Not Every Adventure Deserves a 5-Star Review

People always say when you travel, expect the unexpected, the same rule applies for hiking. That way, you won’t be disappointed.

Well, we expected the unexpected on this hike. What we didn’t expect was for the unexpected to become the entire experience. The adventure started before we even reached the trail. A night before the hike, Jen sent me a text asking a very concerning question: “Are you comfortable driving?” I giggled so hard. I responded! “Gurl! Comfort and driving should never be used in the same sentence when talking to me.” I reminded her that I have spent years building a reputation. A reputation as a Professional Passenger. Honestly, if they gave Olympic medals for sitting in the passenger seat offering moral support, I’d have a trophy cabinet by now. She laughed and said she’d drive. Crisis averted. One of the things I was most excited about was swimming in a natural pool. Spoiler alert: I did not swim. And for that, we need to talk about Moses and Aaron.

Now, for privacy reasons, LOL these aren’t their real names. But for the purpose of this story, they earned those names fair and square. Those who know the Bible know Moses and Aaron were trusted leaders. Our Moses and Aaron certainly believed they were trusted leaders. Whether they actually were is another conversation entirely. As we were hiking to the waterfall, we passed a beautiful natural pool. The plan seemed simple enough. Since we’d be returning on the same trail, Aaron confidently announced: “Let’s swim on the way back.” Says Aaron. The confidence, The authority, The audacity, Naturally, we listened. 🤣 Because that’s what happens when someone sounds like they know what they’re doing.

We continued towards the waterfall and eventually reached the gorge. The waterfall itself was beautiful. The cool mist from the water was a welcome relief because the heat was doing the most that day. We spent some time enjoying the view, taking photos, and pretending we weren’t already thinking about snacks. Eventually, it was time to head back. This is where Moses and Aaron stepped fully into their leadership roles and led us directly into confusion.

On the return journey, they confidently took the lead. Again. At first, nobody questioned it. Then things started looking… unfamiliar. Then very unfamiliar. Then extremely unfamiliar. By then we were no longer near the natural pool. In fact, we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be. Yet every few minutes we’d hear: “Don’t worry, we’re on the right track.”Haibo!. The track wasn’t even tracking. The way was not waying. The confidence remained at 100%. The accuracy, however, had left the chat. To make matters worse, there was no network signal. No Google Maps. No magical blue dot. No technological salvation. Just blind faith and increasingly confused hikers. After what felt like seventeen business days, we spotted other hikers in the distance.

Finally! Evidence of civilisation. Unfortunately, they were very far from where we were. Getting to them required scrambling across terrain that nobody had signed up for that morning. At that point, the hike turned into an extreme sport. Eventually, we reached the correct trail again. Victory! Except not really. Because by then the natural pools were far behind us. Gone. Forgotten. Lost to the leadership decisions of Moses and Aaron.

On a serious note, I’ve been hiking for many years. And honestly? For the first time in my hiking life, I have almost nothing to say about a trail itself. The trail just didn’t do it for me. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe the confusion overshadowed everything. Maybe being repeatedly assured we were lost correctly affected my judgement. I don’t know. What I do know is that the trail wasn’t properly marked. And can we talk about water? Not a tap. Not one. Shocker. Yes, I know some trails don’t have taps. Usually there’s at least a shop or someone around where you can buy water. We brought plenty ourselves, but eventually we finished it. Would a tap have changed my life? No. Would it have made me happy? Absolutely. Before anyone asks, no, I’m not mentioning the trail’s name. I don’t want to be unfair on a public platform because this was simply my experience. I have, however, shared feedback with the owners.

The funny thing is that despite all the confusion, wrong turns, missed swimming opportunities, and unofficial wilderness navigation lessons, I still had fun. Because of my people. My hiking community. The laughs. The jokes. The collective confusion. We truly lived up to our name: Peak Adventurers. Not because we conquered a mountain. But because we survived Moses and Aaron’s leadership journey and still came back laughing.

Every trail teaches me something. This one taught me a lesson I didn’t expect. Nothing get to ruin my day. I’ve realised that the experience I have on any trail starts long before I lace up my boots. It starts with the intention I set when I leave home. The trail doesn’t decide whether I have a good day.

Although next time, if Moses and Aaron volunteer to lead again, I might suddenly develop a pressing need to walk at the front. 😅🥾😂Mind you I am so bad with navigation, maybe I will leave it to Moses and Aaron to redeem themselves. I still love them despite their navigation. 😊

Until next time Fabtastic People!

Air Force one signing out.

Moira