Taking a hike

When Rick Batson’s friend Billy Beers retired 12 years ago, Batson decided a road trip was in order.

“We decided there was a lot of the country we hadn’t seen, so we decided to go see it,” he said. “Some guys go on golf trips or to see ball games, but we decided to go for a hike.”

They haven’t stopped since. They’ve hiked the Half Dome in Yosemite, Red Rock State Park in Arizona, Glacier National Park in Montana and other places from Washington to New Hampshire.

“We’ve just kind of grown in our interest in hiking through the different challenges that we presented to ourselves,” Batson said.

And now Batson is preparing to face a new challenge in May — Machu Picchu. Except this time he’ll be going with his son, Will, who gave him the trip as a surprise gift.

“It’ll be great. It’s supposed to be pretty breathtaking,” Batson said, explaining that on the dawn of the fourth day, they will watch the sun rise over the city of Machu Picchu from the mountaintop. “I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time. My son has, too.”

Batson said he’d first seen pictures nearly 20 years ago and thought ever since then that he’d like to visit one day.

“It sounded like a great thing to do,” he said.

It’ll be a trip of a lifetime, but it’s “not terribly difficult” physically as challenges go, he said.

“It’s not Everest or anything like that — it’s a hike, not a mountain climb,” he said.

But it’s 30 miles over four days in a high-altitude part of Peru, and it’s giving him a good excuse to train.

“I don’t know what it’s going to look like — I just know I need to be in good shape,” Batson said. “So I just started walking.”

The past few weeks, he’s done 50 miles a week. 

“I definitely am noticing a lot more strength climbing the hills around Homewood,” he said. “I try to seek out the hills and get a good base for when I go, so I can enjoy it.”

And in April, he, Beers and a few more of their buddies took a trip to hike Mount Sterling in North Carolina for a little more high-altitude practice. 

“He’s old — we’ve gotta get him in shape,” Beers said with a laugh.

Mount Sterling sits at almost 6,000 feet in elevation, which doesn’t quite hit Machu Picchu’s nearly 8,000 feet.

But it’s closer to Homewood, Batson joked.

“It’ll be a good trip,” he said in February.

And while Batson was there in North Carolina, he was also participating virtually in the Steeple 2 Steeple walk/run to benefit the United Methodist Children’s Home, which provides safe, loving homes for children in need.

He hasn’t missed being physically present for the event in years, so Batson was glad he could participate virtually, he said.

“It’s a cause that’s been near and dear to my heart for a long time,” Batson said, who serves as a sponsor. “My grandfather was a board member there for years, so I was kind of born into it.”