Let's Start at the Trailhead

Who is the Portly Hiker and How did we get here?

It only seems fair that if I share my thoughts with you, that I let you know a little about me and how I got to this point, give you a little background on me as a hiker and a person, what motivates me to hit the trail.

I’m rapidly approaching my 35^th birthday and I’ve been hiking for about a year.  Yes, you read that right! About a year. Approximately 52 weeks. Roughly 365 days.  Not very long at all. I don’t claim to be a hiking expert. In fact I’m quite clearly the opposite. I’m about as green as they come when it comes to hiking, backpacking and even camping.  I was never the outdoors type.

Which begs the question, why did I get into hiking and then what made me think writing about it would be a good plan?

I’m not going to claim I was an indoor kid when I was growing up.  I wasn’t at all. Team sports where the name of the game.  I loved the camaraderie, structure and strategy of sports. In the summer it was baseball, in the fall football and hockey, but hiking was never on my radar.  And when it came to camping, the closest I came to camping was weekends in a trailer resort with heated pools and ping-pong tables sleeping in a double bed in a 36-foot trailer with 3 TVs and cable. Hardly roughing it.

What got me into hiking at this age?  A few things actually! For starters I was getting a little too portly!  I was just plain old inactive. Adult life got in the way of the ever-active youth I once was, and my waistline is showing it.

Second was my job, I work for a company who deals in outdoor gear (I won’t say which until it becomes an issue with gear reviews). This job gave me access to excellent gear and surrounded me with people who loved the outdoors and motivated me to get out and explore.

And third was location.  My backyard is the Bruce Trail, a trail over 800 kilometres long that runs through Southern Ontario. And when I say the trail is my backyard I’m not exaggerating; this is my view as I write and amongst those trees is the trail.

My reasons for wanting to write about hiking are twofold.  Primarily I wanted an excuse to get out on the trail more and try new things.  If write about my new experiences it will motivate me to try even more new things and get out and be active as often as possible.  And my second reason for writing this blog is just simply to write.  I wrote as a job in the past and was starting to get a little rusty.  What better to get back in the swing then write a blog about hiking, adventure and the outdoors.

That’s the quick synopsis on The Portly Hiker.  I’m sure over time I’ll have a chance to let you in a little deeper into who I am. I want to thank you for reading and joining me on this journey. And while you're here, leave a comment and say hello!