Lessons Learned From an Accidental 5.5 Mile Hike

We graduated from college 6 years ago and since then, my college friends and I have only seen each other a handful of times. Real life has been a speeding train to old age, but we're all hanging in there as tightly as we can. Each year we try to plan a trip together, some years it happens, other times it doesn't. This year, one of the friend's birthdays called for a last minute group trip to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. This was a perfect opportunity for everyone to get together. I expected a low key, boozy 4-day weekend sleepover in the cabin, but what I got instead were some pretty awesome life lessons. Here are the unexpected lessons learned from our mini-vacation.

I Spent $330

• $115 for my share of the cabin
• $35 for my share of the boat rental
• $140 for food and lots of booze
• $40 in car fuel

Be the 9th Wheel

The first lesson I learned was that it's okay to be the third wheel, and in my case the 9th wheel. My friends are in serious relationships, engagements and marriages, but as usual, I was the single one on the trip. I considered not accepting the invitation because of this but instead decided to go, and I am so glad that I did. At times it was a little bit lonely when I saw my friends being affectionate towards their mate, but I took those opportunities to catch up on some work, read my book, or simply catch some quiet time with my thoughts. I found this extremely comforting because I was able to reconnect with myself, and this has made me realize that I really do appreciate alone time. When I wasn't alone we played games, drank, laughed and just had a great time.

Mistakes Create Opportunity

One morning the group decided to go for a quick hike, or so we thought. We got to the trail, identified a 2.5 mile path, picked up a map and headed out. We began as a cheerful crew ready to experience nature and enjoy some active moments. What happened instead was that we accidentally turned the wrong way and ended up taking the 5.5 path. We didn't realize our mistake until halfway through the trail. As our cheery dispositions began to transition into deep thoughts of walking another 3 miles, I noticed that we all began the experience the hike in different ways. Some took it as an opportunity to get an unexpected workout in, some began to notice natures beauty even more, while others found their mate and used this as an opportunity to connect. The mistake was obvious, but there was nothing we could do except finish it. However, the manner in which we finished the experience was personal and we all experienced something different.

Maintain Positive Attitude

Although it was obvious that we were all tired, not one person in the group got upset during the hike. We all maintained a positive attitude all the way to the finish line. I thought this was a really important lesson - had we not been positive it could have been a miserable experience. And without complaining too much to one another about the trail, we all knew what we were all feeling - tired. So we kept a positive attitude and continued the hike. One group member had a harder time than the others because of his size but even he was positive the entire time, and surprised us all when he finished the entire trail. I was really impressed at how well we all maintained our positive attitudes. It made a world of a difference in the experience.

Everyone is a Leader and Follower

When we first began the hike, being the solo person in the group, I naturally led the group (you can now see that it was mostly my fault that we took the wrong trail to begin with). Being the leader was fun but there came a time when I no longer wanted to lead and a natural progression occurred where someone else took the leadership role. This transition continued to happen amongst us over and over again until we all had an opportunity to lead the group. It wasn't planned, it was simply instinct. I enjoyed leading the group but I also enjoyed following just as well. To me the lesson here is that everyone, even those you would not expect to lead, will eventually have an opportunity for leadership and should take that opportunity. However, everyone must also know when to follow because both experiences are important.

Find Humor in Everything

At one point during the hike I made a joke that this unexpected 5.5 mile hike will be so funny the next day. Most of the time we were all cracking jokes, making each laugh, taking candid photos, and at one point creating pure unintended comedy like when one of the guys in the group ran when he heard noise in the bushes, which ended being deer. The walk was hard because it wasn't expected, but because we could all find humor in everything around us it made it all so much more enjoyable.


Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
This lesson is really important to me. There were many opportunities during this trip that made us operate outside of our comfort zones. We all had different discomforts to conquer; for one person that was jumping into the lake while boating, for another it was driving the boat, for another it was hiking and experiencing nature, and for me it was having a really deep conversation about God with my friends. All of these experiences were so special to us because they symbolized growth. At the end of the trip I realized that everyone was able to push themselves and that there were many opportunities even in this mini-vacation to experience that growth. It made me wonder how many other opportunities present themselves to us on a daily basis? Opportunities that seem small but challenging and we don't conquer them because of fear.

Overall I had a wonderful time at Deep Creek and I recommend it for friends who want to reconnect.