If anyone has a spare parka or blanket made out of seal blubber, I would gladly take it off your hands. That’s not very vegan of me, but it’s been very hard to get out of bed in the morning because it’s so cold. Inside AND outside. I’m in Arizona..what gives!?
I know some of my Canadian readers are laughing at me, and anyone else that’s in weather wayyy below this. Laugh away, I am a wimp.
Fortunately going hiking means the blood flows and helps with heating up the body.
Ohh the beautiful red rocks of Sedona. What a lovely hike, UNTIL we reached the destination.
This vertical wall of death was the scariest thing I have encountered all year. I was shaking, breathing heavy, sweating, and planning my funeral just looking at this. Finally after telling my brother I would do it if he did..he was gone in a flash climbing up like a spider monkey. Finally I climbed, all while breathing like a cow in labor. So scared. Luckily the view at the top was well worth it.
What goes up, must come…falling down to a painful death down.
To ensure maximum safety, I put my 5th grade PE skills to use and crab-walked down.
Oh and I was wearing jeans since it was so cold. BAD idea. I went against everything I have ever stood for when it comes to hiking. I will never do that again. NEVER EVER.
I’m sure you can figure out by now I survived. Once I came back down, I was able to resume regular breathing and my armpits started to dry off. I was glad to say I did it. Accomplishing such a grueling task required some serious nourishment.
While taking this picture of my beautiful black bean burger, I didn’t notice I was missing a bun. Come to find out I kinda liked it sans bread. The world was realigned once again.
Q: Have you done any scary hiking before? I get scared all the time, it’s either vertical walls of death, or rustling bushes. Like I said, I’m a wimp. I also watch too much Animal Planet.
Blissfulbritt 
52 thoughts on “That Time I Crab-walked Down A Mountain”
Alex @ therunwithin
that looks so beautiful, I can’t believe those rocks! I bet your quads are killing you, going down is harder than up sometimes
Life's a Bowl
Haha you’ve got some awesome 5th grade crab crawling skills 😛 Flashback to crab soccer, those were fab times! That scenery is gorgeous but I would have been equally shaking in my [jeans] if I had to climb up or down that mountain!
Jade
I don’t think I have ever been scared on a hike, probably because I never actually saw the bears and mountain lions that were likely hanging out by the trail! I would much rather go up than down, down is murderous on the quads and shins sometimes. It’s so beautiful there!
Bean
You made it – that’s what counts. No one has to know the method. 😉
I’ve totally done that – my sister went hiking up to this lake after it snowed (in August!) and after ~30 highschool students had gone up and down all the rocks in this very steep section were covered with very slippery mud. Just a little bit of freaking out happened on my part but I made it! Whenever I start to freak out about going down something, I always tell myself that I can do the bum shuffle if everything else fails. 🙂
Alexandra
Oh my gosh I’m jealous of all these epic adventures you’ve been going on!! I’ve always been in love with the orange of those rocks in AZ, SO pretty!!! And…they match my sweet potato glow bahaha 😉
The scariest hike I ever went on was hands down Half Dome in Yosemite–tackling the last vertical 800 ft with the cables was SO CREEPY but SO worth it! 🙂
Brittany
SO funny you said this..while I was on the hike my dad was telling me all about Yosemite. He said, “if you think this is bad, you should see Yosemite..the last part has cables to help you climb up.” I thought of you right away and SURE enough you said something about it!! I am sure I will conquer that someday, but I will be WHOA scared!
Choc Chip Uru
As lovely and beautiful as the trek would have been I feel for you in terms of legwork and the cold! Great photos 🙂
Happy New Year
Choc Chip Uru
Emily
Hahah omg I would have had a heart attack. I’m so afraid of heights.. go you! PS It’s still warm here in FL, come visit! I just got back after being in Michigan for two weeks in the 20 degree weather, I feel like my body is thawing out haha 🙂
di @ life of di.
Such a gorgeous place to hike 🙂 Coming down is always scary but….YOU DID IT! And to end the day with a veggie burger. Sounds like a great day.
EverdayLivingPNW
Way to survive the wall of death! Isnt it scarey walking down some of the mountains, talk about letting go and hoping for the best!
Rach @ This Italian Family
Beautiful scenery! Glad you made it! 🙂
foods for the soul
I’ve been on some pretty scary hikes in the Sierras… There were trails cut into the side of a mountain that were only about 2 feet wide, and if you slipped, you’d drop off the side of the cliff to your rocky death 500 feet below. (Okay, so I’m a bit of a wimp too…) Doesn’t help that I’m scared of heights either!
Luv What You Do
Beautiful hiking pictures! I did a 3 day backpacking trip over laborday that was amazing! Not nearly as dangerous but some stunning scenery. I wish I could hike some more, but living in the great plains doesn’t lend itself to good hiking…ha ha!
Ps I am totalling digging Eat&Run. I find the story so engrossing and I can’t wait to make some of those recipes. Thanks for the rec!
blissfulbritt
That’s awesome!! I am totally slacking on my reading and you have just motivated me to keep reading it. I want to make some of the recipes too, they sound amazing!
Luv What You Do
I just find his story so interesting! I look forward to checking out what recipes you make!
Brittany
Ok so I read your comment while boarding my plane home, and I read for like 3 hours on the plane. I am halfway done with the book and I cannot wait to finish! Scott Jurek is my new running idol.
Luv What You Do
Ha ha! Plane rides are the BEST for reading. I really like how honest he got adn I think by the end of the book you will be an even bigger fan!
Megan
How beautiful! I actually just got back from a hike and am crafting my post as we speak! We had a crazy incline that I was trying to be the brave one and scaled but while I was spider monkeying my way up I was thinking “If I fell…” I am alive as well. VICTORY.
Vanessa
We have snow here in Indiana so the weather there actually looks pretty nice haha. Love the veggie burger and fries!
Lou
I HATE being cold too – makes me angry.
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile
Ahhh sooo beautiful! I love hiking!!
Alisha
ooooh my gosh, your pictures are amazing! Congrats on going through with climbing to the top, it totally looks worth it! Beyond jealous!
Lisa
I haven’t done any scary hiking really… but I do feel your pain on the cold weather. I just got to NY, and in addition to two feet of snow it is just frigid here!
LivingnLearningbyAmy
Looks like an amazing hike. Don’t worry, i would have been in the same boat as you with that vertical wall of death.
But as far as the “cold weather” goes I was one of those people laughing thinking “That isn’t cold!”. But I guess being in Arizona that does seem cold to you. New Year’s Eve it was -1 but felt like -15 for me, now that’s cold! 🙂
An Unrefined Vegan
Yeah. I would’ve just enjoyed looking UP at that climb, perhaps munching on something tasty as I watched other fools heading skyward. No way, no how. I’m a scare-dee cat. You are a super heroine for doing it! The kind of hiking that scares me the most is an icy, downhill trail. Crab-walk-o-shame, for sure! PS it was 3 degrees here this morning. Three.
Brittany
Oh barf..three degrees. Just barf.
cleaneatingveggiegirl
I HATE being cold, so I can’t blame ya there! 😉 It is almost impossible to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning when you are freezing. I hate it :(.
I love a good veggie/bean burger without the bun. You really get a taste of ALL of the flavor when you eat them this way.
Melissa @ Mouthwatering Morsel
those rocks are CRAZY! I wanna climb it! haha as for the weather .. I can only do up to the 45s …
TorontoRunner
oh my gosh, wow! Those picture are beautiful but it looks absolutely terrifying!! I wouldn’t ever make it all the way up there – way to go for getting it done!!(and coming back in one piece!)
jessielovestorun
GET IT GIRL!! Ha Ha.. I’m pretty sure I would’ve been a bit scared as well but wow… those views are worth it!
Britta
Geeze you make me laugh so much! hahahah the first sentence made me “lol” and my brother thought I was a nut! Anyways, looks like you are having a great time! and I love that you went hiking in JEANS!!!?! haha you’re hilarious! 😀
The Healthy Flavor
Oh my gosh I’d die! I’m so scared of heights, no way I’d do that! You are so funny, I’m a wimp too with the cold weather…25 in AZ??! Wow! I’m in Texas and I can barely handle 40!! Lovely photos! 🙂
Ally
Stunning photos 🙂
Khushboo Thadani
Wow looks awesome! I’ve only ever been hiking once and that was way back when I was SO unfit…so let’s just say that I didn’t have the greatest experience! I would love to go hiking soon though- looks fun :)! And I don’t think you’re crazy for feeling cold- Mumbai is about 21* and I am FREEZING…how the heck did I survive in London ha!
A Tablespoon of Liz
I’ve gone hiking before, but nothing as scary as what you did! I give you major kudos for your crab walk down too!
Kailey
I have never been hiking but hot dang is that ever a gorgeous place to hike!!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I’m Canadian. I’m not laughing [too much]. I’m a huge wimp when it comes to the cold too, and I basically spend the whole winter living inside. Bah! What I wouldn’t give to be able to go for a hike right about now… and finish it off with some fries. Holy.yum.
Pumpedpumpkin
Oh my goodness I’m a huge wimp when it comes to winter. It’s only 40 degrees here and I literally bundle up in my parka and uggs. The hiking extravaganza looks awesome though! I have never on a legitimate hike been but I bet it was gorgeous!
HollieisFueledByLOLZ
BRRRR. It was such a chilly weekend. I hate the cold and living in Upstate NY is not exactly conclusive to that…LOL. I’m not going hiking anywhere until it warms up.
Karla @ myhighonlife
I hate the cold. You are not alone. When I was out in CA it was -1 degree in WI and all the Californians looked at me like I was nuts wearing shorts there when it was 55-60 degrees. True Wisconsinite right here.
The hiking looks beautiful. I hope Tyler gets stationed in Hawaii so I can go hiking in the WARMTH all the time 🙂
Rachel Elizabeth
Those rocks are incredible! I totally know the crab walk… I’ve done that once or twice while hiking haha! My ex decided once to go hiking in the winter…. ice everywhere. I think I slid down a section in fear for my life lol crab walks sure do come in handy at times 😉
karinacocina17
that looks like so much fun!! I’ve never been to arizona before but i never knew it got that cold there…that’s practically east coast weather!
missymiller
Fries > Bread in Carb Rankings anyways.
So happy you are having a good (albeit cold) time. Next year come to Florida!
lifeasliv
Haha, I always look forward to reading your posts, I know I’m in for a giggle. This post, of course, did not disappoint! Lovin’ that crab walk down the mountain (you’d have to be insane to go down any other way, in my opinion) 😉
natalie @ will jog for food
Glad you made it through the hike safely! A few years ago I tripped on an almost vertical drop and got scraped up really badly. The way you walked sown was way safer than what I did!
Change of Pace
You pegged it- I am laughing about the ‘cold’!
Goegeous photos- I’m sure the scare was definitely worth the views. Yikes- hiking can be scary though! When we were in Australia, we hiked a mountain with poor shoes. I almost had a heart attack with one ridge we had to cross. Thankfully, we made it up and down safely!
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate
Mmm that burger…
The Running Ginger
Can’t say I do much hiking, but I have done some scary trail running! I gotta say, rock climbing is something I’ve always wanted to do outside of a climbing wall, I I’ve enjoyed the indoor version in the past.
itsthecookiemonster
LOL is it mean that i laughed the entire time while reading this?
ps: im deathly afraid of heights too
Sid Dunnebacke
Crab-walked down, while taking a picture, apparently. Even better.
Brennan
So pretty! I hiked the Grand Canyon during my Spring Break one year in college. It looked very much like that (it’s all in AZ, go figure). Way to face your fears!
thoughtsappear
I’d have crabby walked it, too. Better safe than sorry.