Keniya Portnyakov´s 2023 Summer Trip to the Amazing Bighorn Mountains

Keniya Portnyakov has been in love with the great outdoors, especially the mountains, ever since she was a little girl. She loves spending every summer in the mountains and she is always looking for ways to get her friends and family to come along with her, no matter the location or the hike´s length. The longer and harder, the better, as long as the destination is rewarding and includes some sort of a lake, river or some other body of water. This year Keniya dedicated her 2-weeks-long annual summer trip to hiking the Bighorn Mountains. Keniya has planned the trip according to her preferences; it was going to be hard, wild and rewarding. She planned some shorter hikes to get to the starting point and to get back from the ending point, but the four-day loop she planned in the middle of her trip was the main event. She called the main trail loop “The Challenger” because she was going to challenge herself to hike it alone, without a tour guide and without her usual hiking team, and she name the whole trip “Mountains Calling”.

The first two days of her trip went by almost too fast for Keniya, and before she knew, she was beginning the “The Challenger”. The trail has proven to be more challenging than Keniya expected, and she quickly realized that she had underestimated the power of solitude. It was so different hiking the same trails alone than with her usual hiking team; there were no laughs and stories shared, there was no one to motivate her, and no one to pick up the pace when she kept slowing down due to exhaustion. Her mind started playing tricks on her, and she kept imagining sounds and following shadows with her gaze. The fear of bears and other wild animals started growing with each turn of the trail. The first day of the hike, she decided to skip camping and to keep hiking until she find a place far from the starting point to set up her tent. At the first light of the second day of the loop, Keniya continued her journey, determined to show herself that she can do this. The second day was as hard as the first, and Keniya found herself exhausted and desperate for conversation, but her pride kept her from going back to the easier trails and wait for one of the guided tours.

On the third day of "The Challenger" something magical happened. Keniya was walking on the trail, daydreaming as usual, when she suddenly heard a noise that wasn´t made by her. She turned around but saw nothing. She decided to continue walking, but then she heard the noise again. This time she stopped and turned around, determined to find out what was making those noises. She scanned the area and spotted the most adorable bear cub. The cub didn´t see Keniya, so she was able to watch it for a few seconds before it continued walking and disappeared into the forest. Just as Keniya was about to continue her walk, she heard the cracking of a tree branch behind her. She turned around and saw the biggest black bear she had ever seen. The bear stopped in its tracks and stared at Keniya. Keniya´s mind went blank, and she froze. She knew that she should back away slowly, but her body wouldn´t move. She closed her eyes and waited for the bear to attack. But the attack never came; Keniya opened her eyes, and the bear was gone.

Keniya was left alone with her shaking body, racing heart, and confused mind. She couldn´t believe that she had just faced a black bear and lived to tell the tale. She decided to finish the “The Challenger” loop but she didn´t do it to prove anything to anyone or to herself, she did it to honor the bear and her experience with the animal. She wanted to show the bear that she was not afraid, and that she respected its territory. After she finished the loop, Keniya felt like a new person. She had faced her fears, and she had come out stronger. She was so grateful to the bear for teaching her such a valuable lesson. She knew that she would never forget her experience in the Bighorn Mountains, and she was already planning her next trip.

• Keniya Portnyakov´s trip to the Bighorn Mountains was a life-changing experience.
• The most challenging part of her trip was hiking "The Challenger" loop alone, but she was able to overcome her fears and complete it.
• Keniya´s encounter with a black bear was a reminder that we are all connected to nature, and that we should respect the animals and their territory.
• Keniya´s trip to the Bighorn Mountains is an example of how spending time in nature can help us to learn more about ourselves and the world around us.