters you’ll encounter on the trail. If you are hiking in bear country or snake country, these are things it’s very important to know. Whether it’s carrying a can of bear mace or knowing what to look for, this can help you prevent serious problems.

Also watch out for wild ostriches.

**CLEAN UP, CHECK FOR TICKS** – if you’re in a heavily wooded area and carving through the wilderness, check yourself for ticks and make sure you take a shower with hot water and soap immediately when you get home in case you came in contact with any poisonous plants or things like that. I can’t tell you how many times I woke up with a swollen face as a kid because of my hike through poison ivy the day before.

Aim for the high ground – I love hiking to tall things: the top of a mountain, the high point in a town, the roof of a building.  It gives you a great halfway point to stop, eat some lunch or dinner, and enjoy the view; plus, you already know exactly how far you need to go on your way down.

One piece of advice on going DOWN a steep mountain or a lot of steps: Shorten your stride, and take care to land on the balls of your feet with a bent knee if possible – if you’re landing on your heels for thousands of steps, it can wreak havoc on your knees and joints as there’s no shock absorption.

I remember how sore my knees were the day after hiking down Colca Canyon in Peru with my buddy Cash because I didn’t make an effort to soften my steps and take care of my body.

Urban Hiking – “But Steve I live in a city, I can’t go hiking!” Why the hell not? Load up your backpack, map out a route on Google maps, maybe even find a tall building – avoid the elevator, climb the steps.

Or walk until you find a park, sit on a bench and read a book. Sure, it’s not the same as hiking the Rockies, but it will still get your heart pumping and feet moving!

Like The Goonies teaches us, adventure can be found in your own backyard with the right attitude!

Keep track of it – If you have an iPhone or Android, download a hiking or running app to keep track of how far you go and how much hiking you do.

Although I haven’t been tracking my hikes abroad (I leave my phone in Airplane mode while traveling), I’ve heard great things about RunKeeper and EasyTrails. If you have more apps or suggestions on how to keep track of your hikes, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them here.

I personally use a cheap Fitbit Flex 2, which tracks my steps and elevation. Good enough!

Geocaching – Great fun can be had while geocaching.  Simply go to the website, track your location, and then decide on which cache you’re going to track down. Think of it like a real life version of Indiana Jones or Uncharted, minus the Nazis and undead warriors. We geocached around Sydney for a Nerd Fitness meetup, and it was delightful!

Give a hoot, don’t pollute – Pack it in, pack it out. If you bring anything with you, it better be coming back with you. Don’t leave trash in the woods, and pick up any extra trash you see out there. The wilderness thanks you for your service, citizen!

Not all those who wander are lost

This article is just a primer, meant to whet your appetite and make you excited to go hiking and exploring the wonderful world around us. 

Here are a few other resources on hiking if you want more information.  Feel free to let me know about more in the comments:

Tips for Primal/Paleo Hiking

Hiking Emergencies on Art of Manliness

American Hiking Society

I challenge you to plan a hike for this upcoming weekend. YES, even if you’re in the opposite hemisphere and it’s really cold out!

Get some great snacks, strap on your shoes, grab a friend, and go explore.

I’d love to hear from you about the place you’re going hiking this weekend.

Leave a comment below and let me know:

Where you’re going.

When you’re going.

And what you’re most excited about!

Promise that you won’t hike pants-less.

Any tips you have for your fellow hikers.

Leave a comment before July 6th, 2018 at 11:59PM, we’ll pick two winners at random and send them their own free NF Shirt!

-Steve

PS: We’re celebrating “Outsiders Month” here at Nerd Fitness, so if you have pictures of yourself rocking your Nerd Fitness Gear outdoors doing something epic, send a photo to contact@nerdfitness.com so I can feature you!

PPS: Today’s Rebel Hero: Saint, whose success story has inspired hundreds of thousands of people. 8 years since publishing that success story, Saint is now happily married, a father of two, and just built a new swing set for his kids!

Notice that little rock climbing wall? I’m sure his 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son (both Rebels already!) will be scaling sheer rock faces in no time. He’s a Rebel hero indeed.

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photo credit: 77krc Mixed Nuts

All other photos from my Photostream

  Footnotes    ( returns to text)

The dude went hiking alone, got trapped under a rock, and had to cut his own arm off to get free and survive

True story: when I was a little kid, I made myself a little bow and arrow (trying to be like Link) and unknowingly feathered my homemade arrows with poison ivy leaves. My face swelled up for 2 weeks

Not really, please don’t taunt bears while wearing this shirt. You are not invisible. And he/she will eat you. #TheMoreYouKnow

A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking: Everything You Need to Know published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/