What keeps you coming back?

[chili36]

I don't know that I have any "one" reason. There are a lot of them. I admit there are some days I ask myself "why am I doing this"....then, I see or experience something special and I know why.

[bloodmountainman]

Because "out There" is better than "in here"!

[BradMT]

Because "out There" is better than "in here"!

YES!

[bfitz]

Your family and friends don't understand your desire to "leave it all behind" while you go hiking and in fact, some of them suspect you're daft.

Exactly. I keep coming back to hang out with some people who don't think I'm daft. They're kinda hard to find.

[warraghiyagey]

Birds of a feather my friend.

[Nearly Normal]

I'm not sure, but usually begin planing the next trip on the ride home.

[Gaiter]

They're kinda hard to find.

very true

[Hooch]

So, you say you like backpacking.
So much so that you go out in the cold of winter, the scortching heat of summer, the wet and windy spring time and the fall with all that it brings. You spend day after day unshowered, unkempt, and wearing the same dirty clothes. You slog through trails covered with water, mud and snow while carrying a considerable weight on your back. Your family and friends don't understand your desire to "leave it all behind" while you go hiking and in fact, some of them suspect you're daft.

Now, tell me why you keep returning to backpacking.

Because I can see beauty that the city will never be able to provide. I don't have to hear sirens, horns, helicopters and deal with traffic. I don't have to see people die or hear the cries of their loved ones when it happens. I can truly understand what "peace of mind" means when I'm "out there" somewhere.

[Mini-Mosey]

I like what someone said about their soul wanting to be nearer to God....and with them it may not be a choice. (Please forgive me for not remembering the name.) I like the physical and mental challenges also, even when I do groan.

Just got back last night from a loop backpacking trip in the Shenandoahs. VERY,VERY foggy, wet, chilly, gray....however, another great learning experience. The worst part was driving on Skyline Drive to get there....had to go SLOW so as not to hit anything since it was so foggy. Still got some great pics.

I do get anxious and lonely out there at times. But I still love it.

[warraghiyagey]

as i told someone not too long ago...the wildnerness, nature and the mountains are all my 'church'....

Yes, yes, it is where I feel closest to the grand Artist.

In the woods, I'm surrounded by God made things. I'm not sure I have the choice, it may be my soul wanting to be nearer to God than anything I can figure out.

I like what someone said about their soul wanting to be nearer to God
.

There is that theme for sure.

[scout005]

I can say this: I enjoy the physical effort, the fact that I have my world in my pack, 2 straps across my shoulders and x number of miles to walk. I don’t particularly enjoy humping a 30-40 pound ruck up and down mountains. I think most backpackers if they are honest, will agree with that. What I do enjoy is the feeling of being in the woods, hiking fast, putting that pack down at the end of the day and setting up at a nice campsite. There’s a feeling of accomplishing a simple satisfying act. That’s what brings me back to the trail year after year since 1975 and that’s what people who are tied to their warm houses and daily routines don’t understand. You have to pity those folks a bit. They’re missing out on a lot.

[Summit]

After this past weekend hike, what keeps me coming back is I doggone completely missed the trail I intended to hike! Never been to Shinning Rock Wilderness before and as it turns out the trail I wanted was across the bridge from the trailhead parking (no trail signs whatsoever in Wilderness areas). So I took a "sucker trail" down the wrong side of the river, and after two hours and realizing something wasn't right, wound up bushwacking to get on another trail and execute Plan B! I need to go back and hike the trail I meant to!

See Other Trails for more detail on my Shinning Rock Wilderness experience and photos in my gallery.