Hiking is serious business, folks!

I like to occasionally hike where I live in North Carolina and it’s hard work trudging up and down a mountain.

And the person who wrote this story on Reddit wants to know if they were wrong for how they handled a hiking trip with their friends.

Read on and see what you think!

AITA for turning around on a hike I was unfit to complete?

“I went on a hike with some friends this week, which we planned on doing over 5 days.

After a day and half, I realized I was not physically fit enough to complete the rest of the hike, and made the decision that I was going to turn around before it was too late.

This wasn’t easy.

For context, it’s 35 miles into a mountain range with 2000 ft of elevation gain per day, I do not do much cardio or hiking, though I am relatively fit.

I do have some cardiac issues and am particularly susceptible to altitude sickness, though it was certainly my fault for overestimating my abilities.

I shouldn’t have went in the first place, but to be honest, the trip was partially my idea.

However, I made it very clear to my friends that I myself was going to turn around, and I wanted them to complete it without me.

They made everything clear to them.

At no point did I ever ask them to turn around, as a matter of fact I explicitly told them not to turn around with me as I didn’t want to ruin the trip for them.

Yet, they turned around with me, which I did appreciate, but I would rather them have finished it without me, as I made very clear to everyone.

Of course we were a bit disappointed that we didn’t finish it, but when they claimed it was my fault, I couldn’t help but disagree.

I argued for 30 minutes trying to get them to continue without me.

I chose to turn around because I knew it would be a risk to all of us had I continued on, especially if things got worse, and we were already 10 miles deep so it was best to make the decision before it was too late.

We also had no PLB or connection to the outside world, so there was no way to call for help if things got bad.

I was willing to accept the risk that came with returning solo, as it is heavy grizzly bear country, but I did have bear defense.

Here it comes…

Once we finally got back, everyone claimed how I ruined their weekend.

I can see why they think that, but I explicitly told them not to follow me back, and to continue the hike without me.

They say it was my fault they didn’t get to finish it.

It made me feel like crap and I don’t think I want to go on another trip with them because I don’t want to risk ruining it.

For a bit more context, these are my best friends whom I’ve known my whole life.

I don’t hold any resentment towards them, and I am 100% confident we will remain friends for many years to come, if not for the rest of our lives.

We are still hanging out today, but I can’t help but feel like they hold some level of resentment for my decision to turn back on the hike.

AITA for ruining everyone’s weekend?

I thought I made the right choice but I feel as though I may not have.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This reader had a lot to say.

Another person said they acted like an *******.

This Reddit user thinks they all SUCK.

Another reader said they were to blame for what happened.

Well, this didn’t end well…for anyone.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.