Treading A Careful Path on Group Hikes

Sean and I were “catching up.” It had been a while since I had attended a group hike. The obligatory “where have you been?” covered, he asked me if I had been hiking solo in the mountains.

“Yes” I replied. “Conflicting schedules make it hard to link up with friends on many of them. I don’t mind hiking alone at all.”

Sean nodded.

I gave him my usual wise guy smirk. “After today’s hike with you, I will have fulfilled my personal goal of a monthly interaction with humans, and I won’t see you again for a while”

I could see Sean’s eyes twinkle behind his glasses. Sean and I are different people but get along well. He’s always friendly and respectful and enjoys his time with these big group hikes of 12 or more. I attend them quite rarely. I can pretend to be an extrovert for perhaps an hour. I find conversation a chore, and small talk a herculean task.

Hiking in a Minefield

I’m happy to discuss a question from one of my companions about a recent hike, but I rarely state my thoughts on a matter, or raise a prickly subject during a hike. Making conversation these days in the United States can be tricky, if not downright dangerous. The country’s volatile mixture of 50/50 cultural and political ideologies means taking care how you stir the pot in any group setting. Raising your political banner in the wrong group, and you may find yourself channeling Custer at the Little Big Horn. We all have our own mental models of how the world works and old Jack is not on the hike to change hearts and minds. I resist being baited, but will respectfully disagree if challenged, or lectured by a true believer of any sect.

Being an introvert, I force myself to attend a group hike every month to keep from becoming a total misanthrope. I remind myself that my next good friend may be as yet undiscovered among the attendees around me. Still, I often find myself gritting my teeth.

Sean took up a quiet political conversation on my right, and behind, two hikers were agreeing on the woeful state of healthcare in the United States. I turned on the jets to pass the two ladies in front, discussing one woman’s messy divorce.

It was only mile five and I was already looking for a way out.