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Trail Mix & an Urban Hike

INDOOR / OUTDOOR · COST: $$$ · FOOD: YES · DRINKS: NO

Sometimes a hike out in nature isn’t always an easy destination to whisk yourself and a date away to. But, just because the dirt path is replaced by concrete, and the trees are a little more absent than one would desire, that doesn’t mean you can’t just move your hike to somewhere more convenient.

In Portland, there are hundreds of little “urban hikes” and staircases around the city, as well as the paths and journeys you yourself create.

These little “urban hikes” are (essentially) free, can be as long or as short as you want, and even provide more options to stop along the way than your standard “nature walk”.

You can even use an app like MapMyRun and find/create your own urban hikes.

A great way to start it off? Kick off the first leg of your journey by stocking up on “hiking food”. Hit the closest grocery store that has a decent bulk-foods section and go about creating your own “urban trail-mix”. What is ‘Urban Trail-Mix?’ WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE!

We all know the best aspects of trail-mix are the M&Ms. Be a kid. Make some awesome trail-mix with your date (consider serving size too--you’re trying to keep this under $20), grab a coffee or hike-beer (if that’s legal in your city), and head to your “trail head” (aka wherever in your city you plan to start your “hike”).

The Overview

WHAT You Need
"Hikes need trail mix..."

Everybody loves a hike. Well, some people like them. However, there's not always a great place to GO for a hike; maybe you live in the city?
Not to fear! You can even kick it up a notch by adding in a DIY-trailmix portion to the date!

Hit the best bulk-food section of your local grocery store and create a trailmix concoction you and your date can munch on while you wander.

WHEN to do it
Day, Night, Sun, Rain, Snow... eh, mostly just Sun..

Any time is fine, as long as you are ok with the elements. Sunny afternoons work great, but sometimes a stroll around sunset or an early morning excursion will better fit the bill. An umbrella and boots may be necessary if you live in the Pacific Northwest (but if you're really from here, you don't use an umbrella). Consider you'll be outside, it could be slippy (this is apparently a Pittsburgh) so make sure your footwear is appropriate. If it's after sunset, consider bringing a flash light (and then you can tell ghost stories or something later when you find a park bench).

WHERE to go
A city stroll or high-rise hopping

Pick a walk around your city--
Include stair-cases, hills, even buildings with elevators! You can use something like MapMyRun to create a route and utilize your phone's GPS to keep on track.
Something fun