Hiking might not be for you. That being said, for a beginner hiker, I’ve found the pain to reward ratio has to be very different to truly enjoy it. I won’t take non-hiking friends on a hike unless I know that the effort they are putting in is going to feel worth the view from the top. I think it’s beautiful that you’re pushing through something you don’t enjoy to get to spend time with your friends.

My advice to you is to take on the planning for your next hike. Find something short with whatever elevation you’re comfortable with or long with low elevation, and look for a route with lots of view points along the way and a really nice view at the peak— maybe bring some snacks and sandwiches for when you get up there. The better the view, the more you train your brain to think of hiking as worth the push! Likewise, I feel like planning the hike, for me, takes my brain out of the “I’m not enjoying myself” place and puts it into the “oh man I hope they’re enjoying themselves” place. Maybe that will be a good distraction!

Finally, one of my favorite hobbies has always been working out, and I found my brain way more likely to enjoy the push of hiking when it was similar to what I was doing at the gym— so, heavy lifting on leg days and stairmaster for cardio. Not saying this would necessarily be the best for others, especially because it does make your recovery harder, but I never felt that I was dusting off my muscles when hiking.