View Full Version : Why do you hike?
I was talking with my 15 year-old daughter tonight and I was attempting to convince her to try taking up hiking as a form of recreation--especially long distance hiking. Frankly, she did not seem very interested in pursuing hiking. (She took an 8 mile walk on Mackinac Island this summer. She became tired pretty quickly and got blisters from wearing the wrong shoes. Thus, she presently has no desire to ever take a long walk ever again). However, she DID ask me a semi-serious question: "Why should I hike?"
Because I am her father (and because she is age 15), any answer that I would attempt to give would automatically be considered "wrong". Thus, I would ask you fine people to answer her question: "Why should I hike?" (another way to phrase the question would be: "Why do you hike?".
Thanks!
buckwheat
12-27-2008, 04:52
Great question:
I hike because there's something out there that I can't get anywhere else in the world.
It's a quieting of the mind, as I concentrate on footfalls and navigation. I'm rarely headed anywhere where I "have to get to Shelter X by Y o'clock" so for me, hiking is a way to work off all the stress of everyday life and to get my spirit re-tuned to nature. You don't even realize how out of tune you are until you get back into a wilderness.
But there's more. Hiking reminds me of what life for most people on the planet has always been. The typical life we lead is an abberation. We are not living the lives that most of our ancestors experienced. Not that I'd necessarily want to live prehistorically every day, day in and day out. But to occasionally be totally alone, sitting on a mountainside, admiring Mother Nature's handiwork ... that's a good day.
I also hike to stay in shape, and to feel the muscles in my body ache at the end of the day. I get a deep sense of personal satisfaction knowing that I was able to get to the top of whatever hill I just climbed. Even if that hill was only 500 feet above sea level.
If I was trying to introduce hiking to my daughter, I'd focus first on helping her to properly gear up. There's a lot to be learned about just picking a good tent, understanding how blisters form and how you can avoid them, knowing why a stove can't work above a certain altitude. Hiking might seem boring if all she's doing is the walking part. Get her on the computer helping you research a gear purchase and let her show you her mad tech skilz.
Considering her initial experience with hiking, it's no wonder she has zero interest in having her body pummeled and blistered again. Help her understand that hiking isn't about punishing your body, but is about building it up so that it can take you anywhere you want to go. The payoff? Well, there's only one way to get this:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/3/6/8/4/Wilburn.jpg
And that way is to hike up there. When you get up there, point to the house below and remind your daughter that inside that house, some punk kid is sitting on a couch inside, getting fatter, playing a video game.
fiddlehead
12-27-2008, 05:22
teaches me what's important in life.
Christus Cowboy
12-27-2008, 05:57
Prain4U,
Is there an echo in the room? Boy..... This conversation you had with your daughter sounds like a discussion that I had with my 15 year old daughter, minus the blisters... I have both a son and a daughter who I have taken backpacking on more than one ocassion. The last trip I took with my daughter was a 29 miler in Cumberland Gap National Park and we had a great time. I do have some ideas that worked with my daughter...... Just PM me and I would be glad to share them with you if you wish.... As for my reasons for hiking here's my reasons.... just click the link
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=727272#post727272
Tell her boys like tom boys. They just don't know it yet.
4eyedbuzzard
12-27-2008, 07:40
Because it's fun.
Pedaling Fool
12-27-2008, 10:10
Hiking is not for everyone.
Lone Wolf
12-27-2008, 10:28
to get chicks and for the buffets
garlic08
12-27-2008, 10:41
Because it's the best way I've ever found to travel. A hiker is a traveler, as opposed to a tourist.
I was similarly stumped when a teenager in a trail town asked, "So what do you get when you finish?" I never could find an answer that question.
Lone Wolf
12-27-2008, 10:46
I was similarly stumped when a teenager in a trail town asked, "So what do you get when you finish?" I never could find an answer that question.
a patch, a certificate and a job. summer vacation over, back to reality
to stretch my legs, my spirit and see the country , SEE it.
Pedaling Fool
12-27-2008, 11:06
I was talking with my 15 year-old daughter tonight and I was attempting to convince her to try taking up hiking as a form of recreation--especially long distance hiking. Frankly, she did not seem very interested in pursuing hiking. (She took an 8 mile walk on Mackinac Island this summer. She became tired pretty quickly and got blisters from wearing the wrong shoes. Thus, she presently has no desire to ever take a long walk ever again). However, she DID ask me a semi-serious question: "Why should I hike?"
Because I am her father (and because she is age 15), any answer that I would attempt to give would automatically be considered "wrong". Thus, I would ask you fine people to answer her question: "Why should I hike?" (another way to phrase the question would be: "Why do you hike?".
Thanks!
Really is a hard question to answer for your daughter not knowing her interests. Is she physically active? Hiking kind of demands that you, at least, like to do physical activity. You mentioned her getting blisters, well that's part of hiking and the physical challenges get much worse on the AT. You can’t hike without pain.
You may have to show here why physical activity is important for quality of life, not just hiking.
bigcranky
12-27-2008, 11:14
My daughter hiked with us until she was 14 or so, then she quit. We can still drag her out for a quick overnight, but no more 2-3 week hikes.
Hiking isn't for everyone. Most of my colleagues are aghast at the idea of sleeping on the ground, outside, in all kinds of weather.
A hiker has to be motivated from within. That's how one overcomes blisters, sweat, bad food, no showers, and all other the little annoyances. When I'm on the trail, I am so overjoyed to be out there, that the little stuff is just, well, little stuff. But if it doesn't feed your soul, so to speak, then hiking is just hard, dirty work.
BookBurner
12-27-2008, 11:14
I hike because, more so than anything else I do, it puts me in an environment where I can be more present, in the now, aware, enlightened, whatever you prefer to call it. That presence then follows me back home and reminds me how to live my life in the "real world".
I suspect some people find their presence while knitting, jogging, or playing with puppy dogs. I would encourage your daughter to pursue presence and awareness. If she happens to find it in hiking, wonderful. If she happens to find it in dancing or yoga, just as good ... As long as she finds it somewhere.
As said above, if she's not motivated from within, you'll not motivate her from without.
BPing/Hiking is something you do or don't do mainly based on some inner compunction. Like it's said of writers, "f you're a writer you write." Obviously that also illustrates the opposite too,
If you're a hiker you hike, if not you don't."
Having two teenagers I can tell you trying to "convince" a daughter at age fifteen is a bit late... you have to raise them hiking from tots and still they many not take up the past time... we're all so different. Fifteen year old girls generally have other things on their minds none of which involves carrying a pack and getting sweaty, dirty. and tired.
I am REALLY appreciating the answers that I am getting to this question. THANK YOU! I pretty much agree that the motivation to hike needs to come from within--and hiking is not for everyone. (I even told my daughter that many of you would post answers along that line). Yet, I was intrigued by daughter's curiosity and her sincere question: "Why should I hike". Thanks for giving your answers to that question. Your answers are delightful and insightful.
Slosteppin
12-27-2008, 13:45
I would not consider Mackinac Island a good place for an introduction to hiking. I think most people walking there get blisters. Early hikes have to be fun! Good fitting shoes and socks are the biggest requirement.
Hiking can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. There are just so many interesting things to see and do on a trail that are not possible other places. When my boys started hiking (the oldest of the 3 was 5) their interest was bugs and rocks. this evolved to bushes (with berries), trees, then birds and then other animals. Finally the scenery became an interest for all.
Now 2 of the "boys" are giving their daughters an interest in animals and the outdoors.
A camera, binoculars and preferred food make hikes much more fun.
I suggest short and easy walks with good shoes and a camera. A challenge to take interesting pictures can help interest in hiking.
Slosteppin
The forests, too, seem kindly familiar,and the lakes and meadows and glad singing streams. I should like to dwell with them forever. Here with bread and water I should be content. Even if not allowed to roam and climb, tethered to a stake or tree in some meadow or grove, even then I should be content forever. Bathed in such beauty, watching the expressions ever varying on the faces of the mountains, watching the stars, which here have a glory that the lowlander never dreams of, watching the circling seasons, listening to the songs of the waters and winds and birds, would be endless pleasure. And what glorious cloud lands I should see, storms and calms,-a new heaven and a new earth everyday, aye, and new inhabitants. And how many visitors I should have. I feel sure I should not have one dull moment. And why should this appear extravagant? It is only common sense, a sign of health, genuine, natural , all awake health. One would be at an endless Godfull play, and what speeches and music and acting and scenery and lights!! -sun, moon, stars, auroras. Creation just beginning, the morning stars "still singing together and all the sons of God shouting for joy."
John Muir "My first summer in the Sierra"
That pretty much sums it up for me!
It's a great workout.
Kirby
So I can experience a sense of being in an unspoiled creation (I know, it isn't unspoiled - hey, let me dream, willya? ;)).
So I can have less, and still be thankful,
So I can be less than comfortable, and still be thankful.
So I can meet a higher percentage of people who share my appreciation of the outdoors than I can at work, church, or just about anywhere else.
More and more, at my age, so I can get exercise without worrying about being run over by someone in more of a hurry than I am.
Cliff notes version:
“The most asked question about my hike is a simple “WHY GO?” I have several reasons, but I think the best answer is for the journey itself – all the pains and joys, all the experiences that comes with a 2160 mile walk in the woods”.
..and..
There are many reasons why I go on these long backpacking trips; the beauty, the simplicity, the physical challenge.
Seeing a distant view. How a hot meal at the end of a day is so satisfying. Climbing to the top of a rise after many miles of exertion. All reasons why I hike. But the main reason, the reason that encompasses all of the above, is that these walks are wilderness pilgrimages.
Full version from journal entries. :)
This is from my PCT journal a few years back (2002):
So the question is, as it was four years ago, why go?
Why give up half a year’s salary to get sunburned, become thirsty, get rained and snowed on?
Why walk day after day with chafing and sore muscles?
Why be hungry all the time, only to have yet another mass of a soggy noodle dish for dinner?
Because the body heals. The pain is forgotten. The stomach eventually has its fill of food.
But the memories linger on:
A sunset at Greenleaf Hut at the base of Franconia Ridge.
A quiet campsite at the shores of a lake in Maine.
Seeing ponies graze in the Grayson Highlands after a snowstorm.
I am going for the new memories I want to create. The new experiences I have yet to have.
Four years ago, at about this time, I wrote an answer to the question of “Why go?”
Four years later, the trail may be different, but the sentiments still hold true:
“The most asked question about my hike is a simple “WHY GO?” I have several reasons, but I think the best answer is for the journey itself – all the pains and joys, all the experiences that comes with a 2160 mile walk in the woods”.
And in a similar vein, my Colorado Trail journal:
Tues Aug 24th Breckenridge, CO
29.0 miles today 101.1/ 476.5 miles total
There are many reasons why I go on these long backpacking trips; the beauty, the simplicity, the physical challenge.
Seeing a distant view. How a hot meal at the end of a day is so satisfying. Climbing to the top of a rise after many miles of exertion. All reasons why I hike. But the main reason, the reason that encompasses all of the above, is that these walks are wilderness pilgrimages.
Rather than going to Mecca or The Way of St. James I am journeying to something less tangible.
Katahdin, Manning or Durango are only end points in the journeys. The real destination in on the trail itself.
Some of my fondest memories and experiences have been on these long walks.
If these journeys are my pilgrimages than today I was in the cathedral. On Georgia Pass would see Mt. Guyot as the dominant peak. Could see the divide go on and on. It is a sight that confirms why I go on these wilderness pilgrimages. The sojourns in the mountains will be a part of me for a while yet to come.
in no particular order...
1. simple love of the outdoors
2. living simply off what i carry
3. to see what there is to see
4. favorite form of exercise
5. get away from all the selfish whining
6. to sit around the fire at night, relishing today, looking forward to tomorrow
7. freedom
bikerscars
12-28-2008, 01:03
to experience awe and enjoy the simple beauty in nature; at the same time to experience and understand how little we really need that is essential for our happiness and health (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual etc)
it completes me...ymmv
Lion King
12-28-2008, 01:24
I hike because in a world that sometimes hurts me and brings me down it brings me vigor and life.
I find my mind clears of any unnecessary crap that I have allowed to cloud it between treks. It tightens and tones my body and allows me to feel and look better then I do when I don't hike.
It lifts my spirit and brings me closer to God, Allah, Geisha, whatever.
I like it and I do it so I wont go completely nutty.
Its the perfect healer, even when it hurts you.
Its indescribable and some love it, some hate it, and some love it even while they are hating it. I'm a little of all those.
But I cant and wont ever stop, as it is become a crucial part of my life and I wouldn't give it up for anything at this point.
It takes away the crazy that relatives, family and the 'outside' world lay into me on a daily basis when I am more then 1/4 of a mile from a trail.
I just realized that I started this thread---but I never answered the question myself. Why do I hike?
Let me begin by saying that I usually don't like the actually act of hiking (and that's O.K.). Hiking can be hot, sweaty, cold, wet, miserable, tiring, painful, etc. I find that such things are generally not a source of great pleasure. For me, the act of hiking is merely a means to an end. I am willing to "endure" the act of hiking in order to obtain the many benefits that I get from hiking.
Hiking gets me to beautiful places that are often not reachable by any other means of travel. I like the sense of accomplishment that I feel at the end of a hiking day--or at the end of a multi-day (or multi-week) hike. In a world where many folks feel that a walk across a large parking lot is a massive undertaking---completing a long hike on a trail puts you in "super hero" (or super freak) status with many of your peers. I like that sense of uniqueness and standing apart from the crowd. I like being "different".
I often feel closer to God (and more in touch with my inner self) while on hiking trips.
Why do I hike? Because I REALLY like how it feels when I stop (stop at a scenic view, stop to take a rest, stop in order to eat, stop at the end of the day, stop to take a shower, etc). The "stops" are far more pleasurable than the actual hiking. On the trail, one really learns to appreciate the "little things" such as a good meal, a gentle breeze on a hot day, a cool drink of water, a brief rest period, a warm sleeping bag at the end of a cold day or a hot shower when one is covered in grime.
I like getting away from all of the busy-ness and complexity of my typical day. When I am hiking, my life gets reduced down to the bare basics--food, clothing, shelter, water and getting from Point A to Point B. I like that sense of simplicity. I enjoy getting away from T.V., radio, cellphones, computers, the internet, 24 hour news stations and people who make almost constant demands upon my time. Living the simple lifestyle of "the trail" is almost like I am cleansing the emotional and societal "toxins" from my system. Hiking is a means of cleansing and purification.
I find that I GENERALLY like the people that I meet on the trail much better than I like the folks that I meet in the "regular" world. It is hard to explain--but on the trail relationships seem to be simpler and less complicated (more genuine). On the trail, people really don't seem to care how big your house is, how fancy of a car you drive or what you do for a living. The millionaire and the pauper get drenched by the same rainstorm, baked by the same harsh sun, and use the same wilderness privy. The trail is a great societal equalizer. I like that.
I hike, not because I like to walk long distances in semi-harsh conditions. I hike because I enjoy the many benefits that I get from hiking.
Nearly Normal
12-28-2008, 07:39
For Remedy.
superman
12-28-2008, 08:36
I have thumbs. If I didn't have thumbs Winter might leave me home.:-?
stumpknocker
12-28-2008, 10:02
I hike because if I just camped, I'd never get where I was going...the next town with an ayce. :)
Mostly for the peace hiking brings me. There was a time when I did not appreciate or desire that peace the same as I do now. I suspect that she may not be ready to be a hiker, at least not at your suggestion.
To get away from the daily grind.
To get away from the daily grind.
To get away from the daily grind.
AND -
The Rest and the relaxation of it all.
The people you meet.
The exercise - To burn up calories faster than you can eat them.
I hike for pleasure. It's not always pleasurable, but sometimes it is, so I continue to seek out those moments.
The problem with coercing/cajoling/forcing someone else to hike is that those moments are unlikely to happen for them, and the experience will just confirm their prior opinion that it is a wretched experience.
Highway Man
12-28-2008, 14:23
I'm trying to share some positive side of views on why I want to hike. I used to a lot of jogging till stepping in my 40s. My knees had problems banging the concrete. I started hiking and backpacking pretty late. I wished I could have learned it much earlier.
Hiking is the ultimate way to appreciate the natural beauty of our living environment, this planet. The major mental sensation comes from the interaction between myself and the stunning natural elements, such as rock formation, colors of forests, hues of sky, and wild living things. I have to admit comparing it to such an eternity, my life and other matters seem to be too trivial. At the same time, getting into the remote areas with much less chance to look for amenities and human help if in trouble bring back the fundamental concept of living, self reliance, ingenuity, and tenacity. This type of adventure also poses a great physical and intellectual challenge to me, hot summer climbing, winter peak bagging, multi day backpacking,... I have to get my body fit, my mind equipped with sufficient outdoor knowledge. Now hiking/backpacking becomes my huge commitment to myself.
Once done with AT thru next year (hopefully), I'll have bigger plans, PCT? CDT? Alaska wilderness?... The nature is my destiny, is the "ZEN".
Geez, it gets pretty deep around here sometimes.
I hike because I like to hike. I camp out because I want to hike some more tomorrow.
johnnybgood
12-29-2008, 00:16
For starters ,it is great for your physical body in that it increases metabolic burning of fat thus losing weight and building up muscle strengh. Hiking has also been shown in clinical studies to reduce stress and help the mental approach of thinking rationally,especially in todays world where we often have alot of **** weighing heavy on our minds. For me personally--its one with nature--nothin' better!
Plodderman
12-29-2008, 11:09
1. I like the outdoors
2. There are not many people out on the trail.
3. A sense of accomplishment.
4. Setting a goal and accomplishing it.
5. I like hikers.
6. THe next great view.
7 A sense of excitemnt , maybe seeing a bear.
8. A nice break from the routines of life.
My daughter hiked with us until she was 14 or so, then she quit. We can still drag her out for a quick overnight, but no more 2-3 week hikes.
Hiking isn't for everyone. Most of my colleagues are aghast at the idea of sleeping on the ground, outside, in all kinds of weather.
A hiker has to be motivated from within. That's how one overcomes blisters, sweat, bad food, no showers, and all other the little annoyances. When I'm on the trail, I am so overjoyed to be out there, that the little stuff is just, well, little stuff. But if it doesn't feed your soul, so to speak, then hiking is just hard, dirty work.
because of that. plus, out on the tramp is where i feel most myself. i think i'll go and tell the mountain how much it completes me.
D'Artagnan
12-31-2008, 14:01
Chicks dig it -- the cool ones anyway. ;)
Because when I was a kid I loved to play in the woods...and I still do. Hiking is just a fancy word for that.
SmokeEater
12-31-2008, 21:34
Make new friends and see things that your friends see on tv and say man I wish I was there.
davesailer
12-31-2008, 22:30
A seldom-heard pristine, bell-like sound... (http://tinyurl.com/779x45)
-- Dave (http://tinyurl.com/779x45)