Wyandotte County Trail // 14 in 2014

Several weeks ago I checked off another item on my 14 in 2014 list. I didn't blog about right away because I was still traumatized embarrassed from the experience. I went hiking at Wyandotte County Trail one Sunday afternoon and somehow survived ( thank you, iPhone/GPS ). Here's a quick recap of my journey. 

Prior to heading to the trail, I did a little research ( little being the key word - I should have studied the map a little more ). I knew the trail looped around a lake, and was about 8-9 miles long. Some reviews mentioned the trail could be a little rough ( rocks, water, hills ), but I was motivated and was feeling up to the challenge, so that didn't really phase me. 

So after getting to the trail, parking, and grabbing my "gear" ( iPhone, Forerunner 220, bottle of water ), I was off. It took me a bit to actually find an entrance to the trail ( this should have phased me, but I shrugged it off and figured this was only difficult for me being a WyCo newb ), but once I found it and started walking a bit I was one happy camper. 

I mean, I took a selfie. That's how much fun I was having. Though my fun only lasted about 2.5 miles before the trail came to an end. And what did I find at the end of trail? Well, three young Indian men, of course. The boys couldn't find a trail entrance, and I was no help. Luckily one of them ( the one of us whom was the least geographically challenged ) was able to pull up the park map on his iPhone and led us back to the trail ( this took a good 10-15 minutes for us to figure out ).

So now I'm back on the trail walking with my three new friends. And looking at their walking sticks, backpacks, and hefty supply of Gatorade and protein bars, I felt extremely unprepared. I walked with them for another mile or two before parting ways – they were going to stop for a snack break. They asked me to join them, but I passed. What a terrible idea that was. 

Shortly after leaving my trail friends, I was completely and utterly lost. ( And muddy, wet, and exhausted.) I somehow managed to fall off the trail again. I swear this was the most poorly-marked trail of life. I was climbing over trees, walking through muddy streams, and sliding down hilly/rocky areas. 

I was walking in circles ( seriously, the GPS map shows my path – I'm too embarrassed to include it ) and I was about ready to give up when I landed in a gated "no trespassing" private property. I scurried out of that and finally pulled up the map app on my iPhone and watched the blue dot until I could finally make sense of where the hell I was. 

Eventually, I made it back to the trail and was relieved to see the lake. I knew if I was near that, I couldn't stray too far.

I'd like to think everyone else who hikes this trail experiences the same level of difficulty as I did, but I'm guessing that's not the case. I assume they're more prepared than me, and likely more observant during the hike ( whereas I was taking in the nature – I mean look at the turtle I saw along the way! )

Anyway, I ended up walking 7 miles, which was way more than I intended, but I had a great time ( minus that one two three times I wanted to cry, call my dad, and eat a snack all at the same time.

For future hikes on unfamiliar terrain, here's some advice:

• Study the trail map ( in-depth ) prior to hiking. Maybe even print it out or screenshot on your phone. 
• Make sure to have a fully-charged phone, a bottle of water, SPF, and maybe a snack with you on your adventure
• Keep an eye out for trail markings, but also be sure to embrace the moment and take it all in. ( You can always call park patrol on your phone to tell them you're lost, and then order a pizza to be delivered to your car while you wait. We live in that kind of world. )

Happy hiking!