Learning to Love The Hike

Photo by Emre Kuzu on Pexels.com
by Lynn Cahoon

Hi, I’m Lynn Cahoon and the author of A FIELD GUIDE TO HOMICIDE.  I’m like a lot of authors you meet. We love books. We love talking about the books we’re reading. And maybe it’s just me, but I’m just a little chubby from the time I sit on my butt writing as well as the taste testing new recipes for the back of the books.

Exercise is always on my mind and my to do list, but sometimes, it gets moved to the next day. The one thing I do love is walking or hiking. For me, walking is hooking up with a co-worker (or the dogs) and taking a stroll around the community. Or heading out to one of the walking paths my hometown has available on the levee or on river road.

I’m from Idaho, so hiking is talked a lot about with the people you meet. And there are hiking groups and trails available ranging in destinations from high desert to mountain waterfalls.

Hiking, which is what Seth’s taking the writers from this month’s retreat on, is a little different. Typically, it’s not a flat, paved surface. Its mountain or even urban trails that you’re going to stay on for a few hours, rather than minutes. Hiking takes longer than a walk. And you need to take supplies with you.  Backpack with compass, water, treats (granola bars and or cookies and some sort of nuts), and if you’re really serious, an extra pair of sock, just in case your fee get wet or you rub a blister on your ankle due to your new hiking boots.

The best thing about hiking is the scenery. I love getting on a trail and being able to stop and shoot a few pictures to remember the trip.  I know my usually inactive body will thank me for the workout (after a day or so where I feel every muscle in my body.) And it’s a great social activity. New to the area?  Join a local hiking group and see your new town through all new vantage points.

You don’t have to head to a local outdoor store and buy all the newest and greatest accessories. But you need a comfortable pair of shoes, sunglasses and a hat, and a light jacket just in case you find a rain cloud. (Or the rain cloud finds you.)

And the most important thing to take with you on your walk? A new paperback. You never know when you’re going to be stranded in a mountain cabin looking for something to read while you wait to be rescued.

In fact, it’s always a great idea to carry a book! You never know when you’re going to need something to pass the time.


A Field Guide To HomicideCat Latimer and her writer’s retreat group go on a hiking trip—but a murderer has been lurking off the beaten path . . .

Cat’s sweetheart, Seth, is going all out on an outing into the local mountains—for the benefit of the writing group Cat’s hosting at her Colorado B&B. But when they try to identify some plant and animal life, they find death instead. The body belongs to a man with a gold claim a few miles away. Instead of striking it rich, he’s been struck down.

To his surprise, Seth recognizes the victim from his military days—and up to now believed he’d already died during his last tour of duty. Now Cat has to solve this mystery before the killer takes a hike . . .