Seven Mile Gulch Trail (And Why Sometimes It's Okay to Quit)

I asked my husband last minute last night if we could go hiking today. I had the hiking bug, and it just felt like it would be nice to be outside and move before we probably spent the rest of Labor Day lying around. My husband said we could go if I could find a trail, so close to midnight, I hopped on the National Forest Service website and found Seven Mile Gulch Trail. 

Granted, it said it was steep, but it was close, and had no paid parking. It said it took an hour and a half to hike, but normally those estimates are off. And besides, it wasn't in the mountains, so how steep could it be?

We decided to get up at 6:30 am, get dressed, and head straight out. We ended up leaving around 7 am and arriving at the trail about 7:15 am. I figured that left us just about an hour to hike. (We had a 10 am commitment back at home.) I figured we'd get to at least the 2.25 mile trail junction, or at best, hike the whole 3.1 mile trail.

Well, the trail started out flat-ish. And then it started to climb, and climb, and climb. There were some great views, but the hills never seemed to end. They were covered with somewhat loose, shale-y rock, and has my husband pointed out, the trail really wasn't designed that well, because it had no flat points, or even switchbacks. It was just hilly. If we wanted to rest, we just had to plant our feet, or plop down.

At about 45 minutes in, we were at 1.75 miles. I hoped the trail would even out so we could get to my 2.25 mile trail junction goal. I tried to move a little faster, not wanting this trail to get the best of me. But the trail kept climbing. And my all too wise husband pointed out, "I don't think we're anywhere near the trail junction."

At that point, I had a choice: Ignore my husband. Ignore our tiredness and use of almost all our water. Push the time we needed in order to get back home on time. Or quit. I'm not a quitter, and it's not like me to give up. But it this case, it was a pretty easy decision. I took a few more photos and we turned around and headed back. 

I don't know if I'll ever see the end of the trail. Given how steep those hills were, I don't know if I'll try to conquer the trail again. But you know what? That's okay. The goal today wasn't to finish the trail. The goal was to get outside and move and spend time with my husband and enjoy it. The commitment we had at home was more important than finishing the trail. And I'm trying to train for a longer race again, so I don't need to go exhausting myself on an off-running/crosstraining/rest day. So I quit.

Quitting our hike early doesn't make me a quitter, though. Because it's okay to quit thing sometimes. It's okay to prioritize. Quitting one thing might mean you can finish another. And sometimes that other thing is more important. So in that case, quitting makes you a finisher, even if it wasn't the thing you originally started.