The Nanny Diaries: Memories of Hiking

(The Shenandoah Valley, Fall Break '04)

Aaron gets to go hiking this weekend.

I'm very jealous.

For those of you who don't know me very well, I'm not your average "girlie girl." I like to dress up and be cute on occasion, but my outfit of choice is usually a t-shirt and jeans. I LOVE backpacking, hiking, getting sweaty, and romping through the woods. I don't even mind not showering for days or peeing in a hole in the ground (too much information? Sorry...).

So, needless to say, I was a little grumpy when my husband reminded me that this was the weekend he was escaping to the wilderness with the other husbands from our small group.

Guess who gets to stay home and paint the house?

I experienced my first backpacking trip during Fall break of my sophomore year at Winthrop. Aaron and I had been dating for 2 months, and it was nice to get away from school and spend some quality time together.

Aaron, Orte, Mani, Liz, Naomi, and I drove to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, dropped our cars off at a parking lot next to a trail head, and spent 3 amazing days and nights away from everything but each other and the great outdoors. The scenery was beautiful, the hike was challenging, and the company of my friends was priceless.

We each had our own backpack filled with only the essentials: non-perishable food, shelter, a sleeping bag and pad, water, and a change of clothes (which I never used). One or 2 guys also carried a stove (the backpacking kind), a small gas tank, a first-aid kit, and a water filter. It was nice being able to carry everything on my back that I needed to survive.

At night, after the sun went down at 6:30pm, all 6 of us would crowd into Aaron's 2-person tent to play card games (and keep warm!). Aaron put his head-lamp into the net at the top of the tent so we had just enough light to see our cards. Some of my favorite memories from that trip were made when we were all together in his tent.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the many college hiking trips my friends and I went on together:

Blackwater Falls, WV: Fall Break '05