View Full Version : Do your really enjoy hiking?
Spirit Walker
08-01-2005, 14:11
One of the things that I have noticed is that there are a lot of long distance hikers who don't seem to hike much, except on their long distance hikes. To me this implies that they don't much like to hike. If they did, they would do it more often. That seems incredible to me, since long distance hiking is all about walking, all day every day for four or five or six months. I started as a walker, became a hiker, became a backpacker, became a long distance hiker - all because I basically enjoy walking. How about you?
I like to hike, but I much prefer a long distance hike, something I can immerse myself in. The longer the better.
Maybe the difference is I started out as a long distance hiker. ;)
Seriously I've always enjoyed walking.
One of the things that I have noticed is that there are a lot of long distance hikers who don't seem to hike much, except on their long distance hikes. To me this implies that they don't much like to hike. If they did, they would do it more often. That seems incredible to me, since long distance hiking is all about walking, all day every day for four or five or six months. I started as a walker, became a hiker, became a backpacker, became a long distance hiker - all because I basically enjoy walking. How about you?
I've noticed that as well. Odd.
Almost every weekend I am doing something outdoors. Even if it is just a quick hike in the local open space system.
The outdoors are an important part of my life. If I don't get out on a weekend, I feel as if I somehow did not take advantage of the weekend. During the week, I take advantage of the local open space and try to some sort of hike (or trail run). Even during the winter I try to get out every weekend as well.
Living in Boulder, I am very lucky that so much great outdoor oppurtunities are within a short drive (or even bike ride!). Yesterday we drove 1/2 an hour to a trail head that led me to Devl's Thumb Pass right on the Continental Divide (and the CDT!).
Life is good..life is good.
titanium_hiker
08-01-2005, 14:54
I would like hiking more if it didn't kill my knees (and this is WITHOUT a pack- how ultralight can you get eh? :jump) I like the outdoors, the challenge of getting somewhere totaly awesome etc etc... I would be out more often if I didn't kill the knees...
If I got into cycling- would this help my knees?
titanium
trippclark
08-01-2005, 15:04
None of the poll options fit for me. I love hiking -- dayhikes in the mountains are good, section hikes on tha A.T. are wonderful, one day being able to Thru would be amazing beyond my ability to express, but short ofa big lottery win, I don't see that happening in the next 15 years.
As it is, I am 3 hours away from any "decent hiking." On a typical year, I am able to get on the A.T. 3 to 5 times per year. This year, however, I'm incredibly bummed out because it has been 11 months since I have been able to get on the Trail, and every time I schedule a weekend, it gets "screwed up" because of other commitments in my life or that of my hiking partner. I am stuck just north of Damascus and cannot get back on the trail :(
Maybe sometime this month!!
Alligator
08-01-2005, 15:11
I would like hiking more if it didn't kill my knees (and this is WITHOUT a pack- how ultralight can you get eh? :jump) I like the outdoors, the challenge of getting somewhere totaly awesome etc etc... I would be out more often if I didn't kill the knees...
If I got into cycling- would this help my knees?
titanium My knee hurts some when cycling too, but not as much. For you, it might depend on what is the cause of the knee pain.
i am addicted to hiking,camping,backpacking,kayaking,cycling,hammoc k hanging
i love it all:cool: neo
I would like hiking more if it didn't kill my knees (and this is WITHOUT a pack- how ultralight can you get eh? :jump) I like the outdoors, the challenge of getting somewhere totaly awesome etc etc... I would be out more often if I didn't kill the knees...
If I got into cycling- would this help my knees?
titanium
knee trouble at age 17?:cool: neo
I don't hike much, have always said that as a joke, but when I go it is for a good length of time. Not counting when I worked at Camp Moosilauke as the backpacking counselor, I have hiked about four times but covered about 6000 miles. I like being in a different spot every night and covering the distance. Living in Illinois, it takes too much time and money just to get to a good place to hike for a short hike. Just got back from a short hike up Long's Peak in Colorado with my old hiking partner whom I had not seen for 12 years. Parts of that were more "verging on technical" than anything on the AT, and the fifteen mile round trip gave me the satisfaction to know that I should be able to go back for a long distance hike on the AT again with no problem (few, anyway). Looking foreward to that after not going on a Long distance hike since 1989.
To me it is more of a lifestyle and short hikes just aren't the same.
To me it is more of a lifestyle and short hikes just aren't the same.
Amen.
I use the short hikes to test gear and equipment, for the "real" hikes.:)
For me its the short hikes/day trips which are the lifestyle.
I missed out on a lot before I realized that shorter can be better (for me and my wife).
Rick B
I just wanted to expand that I didn't go backpacking for some seven years after my thru hike, and did very little walking of any kind. I thought that anything less than a long hike wasn't of value. Lacking the opportunity (and will) I didn't..
When I finally got around to forcing myself back on the Trail, I met my wife up at Ethan Pond. The walking/hiking dynamic changed dramatically for me. Once I had an "excuse" for going only 5 or 8 miles, I was able to relax and enjoy a shorter walk. Even if it did take a book and a beer back in camp.
After a while the book and beer became less neccessary. Day hikes are great, and when we do go out to the Parks for longer trips, they are hardly marathons.
I guess what I am saying is that I thought hiking was an "All or nothing" proposition. It took me way to long to figure that out. When I read Mags post about his great short trips in Colorado (if a marathon night hike up Longs Peak can be called short), I whish I had been halp as smart as he, way back when!
I guess what I am saying is that I thought hiking was an "All or nothing" proposition. It took me way to long to figure that out. When I read Mags post about his great short trips in Colorado (if a marathon night hike up Longs Peak can be called short), I whish I had been halp as smart as he, way back when!
Hope you are not as "smart" as I am..most people would be in trouble. :D
In all seriousness, I'd rather be out for weeks or months at a time..but how can I not go hiking? The beauty of the outdoors is something I need in my life. Sure..wish I could be on the CDT right now..but seeing the sunrise from the top of Longs is something that I will never forget. Walking the Maroon Bells last weekend and seeing the alpenglow on the peaks was the equal of anything I've seen on my long walks. The wildflowers were unbelievable.
These hikes are also imporant to me due to the friendships I have made. Many of us are transplants to Colorado. We have formed our own tribe..our own family. The hikes I do are a way of spending time with people I consider my family. A way of strengthening my ties to them.
When I am in the "real world", these short hikes are important to me. For the beauty, the joy of being outdoors, for the time spent with friends. It allows me to stay still connected to the wilderness. It is just for fun..it is a necessity. As mentioned, I live in a place where the outdoors are part of daily life. If I was to move back to where I grew up, I would not be as happy as I am now!
OTOH: I crave these long adventures too. How can I make the CDT work? I want to be out for months at a time again. These weekend (and many times weekday) adventures are a neccesity..but the long hikes are a desire. Something I hunger for..a passion that is all consuming at times.
I like both my weekend jaunts and my thru-hikes. I need them both to make my life complete.
One of the things that I have noticed is that there are a lot of long distance hikers who don't seem to hike much, except on their long distance hikes. To me this implies that they don't much like to hike. If they did, they would do it more often. That seems incredible to me, since long distance hiking is all about walking, all day every day for four or five or six months. I started as a walker, became a hiker, became a backpacker, became a long distance hiker - all because I basically enjoy walking. How about you?
I've always been a walker -- well from age nine or so on -- though never on any regular schedule. It's just something I do as opportunities arise, from walking the two miles home from school in the 30s and 40s, to walking from Georgia to Maine in the 90s.
Late years I try to be a bit more organized and to do several five mile walks a week, partly because I enjoy it, partly because regular exercise is even more important as we age. Luckily, one of our town's land trust preserves is located two miles down the road, where a pretty five mile loop trail along a pond and through the woods has become my favorite place to walk. Well, perhaps it was not altogether luck. I drafted the fund raising letters and pretty much organized the drive that raised the needed $200,000, somewhat to my surprise.
It's hardly wilderness. A busy highway can be seen a quarter mile away across a shallow 100-acre pond. But the trail loops through pretty groves of pine and hemlock, uphill and down, and offers a constantly changing array of wild flowers and fungi.
Occasionally I spot a deer, or a beaver swimming in a bog. I always see plenty of birds and small creatures.
Weary
justusryans
08-01-2005, 19:10
I only get one full weekend a month off so thats when we go. 2 to 3 day hikes are about all I can get away with. I do use them to try out new gear and ideas from time to time, but mostly, it's just good to be outside. There are not a lot of trails around where I live but there are a few places to hike. The cool thing is; in the areas around here are not things you would tipically see on a thru-hike. We have the Dismal Swamp and Merchants Millpond State Park. Both places are considered "primative" Both places have really unique plants and animals. Have you ever seen a alligator this far north? If you are in the area, worth checking out
Spirit Walker
08-01-2005, 21:53
I know what you mean. We did a dayhike in the middle of Montgomery County, MD and saw 16 deer yesterday. Within 3 miles of our house we have seen beavers in three different ponds. On other dayhikes in the middle of suburbia we have seen foxes. You don't have to go far afield to experience wild nature.
I'm with Mags. I NEED to spend time outdoors, for both physical and emotional health. I love doing the long hikes, but haven't the money to do it as often as I would like. So I go out for the day, or the weekend, and occasionally the week - and that keeps me happy until the time that I can go for another long trek.
I'm not sure if how often relates to how much I enjoy, among other things, walking! I could go everyday, but don't. I tried to explain recently that living where we do is almost like hiking the trail w/o the hiking- it's hard not to feel connected. We probably went on more walks, bike rides, etc., living in the city because it was harder to maintain that outdoors connection. I love being outdoors, in the woods, in the mountains and it doesn't matter if I'm daywalking or sittin' on my porch. My other love is travel, so LDH is combined passion.
When I hear someone say they are bored with hiking the trail I think they mean there is something they'd rather be doing. There have been times I've wondered what the heck/$&@# am I doing?!; but in all honesty I have NEVER felt bored, the feelings are too strong.
fiddlehead
08-01-2005, 23:42
I checked: "i walk almost everday". but in reality, i either walk or jog everyday. I actually jog more. But then sometimes i think my style of hiking is a lot more like jogging than it is walking. I like to get my cardiovascular system pumping everyday. (not too hard, but about the same as hiking uphill)
But i love being outdoors. (even more than walking or jogging) I even do ALL of my computer work outside on my porch here in Thailand where it is always warm enough.
jackiebolen
08-01-2005, 23:45
By the end of my 1500 miles, I hated hiking and never thought I'd want to do it again. However, one summer later, I'm back at it again every weekend, on day hikes, exploring islands around Vancouver or 2 or 3 day backpacking trips. This weekend, I went backpacking to Manning Park in Southern BC, which is one end of the Pacific Crest Trail...kind of got me thinking...I could forsee some more long-distance hiking.
But to answer the original question, I do like walking a lot. Just in smaller doses I think. The larger doses make me tired of it.
Day hikes/overnights every single week.
Weeklong trips about every 4-6 weeks
I moved within 5 miles of the A.T. for that very reason and have NEVER looked back.
I just need to find a way to focus on working cuz I can BARELY pull myself off the trail! I only work to buy more trail food and gear...you think i'm kidding? I'm not! Since i've moved to Bryson City, my legs are stronger now than when I was thru hiking in 04 because now i'm focusing on the hardest hikes I can find in the Smokies. Actually i'm trying to get a job in the park tracking the Elk population, just so I NEVER have to go indoors! (except to post on whiteblaze of course, hehe)
And I didn't even touch on my paddling obsession! DON'T get me started!!!
Ceilings....Walls....carpet....*BOOOOOO*:bse
Sky....Bugs....Rain....Dirt....*CHEERS*:banana
titanium_hiker
08-02-2005, 11:39
knee trouble at age 17?:cool: neo
yep yep. sigh. I had back surgery (the backs fine now) - had scoliosis and they fused my spine straight with titanium rods (hence the name) now that I can exercise again, back to normal, the knees take all the shock. I ran some long distance events for school (2mile, 1mile, 5k) and boy, did I ache. :( Hiking is not that much better. the knees take all the beating now that my spinal "shock absorber" is out of order.
ah well- such is life.
titanium
Tha Wookie
08-02-2005, 11:40
i really like the emerging theme of lifestyle walking in this thread. I think no matter what the distance, the important thing is to incorporate hiking into your lifestyle.
But that raises the question, "what is walking, and what is hiking?" I've always thought hiking is a state of mind achieved while walking. I think some people can be on a trail walking and not really be doing what I consider hiking.
A walk down the city block can certainly afford someone an incredible hiking experience. But the nature aspect of a "trail" brings a higher level of potential for more intimate connections with the Earth.
So, my answer is that yes, I hike every day (in town, trails, or just here at the farm), but the long-distance trips are an experience well beyond what can be achieved on a day-trip or weekend. Although great experiences can be had in any gamut of the spectrum, they are simply different.
Footslogger
08-02-2005, 11:48
This is a good question. My answer is yes. Seems like I've been walking somewhere pretty much all my life. Backpacking was just a natural outgrowth of my appreciation for walking.
I went through a pretty dark period about 9 - 10 years ago and decided to stop the world and get off for a while. I walked between 6 - 10 miles every day for roughly a month. Worked out all the issues and returned to a productive and satisfying life. Walking was like therapy for me ...and it was a lot less expensive than a shrink or counselor.
To this very day I like periods of solo hiking. Allows me to get quiet with myself and recharge the batteries.
'Slogger
i
So, my answer is that yes, I hike every day (in town, trails, or just here at the farm), but the long-distance trips are an experience well beyond what can be achieved on a day-trip or weekend. Although great experiences can be had in any gamut of the spectrum, they are simply different.
No arguement there. It is why many of us are addicted!
OTOH, I can't wait to hike only when I thru-hike. As with Ginny, the wilderness is a necessity. It is an addiction I must feed. :)
(Must say..this is a cool thread!)
Whistler
08-02-2005, 12:38
The walking is absolutely my favorite part of hiking. Setting up camp at night is usually the low point of my day. All the feeling and momentum, mental lotion and meditative devotion of a body in motion are lost. And I am prone.
So yeah, camp is a letdown, and I usually can't wait to wake up and get moving again. I hike as much as I can put up with driving there--I really wish I lived where I wouldn't have to drive through so much suburbia to get some decent outdoors. That's usually the only thing holding me up.
[Yes, Mags, I'm jealous of your Boulder-ness. Great town.]
-Mark
I love the 4-5 day treks on the AT the best but with the 9-5 job most of my miles are walked in the evening at the local metro park. My wife and I calculated that we have walked more than 5000 miles over the last 11 years in our little 800 acre park!
TWalking was like therapy for me ...and it was a lot less expensive than a shrink or counselor.
To this very day I like periods of solo hiking. Allows me to get quiet with myself and recharge the batteries.
'Slogger
OK..this post may be filed under the category of "really personal info"..but so be it. :D
As most of you know, been in an on-again/off-again relationship for nearly 2 yrs now. (Currently somewhere in the middle..yet again.. :o ) Anyway...she is really into counseling and meditating at the Shambala center (local buddhist retreat place) [1]. She has urged me to go to "work on our issues". Paying someone $70/hr to talk?!?!? As with Footslogger, I find a solo walk is the tonic I need to sort out things in my head. When Idid the Colorado Trail last year, a big part of my time out there was to sort out the relationship issues...had a clarity and purpose lacking in the "real world". Naturally it became muddled again when we got back together a few months later. :D
Anyway...find even on short walks, that when I am solo, the mind goes through many issues going on in my life. When I am on long solo walks...wow.. it is intense. EVERYTHING is heightened. Last year I hiked the day after a snow storm. The beauty was so intense for me that my eyes filled up. Being in my own head for so long brought that about.
Guess I really need to hike/run/walk/ whatever for many, many reasons. It all boils down to I need it for fulfillment in my life on many levels.
Mags
[1] See http://www.boulder.shambhala.org/
The running joke in Boulder is that "I'm too poor to be a Buddhist in Boulder". :) Attracts a mix of yuppies, hippies and other "enlightened folks". Some are sincere..many are the equivallent of the NorthFace wearing mall walkers we all know and love. I'll just go on a hike.... Must admit my cranky Northeast, upbringing finds it amusing... :)
It is arguable the opposite is true. A long-term hike requires more commitment and planning than a daily walk in the woods or short vacation hike. Being on the trail for months is enjoyable only if one loves nature. In terms of time, a person who only goes out once a year for a three month hike spends more hours communing with nature than a person who takes a daily walk in woods and one or two vacation hikes each year. Plus, the mindset and experience is different. I’ve found it takes me about two weeks to completely make the mental and emotional transition from a "civilized lifestyle" to an "outdoor lifestyle." Before the shift, hiking/canoeing/sailing is a temporary break from civilization; afterwards, civilization is a temporary break from the trail/being on the water. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found longer hikes have more appeal. They provide a more challenging, intense, and sensual experience. To be cliche, I become more "at one with nature" on a long hike.
This is not to say people who don’t on can’t do long-term hikes love nature any less. But I don’t think one can conclude they love nature more either.
I usually get out once a week. Its a great way to shed any stress from work. When I get out there, I get wrapped up in my next step. I always stop to observe an animal.
This week I saw a small toad.
Works for me!
Lone Wolf
08-02-2005, 12:56
I like trail running more.
titanium_hiker
08-02-2005, 14:15
I have to say that nature is the big draw card. How many of you would walk the entire AT if it was paved, in a steel cage, with endless city sprawl everywhere you looked, and cellphones every 5 secs, and jukeboxes...
titanium
I agree TH.
That said, I feel more a part of my suroundings if I walk in a decent ways (at least by my defintion), rather than simply getting out of the car at a beautiful spot, or even paddling to it.
Somehow its the walking itself that helps me connect with my surroundings.
Rick B
soulrebel
08-02-2005, 15:45
I agree with L. wolf-- "I like trail-running more"
LIke everyone, being outside is the key.
dougmeredith
08-02-2005, 19:31
My knee hurts some when cycling too
You probably know this, but this is often caused by having the seat too low.
Doug
hikerjohnd
08-02-2005, 21:19
I'm not sure how much I like the actual hiking portion of being outdoors, but I enjoy the camping and the social opportunities hiking offers. I also like the remote locations that hiking can take you to. So, while the hiking isn't always the reason I'm out there, it is the best vehicle to get me where I want to be without irreparabledamage to the environment (4 wheelers, mountain bikes, etc.)
Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-02-2005, 21:46
I love to hike, but I have to admit that I'm not enjoying it nearly as much at mile 17 as at mile 3. I'm hiking the AT for the reasons several mention in this thread more than for a love of walking.
Living in the shadow of Shenandoah National Park and GW National Forest gives me access to over 1,000 miles of trail within an hour of home, including a lot of the AT. It's one of the reasons I moved here. You can find me in the woods 35 to 40 weekends a year.
Since I'm done sectioning the AT I try to schedule at least two longer hikes each year somewhere I've never been before...recently "discovered" the Spruce Knob/Seneca Rocks area of WV, and plan to do the Foothills Trail the first 10 days or so of October (rescheduled from 2004 courtesy of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan). And the AT from about Kincora to Dickey Gap, (especially between Whitetop and Fox Creek) is like a second home to me--try to get down there at least a couple times a year.
So I suppose I'm going against the grain here. Some friends kinda assumed once I made it to K, I'd move onto something else. Hasn't happened yet, doubt it will.
Alligator
08-02-2005, 21:52
You probably know this, but this is often caused by having the seat too low.
Doug
Didn't know it could create problems with the knee, but I do keep the seat at the correct height. What I really need to do are my knee exercises, as my left knee doesn't track correctly.
Alligator
08-02-2005, 21:55
And I do enjoy hiking, I would much rather do a weekend or longer rather than a dayhike. If I don't get to sleep out, I don't get them same connection. I really enjoy the feeling of independence, having your home on your back. I don't get that with a dayhike.
SGT Rock
08-02-2005, 21:58
And I do enjoy hiking, I would much rather do a weekend or longer rather than a dayhike. If I don't get to sleep out, I don't get them same connection. I really enjoy the feeling of independence, having your home on your back. I don't get that with a dayhike.
I totally agree, and even getting started there is a whole other mindset. The longer I know I'm going out the easier it is for me to get into the right mindset. Anyone else notice this?:-?
Footslogger
08-02-2005, 23:08
I totally agree, and even getting started there is a whole other mindset. The longer I know I'm going out the easier it is for me to get into the right mindset. Anyone else notice this?:-?==============================
Sure do Rock. A one or two day hike is just that ...and I sense the end pretty much from the beginning. When I was setting out on my thru in 2003 I made no attempt to envision the end. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and took each day one at a time. Sure, I often dreamt of reaching Katahdin along the way but it didn't really interfere with my walking.
'Slogger
prusselltn
02-11-2006, 20:35
As one of the people who loves trips but rarely hikes otherwise, I can tell you the problem: TIME. I work seven days a week unless I plan well in advance.
mweinstone
02-11-2006, 20:48
we hike to be strong and it makes us high. any sport does it . some choose to get high on trails.they symbolize the path thru life.
mweinstone
02-11-2006, 20:51
common this thread is begging you to make one of your remarks that simplify.is hiking fun? do you like to walk? duh.
....I’ve found it takes me about two weeks to completely make the mental and emotional transition from a "civilized lifestyle" to an "outdoor lifestyle." Before the shift, hiking/canoeing/sailing is a temporary break from civilization; afterwards, civilization is a temporary break from the trail/being on the water. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found longer hikes have more appeal. They provide a more challenging, intense, and sensual experience. To be cliche, I become more "at one with nature" on a long hike.
This is not to say people who don’t on can’t do long-term hikes love nature any less. But I don’t think one can conclude they love nature more either.
A very wise post. My first "wilderness" experience was a 10-day canoe trip down the St. John River in northern Maine. It's the first time that civilization began to seriously disappear from my mind. With training, a three or four day hike into genuine wilderness -- like a winter walk to Chimney Pond in Maine's Baxter Park and a hike to the summit ridge of Katahdin -- comes in close. But it takes time and an avoidance of towns and civilized contacts to really make it happen.
Few seem able to appreciate it, but it is this time need that makes carrying a cell phone so unwise. Instant communication with home breaks that magic shift from civilization to wildness. Even knowing that fellow hikers are carrying the devices breaks that crucial transition to a sense of wildness.
I'm puzzled that so few really understant this transition. Even Orange Bug, White Blaze's resident psychiatrist, has ridiculed the concept, I suspect because he has yet to be away long enough in wild enough country to experience the phenomenon.
MOre likely, perhaps, is that these days only a St. John River canoe trip (125 miles of quick water with no shelters, no public road crossings) or a winter trip to Chimney Pond (17 miles of snowshoeing in; three nights of total reliance on one's abilities, three nights of total absence of civilization) that makes such an experience possible today.
Anyway, that's why I spend most of my time these days pushing to preserve more wild lands in Maine. I try to help keep alive the possiblity of avoiding the trappings of civilization, and thus the chance to experience a genuine sense of wildness, for my kids, grandkids and future generations.
Weary www.matlt.org
Lone Wolf
02-11-2006, 22:00
Yup. runners/hikers high is a reality.hiking is more than fun.:)
Programbo
02-12-2006, 09:30
we hike to be strong and it makes us high. any sport does it .....
Ah but is "hiking" suppose to be a "sport"?..Someone replied to something I said in another thread and gave me several dictionary definitions of "hike" which is all good and fine but that doesn`t get into the "why" of someone hiking which has changed over time...I may not be a lot of things but one thing I do possess is an amazing memory...Now back when I did all my serious hiking when someone said they were going on a hike it pretty much meant across the board they were going to 1)Escape the rat race..2)Get close to nature..3)Experience the historical sites or events of the particular hiking area..4)See some spectacular natural beauty..You get the idea...BUT I can't recall people hiking as a sporting event or personal physical challenge or specifically to stay healthy or get in heart shape,etc..Sure you saw the early "yuppies" speed walking along the canal near Georgetown in their track suits but that wasn`t what someone meant when they said they were going on a hike...I know it`s impossible for people to turn their brains back 30+ years and understand what the AT was but at the same time one can not deny that the modern extreme sports,aggressive personality,reality tv type thing has found its way into the reasoning or "why" people "hike"...Now I may be "simplifying" but believe it or not things used to be just that simple :)
mweinstone
02-12-2006, 10:09
and those witch remain, are of an old mold . nothing changed. lovers of the AT are old fashoned folk and posers are new fangled and weak.
Lone Wolf
02-12-2006, 12:05
common this thread is begging you to make one of your remarks that simplify.is hiking fun? do you like to walk? duh.
You ain't got no fries in your happy meal!:jump
Left Hand
02-12-2006, 12:17
I agree with the lifestyle aspect. I have made sacrifices to be close to outdoor opportunities. I have discovered that I am not a "city person." One of the reasons that I loved Boone, NC is because there were kindred spirits there as well as numerous places to get away. I moved there from Raleigh just so that I could hike or climb or bike or trailrun everyday. Just to be outside is therapy for me. I require some sort of outside activity everyday. My thruhike will be my first extended (more than 2 week) excursion. I am anticipating it to be a highlight in my outdoor life. i can't picture myself ever not wanting to hike or getting tired of it.
i live it and love it:cool: neo
I don't like the walking... I like the scenery, the people, the smells, the sights, the challenge, the adventure, the freedom, the serenity. To me, the reason to hike/backpack is all these things. Without these things, walking would just be pointless effort. It's like asking someone why they go to a four-star restaurant, and they reply "I like to chew".
Just my $.02.
I don't like the walking... I like the scenery, the people, the smells, the sights, the challenge, the adventure, the freedom, the serenity. To me, the reason to hike/backpack is all these things. Without these things, walking would just be pointless effort.
I hear where you're coming from but just walking is good exercise and I think strenuous exercise releases endorphins. Would it be the same doing a treadmill in a white tunnel?
I sometimes think about the "virtual" thru-hike in an Imax type theater with video walking the trail. You could have sights, sound, wind, even weather and smell, walking on a treadmill or stairmaster with the proper inclines. It would be great for section hiking. Maybe even become addictive!
SGTdirtman
02-24-2006, 00:34
being prepared to be stoned... I dont find "hiking" to be the fun part, Hiking to me is a means to get to places very few "normal people" ever get to see. My hiking trips are always slower because I'll often stop and wonder around an area to see all the sights, enjoy the nature. I dont even consider myself a true hiker I'm more of a survivalist/nature lover, I love going places miles from civilization where you really get to see the true beauty of nature, and really get to camp and live in the woods.
I do enjoy challenging myself sometimes to see how far i can go in a few days but mainly the hike is just the pain I have to endure to get to the places I love being. when I hike 20 miles and find the perfect spot to see the sunset over a moutain and lookout and not see a trace of civilization in sight, thats what makes it worth the hike, getting back to nature... No road can take you to these places.
thats why I hike... not for the high, not for the excersize, not for the pride... just to get where i want to be.
I cant wait to hit the trail, any trail but the 1or 2 day trips really make me more depressed,I only get excited with trips over a month,I dont understand the reasoning behind the madness,its like i like good strong coffee not a weak watered down cup,just as well drink water.ky:-?
I like this quote “A bad day hiking is better than a good day at work” I like to walk or hike.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p>
BT
2Discover
02-24-2006, 11:08
I think it all depends on how much time you have to complete long hikes. For me, i would love to complete a long hike, but as of now all i have time for is short hikes and backpacking weekends/ camping trips and what not. Maybe one day.... i'll just keep dreaming.
fivefour
03-02-2006, 09:48
i am lucky enough to live just under 2 miles from my place of work so i walk to work almost everyday. the worse the weather, the better. i totally enjoy it. it clears my mind and gets me ready for the work day. long hikes do an even better job of this. it is amazing what goes thru my mind when i totally let go and it runs free. hiking is my meditation and i have found nothing that works better.
carolinahiker
03-02-2006, 11:21
Any day or time hikin is good short or long sections i love em all.
maxNcathy
03-02-2006, 12:59
I have been walking since 1945. But not real seriously.
Motorcycle touring has been big with me since 1965.Now each summer Cathy and I are into kayak touring and camping on remote islands in Georgian Bay. But starting mid April we will further escape speed and engines of all types and go trekking on the AT near Damascus.
Our gear is all fresh and new and ready to go. I wonder if we will like hiking??? I think so. We hope so.....maybe do the whole AT before I have to check out!
Hope to meet you on the trail,
Max