Truth be told, I love wearing high heels.

This may not be the popular opinion held by my fellow females, but when you have a petite, 5’1 frame like me, a few extra inches are a blessing.

But while I prepared to review the inaugural Hike the Hill in Heels event, I knew I had to be more practical in my fashion choice, and my low-lying shoes turned out to be that practical choice. I soon realized that wearing dark jeans and a navy T-shirt in the four o’clock sun was going to make my experience all the more uncomfortable.

And that was precisely the point.

At about 4 p.m., an array of high-heeled walkers congregated at the front of the Torchbearer Statue to start the march with infectious energy, including some glamorous displays by the heel clad men posing in prom-style pictures. As our exodus to the Hill began, I made a point to drink in the variety of marchers who had taken up this challenge intended to, quite literally, place students in the shoes of a sexual assault survivor.

This is something I had to remind myself of constantly as I weaved in and out of the clusters of high heel walkers. If I was sweaty and out-of-sorts for 20 minutes, I can only imagine how troubling it is to carry the memory of such a violent, humiliating and ultimately uncomfortable attack — an act disturbing for both body and mind.

In truth, it wasn’t about experiencing the pain for that brief period time. It was about stepping outside your own skin to understand the burden of a peer’s journey as a survivor.

Within the last month, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing a sexual assault survivor for the Daily Beacon’s most recent special issue. While she admitted the daily struggle with her personal triggers, I was encouraged when I heard how vital her family, and friends’ support had been in the early stages of recovery.

As I completed the second stretch, a small crowd of students and SGA campaigners cheering us on further proved her point. The presence of a community can make all the difference for someone carrying that burden — or, in my case, someone with blisters on their toes. Ten minutes later, our trek ended on the sunny green of Ayres Hall where event volunteers greeted us with orange slices and bottled water.

If Hike the Hill accomplished one thing, it is in highlighting the need for mutual, peer-drive support on campus, in what it looks like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

But for all the camaraderie, there was one thing I couldn’t overlook: the lack of representation from UT’s administrators.

While I certainly applaud the volunteers, students, faculty and Center for Health Education and Wellness for the enthusiasm inherent behind the event’s inaugural pilot, resounding rhetoric from one of the “higher-ups” would have given Hike the Hill the gusto for widespread campus attention.

In other words, we need a stronger bedrock of support from the people whose very job entails caring for every student’s well-being.

If Vols are really going to help Vols, shouldn’t that motto echo among the highest tiers of Rocky Top?

A simple mile hike can give a voice to an issue so personal and crucial to the security of the Vol community — it is a step in the right direction.

Let’s hope we can keep climbing together.