What Really Got You Hooked on Hiking?

[Lone Wolf]

buffets and beer every few days

[ATMountainTime]

My dad was a scout master in our troop, we hiked ALOT. I was hiking by 4 years old. Hadn't really stopped since. I think what keeps me going it the peace and quiet and the physical challenge. But last year was a big one for me. I was in Cloudland Canyon Georgia, got up at O dark 30 in the morning, hiked the rim trail watched the sun come up with my dog and a cup of coffee. it was simply the most gorgeous morning in my life. Had been going through some job issues, and knew then, like most times. I belong in the woods.

Or in my wifes words "You aren't a stressed out ahole in the woods, you are more the real you"

[hikerboy57]

for me it was my first backpacking trip on the AT in 1976.slept at liberty springs campsite,started out the next morning before dawn, i remeber climbing lafayette up through the morning fog into brilliant sunlight, and except for the clouds still in the valleys, could see to the horizon with just the peaks sticking above the fog like islands. i spent the rest of the week in the pemi, an unforgettable trip that ive already told about here, so i wont go into all the details.
in the dvd Trek about 4 thru hikers, one of them speaks of franconia ridge being one of the most beautiful sights hed ever seen. it always makes me smile.
i agree.

[theoilman]

My original hiking was boy scouts in the early 1960s. None after 1965. Fast forward. Spring 2009 in SNP, did a couple of side trail day hikes, and the seed was planted that "hiking would be a nice thing to take up again." December 2009, triple bypass heart surgery. Walking would be best exercise to strengthen my heart. Combine, walking with some modest length trail hiking! Now have been on several 3 to 5 day hikes, but I am still learning what my body is really capable of (found out twice what is too much for me). First multi-day hike pack weighed nearly 40#. Next ones 25# to 28#, and is acceptable to me. (Probably 8 miles when elevation climbs are 1500 feet plus total is the max my body can do and still do more days.)

I am not a thru hiker, and probably never will be. A couple of week long hikes per year and a couple of week-ends is my current plan.

Planning on hiking the "Jesus Trail" from Nazareth to Capernium in spring of 2014 (65 Km, 40 mi). A trip to Israel and see the Holy Land is on my bucket list, so combine it with hiking, after all, Jesus didn't take the bus. The Jesus Trail covers much of the area of His ministry.

[Mags]

Or in my wifes words "You aren't a stressed out ahole in the woods, you are more the real you"

Adrianna say something similar about me, too. As she put it once "Vacation Paul is more fun than Work Paul".

But work Paul has to pay the bills... Laid-Off Paul was REALLY fun, but was "almost Broke-Paul" by the end.

[ATMountainTime]

Adrianna say something similar about me, too. As she put it once "Vacation Paul is more fun than Work Paul".

But work Paul has to pay the bills... Laid-Off Paul was REALLY fun, but was "almost Broke-Paul" by the end.

Couldn't agree more, Laid off mountain time was alot of fun, long trips for a week or more at a time....sadly, my resume got picked up and i got hired. lol

[Creek Dancer]

Outward Bound, Colorado, 1990.

[AAhiker]

My father, brothers and I used to go on camping trip once a year right after school let out and I always enjoyed it but what really got me hooked was a bit further down the road. It was my 4th year in the Navy and I was stationed over in washington state. My car was crapping out on me and I had about 60 bucks til payday which wasn't even enough money for gas back and forth to work for the week. Luckily I never took leave so it seemed like the best option. I took my beat up jetta a backpack and some stuff I had lying around, bought powerbars and beef jerky, looked at my dachshund/corgi mix and said, "Alright pup, here we go!" We drove out to to Ross Lake recreation area in the North Cascades and off we went. When I got back to the car exhausted and smelling of dirt and wood, I looked back towards where I just came from and I knew right then that there was no place I would ever want to be more than in the wilderness with a pack on my back hiking towards something and nothing forever... Then of course I went to the nearest diner and me and my pup stuffed our faces with as much food as we could possibly consume.

[Driver8]

Planning on hiking the "Jesus Trail" from Nazareth to Capernium in spring of 2014 (65 Km, 40 mi). A trip to Israel and see the Holy Land is on my bucket list, so combine it with hiking, after all, Jesus didn't take the bus. The Jesus Trail covers much of the area of His ministry.

I would really like to hike the Jesus Trail. First read about it a few months ago and love the idea.

My father, brothers and I used to go on camping trip once a year right after school let out and I always enjoyed it but what really got me hooked was a bit further down the road. It was my 4th year in the Navy and I was stationed over in washington state. My car was crapping out on me and I had about 60 bucks til payday which wasn't even enough money for gas back and forth to work for the week. Luckily I never took leave so it seemed like the best option. I took my beat up jetta a backpack and some stuff I had lying around, bought powerbars and beef jerky, looked at my dachshund/corgi mix and said, "Alright pup, here we go!" We drove out to to Ross Lake recreation area in the North Cascades and off we went. When I got back to the car exhausted and smelling of dirt and wood, I looked back towards where I just came from and I knew right then that there was no place I would ever want to be more than in the wilderness with a pack on my back hiking towards something and nothing forever... Then of course I went to the nearest diner and me and my pup stuffed our faces with as much food as we could possibly consume.

That's what I'm talking about!

[RED-DOG]

I got tired of society B.S did a Flip-Flop in 96 and couln't stop. RED-DOG

[ATMountainTime]

My 90 pound rescue Yellow lab named Luke Skywalker is always an inspiration to hike, of course his idea of hike is my idea of slat out sprint.

[Bear Cables]

Through Scouting. My sons were in an awesome troop that did alot of backpacking. I was asked by the scoutmaster, who became my backpacking mentor, if I wanted to go play with the troop on a backpacking weekend. I said sure! After that intro hike we hiked 6 days in VA and the next year headed for Philmont. It was there I really got hooked. The knowledge that I could endure 11 days in the backcountry were so empowering to me as a then 43 year old mother of teen boys! The boys are grown and married now but I still hit the trail about 3 times a year. I converted my sister from a camping day hiker to a backpacking nut like me! We have made and continue to make wonderful sisterhood memories!

[Praha4]

spending 3 weeks at Camp Merrill in late Oct-early Nov 1976 during the Mtn phase of Army Ranger school. Fell in love with the north GA mountains during peak color season. C-rations and LRPs were the menu of the day. I would have killed for a couple Snickers bars at the time!

[Different Socks]

Way back in high school I heard about the AT and wrote up a bucket list of things to do by the time I was 30. I subsequently forgot about the lit and/or lost it. Then many years later just after my thru hike i found the list again and was shocked that 13 years earlier i had a dream to do the AT and actually did it.
What got me hooked? I read Cindy Ross' book "A woman's Journey" and got all exicted about doing the PCT then decided to do the AT first.

[Biggie Master]

Lots of things... The simple curiosity of "where does that trail go?"... the ability to get away from the rat race... setting a goal and working to complete it... the opportunity to keep an aging body in reasonably decent shape... the smell of the forrest... the cheeseburger and beer at the other end of the hike... Aqua Mira flavored water is the new Perrier... all the cool kids are doing it... it doesn't hurt my a$$ like sitting on a bike seat does... it can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it... unlike golf, I actually get better the more I do it...

Who knows? All I know is that I keep trail maps on my night stand, almost every night I'm on some web site looking at gear or lurking WB threads, and I plan my holiday weekends for which section can I do and where are parking and shuttles available... So, whatever the specific reason -- I'm hooked.

[LockJaww]

I spent five years in the Airborne Infantry..Fort Stewart Ga and Vicenza Italy. Walked lots of miles through the Ga swamps and plenty of miles threw the Mts/hills in Germany. I figured if I could get the Army out of the equation this walking threw the boonies would be fun. That was over thirty years ago......I was right.

[P-Train]

I've always liked it since Scouts 35 years ago. And I suck at fishing.

[jwalton]

Probably close to 50 years ago, a family trip to Gatlinburg with a sidetrip to clingman's. I didn't know what the trail was, but I remember stepping on it and looking both ways. does it really go from Ga to Me? Today I'm dreaming, but the working days are numbered and the AT is at the top of the bucket list. (Second is a bike trip, Skyline Drive & BRP on my road bike).

[Jim Adams]

Mags,
You brought tears to my eyes...made me "feel" that mountain again! GREAT READ!

I started hiking because I wanted to see what the view was like from the top of the mountain instead of the river.

geek

[Red Hat]

I learned to love day hiking in the Girl Scouts back in the 50s & early 60s. I didn't get into backpacking until the late 70s when my eldest daugher was in scouts. Then, after two more kids, I missed about 20 years....but kept thinking "someday". In 2003, I first stepped on the AT and haven't looked back!