Over the summer, I spent some time in Scotland with our extended family. The whole clan showed up. It was a great time with multiple generations all under one roof sharing meals, going on adventures, shooting clays, doing archery, hiking, and lots and lots of hill walking. In fact, after spending time with family, my favorite part was walking all the hills.
Living in California I was climbing hills almost every single day. The road up to my house in Malibu was a big hill. Every hike had hundreds of feet of elevation gains, at a minimum. One of my favorite spots to sprint was up a giant dune, a literal hill of sand alongside the PCH. I love Miami, but it’s flat. The entirety of Florida is flat. It’s maybe the weakest part of the entire state. Scotland was a nice hilly vacation.
Hills are all alike in that they are enormous mounds of earth requiring you to climb ever upward, directly facing off against gravity on its turf. Hills are also all different.
Some hills are made of sand. Every step you sink in, like a stair master on steroids. These are probably the best type of hills for pure fitness development.
Some hills are made of scree—loosely laid rocks that slide out from under you. The most frustrating kind of hill, those made of scree train your patience and grit. Two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes one step forward, two steps back. A big portion of the climb up Mt Shasta is pure scree (unless it’s frozen over).
Some hills are made of boulders. Maybe my favorite type of hills are these. You’re not so much walking as you are bounding from rock to rock, scrambling up the shattered remains of some long gone slab.
Some hills are made of lush pasture. Thick grass that you bury your feet in. There’s nothing like rolling down the hills made of pasture.
Some hills are made of pure stone. The Sierra Nevadas have hills of granite, a long unbroken slab you can just walk (or run) right up. Perfect grip on the feet. Fun—just don’t look down and behind.
There are hills made of red rock. The American Southwest has some of the greatest hills made of solid red rock in the world to climb up.
You’ve got hills made of packed earth, moist and padded underfoot. You’ve got hills made of mossy rocks scattered amidst scrub. Don’t forget the manmade hills made of concrete and asphalt. These can be sprinted, traversed in reverse, or ridden. Many people have stayed fit living in a hilly city and walking the concrete hills carrying groceries and backpacks.
Some people look at a hill and never think to walk it. Others look at a hill and can’t imagine not climbing. I’m definitely of the latter. I climb them every chance I get.
