A Day’s Hike
Buzz, buzz…its 4 am and the alarm is going off. I turn off the alarm, wiggle my toes and stretch out my body. Getting ready is quick and easy, everything is already prepared and my backpack has everything I could possibly need. I’m headed out into the wilderness for a few days to unplug and let Mother Nature rejuvenate my soul!
I hit the trail at dark with my headlamp illuminating the old path. I have places to go and beautiful scenery to see, no need to waste precious daylight on the pack in. It’s uphill for a solid three miles so thank goodness for the cool morning air.
Hurdling fallen trees and weaving in and out of timber, I make my way up. These old abandoned trails are always exciting to explore. Daylight breaks and the woods come to life, it’s about 6 am and I am almost to the main trail. Just a little further to go.
By 7 am I have reached the main trail and am headed to grab some fuel and rest. Oats, dried fruit and some almond butter is the meal of choice. I scoop some water out of the beautiful mountain lake in front of me, whip out my trail stove and get to cooking. Thank goodness I took the time to prep my meals ahead of time. I know every single ingredient that went in, left out the fillers and garbage, and am ready to nurture my body for the day ahead. Eat up!
After a well-deserved rest, my pack is back on and I’m ready to explore the beautiful country that surrounds me. Meadows, streams, and lakes await. While following a well-worn path is nice from time to time, I’m more of a make your own way kind of gal. Some of the coolest things are to be seen on the road less traveled.
I pull out my Garmin GPS, look at the journey I scoped out weeks before, and head toward the first waypoint I identified for myself. I end up finding what seems to be an elk sanctuary. These majestic, smelly creatures, ate the tops of plants, rubbed their antlers on smaller trees, bedded in the meadow and more. I take the time to admire and move along. This is their home, I’m just a visitor passing by.
Onward and upward. I head to my next stop. It’s nearing noon and my stomach is letting me know. I climb up once again hurdling the fallen trees along the way. I see blue just ahead, I’m almost to my next waypoint and lunch spot.
Finally, it’s time to refuel, hydrate and take another rest. The lake is low and surrounded by tall grass. You can see where elk have crossed several places in the lake. Small trout swim around eating the bugs that land on the lake (I wish I would have brought a fishing pole). I pull out the trail stove and my next meal, dried venison and morel mushrooms, harvested the year before, accompanied by couscous and dehydrated veggies. Fruits and veggies are a large part of my diet. I do the best I can to add either fruit or veggies to every backpacking meal I make.
As I wait for my lunch to cook I pull out my secret weapon when it comes to backcountry nutrition, New Earth’s Essentials. When I’m home living the day-to-day life, at a minimum I consume at least four capsules of Body, four capsules of Mind, Enzymes, Spectrabiotic, Renew, and Energize. Needless to say, I feel the difference when I don’t have my supplements for a couple of days.
Obviously I can’t bring the entire team along for a backcountry trip. That’s where Essentials come in. These handy packets include organic Wild Microalgae®, probiotics, and enzymes. It’s light, prepackaged and a great solution for backcountry nutrition.
Now that I am fueled up I make my way back to the main trail that will take me to my camp spot for the evening. I pass fellow hikers along the way chit-chatting as we go. I arrive at the next mountain lake around 4 pm and set up shop for the evening.
It’s a beautiful day, about 85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Go splash around and cool down? Why not? It’s about three feet deep so I ease on in and enjoy the refreshing water.
Before settling in for the night I refill my hydration pack with my handy filter and make sure I am set for success the next day. I have places to go and beautiful scenery to see!
Written by Nicole Morgan, outdoor enthusiast and Director of Communications at New Earth.
