Why we hike eh? (Yes, I am Canadian. It’s not obvious right?)
Tom Mangan at Two Heel Drive posed the deep question earlier this week.
Why do we hike? There are so many different answers.I loved reading through all the different posts. Tom has them all linked up at Two Heel Drive if you want to check them out or search Twitter for #whywehike.
There were so many different responses. Everyone had their own individual reasons for getting out there and hiking mile after mile.
Mine are similar.
There are the fitness reasons.
Hiking can be an incredible workout and is always good exercise. I would happily take some wandering down a trail or over a mountain over staring at the wall at the gym any day!
There are the nature reasons.
It’s amazing to get back to nature. Get out of the city. Get out of the hum and the stress and all the tense people rushing from here to there. I don’t live in a very big down and I still feel it. People that have to be somewhere. They have to do something. And they’re always rushing while they’re doing it. How can it not be nice to step away from that and listen to the birds chirping, the streams gurgling and the wind flowing through the trees.
There are the social reasons.
I’m almost always hiking with friends and family. I do go for a wander every once in a while by myself but most of the time it tends to be a great experience with friends and family that I wouldn’t normally get sitting around on the couch watching a movie. There’s just something about experiencing those amazing places and vistas with the most important people in your life that makes everything else fade away.
And then there are the other reasons that I’m not really sure how to explain. Adventuring, exploring, needing to know what’s around the next corner. There’s many different ways to describe the urge to see what’s out there, what’s around the next corner. What if it could be the most beautiful vista you’ve ever seen? What if it was an amazing animal you had never seen in the wild before. What if those last few steps to the peak marked the highest you had ever been before, or the farthest. There’s just something about being in those places that you’ve never been to and pushing yourself past what you thought were your physical limits that entices me back into the wild every single time. Whether it be hiking, running, mountain biking, skiing or snowshoeing, I’m always fair game to explore a new place.
There’s also the beautiful scenery and the awesome stories you get to tell to your friends who stayed at home and did laundry.
I can add another reason why I hike. To see the sensational pictures that were taken on this post in real life. The second picture down with the trail going through the snow covered trees made my spine tingle.It is difficult to put into words to those that do not understand. I feel more grounded and human after spending a couple of days or weeks in the outdoors.
Thanks for the kind words Ted. One of my reasons for getting into photography was to better share the incredible views that I see when I’m out hiking, skiing and kayaking. I’m not pro yet but I’m working on it :)It truly is one of those things that you just have to experience to understand. The best thing to ward off Nature Deficit Disorder is to go outside and play.