Page 31 - SMH 2017 2nd edition

POWERS

by Denise Cameron

It all started with my husband coming home from hiking and telling me wonderful vivid stories of The Smokies. He
would be like, “Oh, we hiked to this beautiful waterfall!” And would show me pictures and say, “Honey they don’t do
it justice… I wish you could have seen it in person.” He had already been hiking for several years and we’d hiked to-
gether in the past but nothing serious.

He kept inviting along but my answer was always... no.

At this time, I was suffering from depression and wasn’t interested in much of anything but lying around on the
couch. I was always tired, and my body always achy. The things I used to be interested in, like my hobbies, just didn’t
anymore. They were more of a chore than anything. I had become someone else and the old me was just gone.

One day, I noticed on Facebook that my husband had posted a year in memories.
All his hiking pictures and the beautiful places he had been. All the friends he had
made long the way. When I looked at my year of memories, all I saw were
memes. What?! Is that all that I have to show for a year? Memes? In that mo-
ment, I realized I wasn’t living. I was just merely existing.
As the new year rolled around, I decided that I wasn’t going to let this be who I
was anymore. The next time he invited me, the answer would be a resounding
yes.

So, I joined in for a few short hikes. He took me to see some of those waterfalls that he had talked about and it wasn’t
long till I had been bitten by the hiking bug! Soon we were hiking every weekend and sharing some of the greatest
times we had had together in years. Within less than a year, I was regularly hiking 15 to 20 miles in a single hike. I get
such a feeling of accomplishment from climbing mountains, enjoying breathtaking views and meeting new friends.

My life has changed dramatically! I feel great! No more depression. My entire outlook is so positive now. Hiking these
wonderful mountains has breathed new life into me and my Facebook memories are actually memories. Powerful,
loving memories that I cherish dearly. I am me again.

31 Smoky Mountain Hiker