26 Navigating Urban Hiking

Have you ever thought of what it's like to be allergic to sun, not own a car because you never needed to, and have to navigate a whole new city? 

We did! Here's how we learned how to navigate urban hiking in our city. 

     Porcelain and her daughter Harmony were finally putting down roots. Just one hitch. They never realized what urban hiking actually meant until they did. The hills were numerous. It was a college town, so thankfully, it had a reliable bus system, and plenty of stores that were open later in the evening. Navigating this place would be a cinch!

     First things first: finding a job that Porcelain could do that would let her avoid sun exposure was a task within itself. She quickly put her resume in at the local college's anthropology department. She already had a partial degree in historical research and planned on finishing her education in this area. Her resume was accepted and she became a data entry assistant! Porcelain loved her job scanning old documents and logging archaeological finds. She was even able to see a real mastodon skull from a dig for a highway, but had been surveyed first!

     The only issue with the job was she had to do a little urban hiking to get to the building. It seemed the hills were everywhere! She could take the bus there, but then had to trek up what she considered a mountain, just to get to the Anthropology museum. Armed with her hoodie, umbrella and sunglasses; she would take the bus, then hike three days a week up that mountain.

It was probably a good thing Porcelain liked to hike!

     It helped that the bus system went to so many parts of town, and she soon found ways around climbing hills. Harmony loved to explore the town as well. They would walk down to the riverwalk in the evening and enjoy the gentle breeze and beautiful flowers growing alongside it. There was a huge park on one of the hills where they’d walk down the gravel path to feed ducks, and Harmony would hang out in the playground under the shade of trees of its tiny pine forest.

Here are some tips to help you learn to navigate your own city, while also being sun intolerant:

- Make sure to bring a bag with a first-aid kit, sunglasses, a hat or scarf.

- Wear a hoodie or light UV sun blocker jacket, and bring an umbrella (A nice UV golf umbrella has served me well!)

- If you aren't wearing a jacket, wear long sleeves (yes even in summer. There are UV sun blocker shirts made from thin material).

- Wear pants, UV sun blocker leggings, or a long skirt.

- No open-toed shoes. You will not only have sunburned feet, but they will likely swell and it will hurt.

- Wear very thin socks if it's summer time. Don't go without socks. (They can be a helpful barrier between your feet and overheating in your shoes.)

- Do not forget your hands. They make thin UV blocker gloves that look like skin. (This works out well if it's summertime, because wearing gloves will definitely overheat you).

- Map out where the hills are, and ways around them if it's warm outside. (If you're like me and don't sweat, you don't want to end up with heat exhaustion!)

- Learn the bus system, the times, and where you can transfer to each bus. Have a notebook with all of this information in it. Download your city's bus app and sign up for rider alerts. (You want to know if the bus was too early getting to the stop, or how late it will be so you can improvise your trips).

- If you can, get an app that tells you the sunrise, UV rating, and sunset. Learn where the sun rises and sets in your city as well. (This will help greatly so you don't have to guess if you're going to get a full face of sun by accident).

Finally, IGNORE looks from anyone who is ignorant enough to think you are foolish for covering up, or tries to judge you. Believe me, it happens. Your health is way more important than what they think. 

     And yes, I hike. I adore hiking and I don't get to go often. There's a butte near me where I have hiked to the top and back down, all the way around it! We had to start at daybreak, but it was worth it. We practice safety. The way down the other side is completely in shade. You can do things, and you can travel! You just have to be careful while doing so. Porphyria will rule your life, but you can adapt your life to it and have some control!