To write or not to write...

...about the hike? That is the question.

Last week I was chatting with my mum on the phone, updating her on my (mis)adventures here in Boze and whining about how difficult it is to find inspiration for my blog posts. Ya ya, I know it sounds strange considering I do something fun and exciting practically everyday, but I have to be honest with you - it’s hard to find a good ‘angle’ for each post. After all, I don’t want to bore my readers with the mundane ‘I did this and then I did that...’ drivel. No, I say, my friends and loved ones deserve better – my readers deserve a point of view. Here here!

Anyhoo, upon venting about my bout of bloggers block, my mother suggested I read one of Bill Bryson’s books for inspiration. Sure, I had heard of him and know he is a successful travel writer (ps – I will travel and write if anyone wants to hire me!), but for no good reason I have never read any of his books. And, I don’t know much about his work, except that apparently he has a humorous and candid voice and as my mother tells me, can make ‘anything’ interesting (and funny). (Hmmm…is that a subtle hint that my posts are boring her…I wonder…) Sure enough, within 5 minutes of hanging up the phone I have an email from both my parents with a link to Amazon to buy his book. (Sidenote: Ah, thanks T and J for taking an interest in my endeavours and encouraging me to read…..)

So, I open the email from my father and he’s suggested that I check out Bryson’s book titled – A Walk in the Woods. I click the link and am not surprised to learn that it’s a book about hiking - specifically his adventures on the Appalachian Trail. As an avid hiker who enjoys exploring the bounty of nature in my spare time here in Montana, I totally appreciate the suggestion. However, the fact that my pops suggested a book on hiking wasn’t what got my attention. No, instead it was what he wrote in the subject line of the email – this is one of his least successful books. Now, this is not a verified fact, so Bill if you read this post, I apologize in advance for my lack of fact checking and brazen defamation. But, let’s for one sec assume it is true….let’s unpack this…

My first thought is yikes, that’s harsh. Bill’s written a many books so to call it one of the worst does pack a punch. But, after marinating with this fact for a few more moments, I realized that it confimed one of the reasons for my blogers block - that hiking is in fact, boring. So, in response to my father’s email, I posed the question that has haunted me since I started the Bozeman Babble (and I now expose a deep-seeded insecurity that is preventing me from posting my stories): Is it because you can't make hiking interesting? I hit send. And wait.

TOTALLY fair question, right? I mean, after all, isn’t hiking, well, just walking???? (that's what I told Rob the first year we dated...oopie!) And unless you’re kidnapped, attacked by a grizzly or find yourself in a hazardous situation (a la 27 hours), walking from A to B (and back to A if you’re doing a loop) is pretty uneventful. That's the general attitute towards hiking, right? And, in the absence of an animal or human attack (save for some small attacks from Rob - tee hee), should I blog about my hikes?

Well, no less than a minute later, an email from T (dad) appears in my inbox. And, just as I suspected, he confirmed my worst fears. In his response, this is what he said: Yes. Because hiking isn’t funny. Or fun!

WHOA, WHOA WHAO! No way, my dad did NOT just go there!! He wouldn’t. But, he did.

Do I hear the ringing bells of a challenge? Do I? And, don’t people say that with great risk comes great reward? Ya, I believe that…

So readers, after careful consideration, I have made the calculated decision to devote my next post to my recent hike in

Glacier National Park. I know, I know, it’s a very risky decision and one that Bill would likely call blogger suicide. But, this is a risk I am willing to take. Because, I must defend my choice to hike and convince my father (and urbanites, princess-types and couch potatoes) that hiking can be funny and more importantly, really really fun.

Challenge. Accepted. BOOM!

Thanks for reading.

Xx

Ali