I hiked 4.1 miles up a mountain for an Arby’s burger. I will never forget that day.
I’d lost more than 200 pounds, and I still had no idea I could climb that mountain. The whole way up, I kept thinking there was no way I could do this.
Meanwhile, my jacket was way too big. I’d ordered a size larger than I normally would, because I hadn’t figured out how to buy clothes for the size I actually was.
So there I was, in a jacket that didn’t fit, heading toward an Arby’s on a mountain. Which is a ridiculous sentence, but it is also what happened.
This was September 2023. Arby’s had created a one-day Hike-Thru in the Colorado Rockies to launch its Big Game Burger. I went for the adventure and the burger. I came home knowing I could do something I hadn’t thought I could.
Arby’s had put a restaurant WHERE?
The day started with a van ride into the mountains. I had no clue exactly where we were headed, and I was still in shock that there was actually going to be an Arby’s up there.
Usually, the effort involved in getting curly fries is finding the drive-thru. This particular lunch was going to require a little more from me.
Eric, our hike guide, made sure we didn’t get lost. And Kristen, my PR bestie for the day, was right there every time I needed a breather, ready to take a break with me.
Kristen, you rock. So do walking sticks. I am very glad we had walking sticks.
A cookie station. A soda fountain. In the woods.
There were stops along the trail, including a cookie station. I need you to appreciate that somebody put a cookie station on the way to a mountain burger.
And just before the summit, there was a freaking soda fountain. I had a blue Powerade moment in the woods that I will never forget.
I loved those details. The hike itself was hard for me, but then there would be this completely unexpected little piece of Arby’s out there. A cookie stop. A soda fountain. An actual ordering window.
Yes, I got to order from a Hike Thru on a mountain. I loved every second of that.
They didn’t start making my food right then, though. There was still more hiking between me and lunch.
I think I’m actually going to do this
I kept thinking I couldn’t make it. But I kept climbing, too.
As I got closer, that thought started changing. I think I’m going to do this.
Losing more than 200 pounds hadn’t automatically taught me what I could do now. I was finding that out on the trail, in the too-big jacket I’d ordered because I was still figuring out my own size.
And we need to talk about that last .1 mile. This was a 4.1-mile hike, and I am keeping the .1 because that last stretch was such a kicker. I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the summit.
Then I did.
Oh yes.
I made it. Now give me the curly fries.
At the summit, I finally got to taste the Big Game Burger. After all that hiking, it was worth every step.
According to Arby’s launch announcement, the burger had a blend of venison, elk, and ground beef, topped with crispy onions, pickles, Swiss cheese, and dark cherry steak sauce.
And the curly fries? I swear they taste even better at high altitude.
I will always remember the burger and the soda fountain in the woods. But I also remember how my thinking changed as I got closer to the top. I started that hike convinced I couldn’t do it. I finished it.
Arby’s, I am still interested in that Jamaican Jerk burger idea. Especially if waterfalls and glowing fish are involved.
But first, can I have your bag fries? I climbed a mountain. I feel I have earned them.
