The Nomad Chronicles: Me, hiking?

So I've blabbered a bit in past posts about how I need to expand my comfort zone into the uncomfortable a bit in order to experience this, um, experience to the fullest. I've done that to a certain extent: I went to that party with complete strangers the second day I was here, and this past weekend I went to an anniversary party for my mentor's hairdresser. But I need to do it better.

Anyway, an example of "Teresa doing something she'd never do in America": Hiking. It's not so much that I despise hiking or exercise, it's just that most of the time I'd rather do pretty much anything else. But my mentor invited me to go on an easy hike with her hiking club (Asociación Montañeros Vegas Altas), and I accepted.

We met at the Don Benito bus stop at about 8:45 on a recent Sunday morning. There were about 25 of us, with me being the only non-Spanish native. The great thing about doing things here with people I don't know is that my American-ness makes me inherently interesting. In America, I don't have that advantage with strangers.

I showed up woefully dressed. I was wearing tennis shoes, capri leggings and a "Nebraska" sweatshirt. Everyone made it known that my outfit was ludicrous and I was going to freeze. My explanation that I moved here from 4,500 miles away, and my hiking gear didn't make the cut when I packed my life into two suitcases fell on deaf ears. I actually don't even own any hiking gear, but that's neither here nor there...

The fellow hikers pooled some resources and graciously provided me with a zip-up sweatshirt, a windbreaker and a taller pair of socks.

My makeshift outfit, with my mentor, also named Teresa.

Then we headed to a 16-kilometer (10 miles) route called "Los Doce Apóstoles" (the 12 apostles) near Salvaleón in southern Extremadura.

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I made my mentor promise it would be easy before I agreed to go. It was easy, more or less, although it ended up being longer than 10 miles because we got lost in the forest. But the beautiful landscape and fresh air were worth every extra step - and I spoke Spanish most of the time, so no complaints here.