Heard a guy at the trailhead say he never does the same route twice

I was getting ready at the High Sierra trailhead last weekend and overheard a guy telling his friend he makes a point to never hike the same exact route again. He said, "If I'm going back to a park, I find a new trailhead or link up different loops." It made me stop and think... I've done the same favorite 20-mile loop three times now. Maybe I'm missing out by not mixing it up more. How do you guys find new ways to explore an area you already know you like?

4 comments

4 Comments

riverb1315d ago

Read a blog post once about "micro-adventures" in familiar places. The writer suggested just reversing your normal loop or starting from a different parking area to see everything from a new angle. It totally changed how I look at my local state park.

robin89615d ago

Hell yeah, that's the real stuff. I do the same thing on my morning dog walk. Going the opposite way means I see the sunrise hit the creek instead of the old barn. It feels like a whole new path even though my feet know every root. Makes the boring routine actually worth getting up for.

dakotag2615d ago

Honestly, that guy has a point. I started doing what @robin896 said and just reversing my usual loop, and it's crazy how different the same woods can feel. You should try linking two of your favorite shorter trails into a new long route.

the_drew3d ago

Man, that is so true. I run the same path by my house almost every day. Last week I went the other way for once and it felt like a whole new neighborhood. I noticed gardens in backyards I never saw before, and a weird little statue on a porch. It's wild how your brain just tunes stuff out when it's always in the same order.