— Hello, John. How are you?

— Hello, Mike! Fine, and you?

— Good. Look here. Mike, what do you feel about hiking?

— Well, you see, I have just a slight idea about it. I’m not much of a hiker, but I’ve been always interested in taking part in one of them.

— Perfect. That’s what I’m driving at. My family is going on a hike this Saturday. Will you join us?

— I’ll do it with pleasure, but I’m not experienced, it’ll be my first time I go on a hike.

— That’s not a problem. I’ll give you some information, so that you could understand how wonderful it is.

— Oh, I’m all ears.

 

— Hiking is very popular. Many people in different countries go hiking. They cover long distances, go across fields, meadows, groves, forests, climb up mountains, cross deep rivers and enjoy beautiful nature and its inhabitants.

— Isn’t it a bit boring to walk miles and miles, watching the same scenery? One can get sick and tired after a few hours, to say nothing of several days.

-How dare you say that? When you go on a hike you begin to realize how much you were ignorant of sitting in a chair beside your TV. After some time you surrender yourself to fine intoxication. That comes of much motion in the open air. There’ll be some moments of bitterness during the first day or so especially if it’s your first hiking tour. But then you’ll say that this was an experience like nothing else on earth.

-Really? In the evening we’ll strike a tent, get everything ready for a fire nd make it. If we’re near water, we can catch fish and make soup. Or we can make roasted beef or jacket potatoes and settle ourselves for meal.

-Sure, I’ll try not to forget cooking utensils.

-After a meal we’ll have an opportunity to have a healthy sleep either in the tent or in the open air in sleeping bags. We’ll get up in the morning. The best way to get up is to throw water over yourself. I’ll take my rubber boat and we’ll run it into a quiet nook where we’ll have a swim. We can also enjoy singing of birds.

-Now, I must warn you, that hiking is very dangerous. We must stay together and if you need help you should ask for it. But never conceal anything from your fellow-hikers.

-Ok. I understand.

 

-Now, it’s only two days before we start. I advise you to begin packing…