Woman took up hiking to impress the active man she liked — now engaged, a years-old secret still haunts her
One little lie can sometimes lead a person into a web of deceit. When a Reddit user who goes by u/Major_Meaning1286 met a man in college, she wanted to impress him by lying that she enjoyed hiking as he did. Little did she know that the little lie would make her resent the relationship later. On March 23, 2026, the woman shared how the now-engaged woman was haunted by the lie that she had been keeping for years.
I’ve been pretending to like hiking for seven years
by u/Direct-Caterpillar77 in BestofRedditorUpdates
Seven years into the relationship, the 27-year-old dreaded every single hiking trip they went on. She noted that spending time with him was the only thing she appreciated about the activity; she did not enjoy hiking in hot weather. After she got engaged to him, she realized that she would not be able to hold on to the secret longer, since she was moving in with him. "I feel awful that our relationship started out on a lie," she admitted. Fortunately, her fiancé was understanding about her confession. In an update, she revealed that he had figured it out earlier, when she often complained about the weather. Although he was upset that she'd hidden it from him, he was accepting of her honesty.
"And yes, he does still want to marry me even though I won’t be his hiking buddy for life now," the woman wrote. According to a report in Couples Institute, lying is often done by partners to protect their egos and avoid conflicts. Unfortunately, most times, small lies often spiral into something tangled that is difficult to untangle. The report notes that the foundation of a relationship is trust.
Hence, partners need to be true to themselves and their partners to establish a healthy, lasting union. "Nobody is totally honest all of the time, but if you can start talking more openly about how to give and receive honesty before the nitty-gritties come crawling out of the closets, the monsters from under the bed, those once-upon-a-time white lies get revealed, it will make all the difference in the world," the report noted.
The post gained many reactions from internet users who shared their thoughts on the story. u/StnMtn_ remarked, "Don't worry. When you have kids, they will love hiking. And so will the grandkids. So hiking will be a part of your future indefinitely." u/_h_simpson_ advised, "Girl.. you've got to work on your people pleasing tendencies and communication in general. Glad it turned out ok. Good luck." u/Crazy_old_maurice_17 mentioned, "I'm glad to hear he took the news pretty much as well as could be expected and that you'll work to find another activity which you can both appreciate."