Fatman: I thought that perhaps someone had taken my picture and put up a name for me on this forum. Actually the people whose pictures I have seen seem be have a weight problem. So I won’t be alone in that regard. Well, I hike for many reasons. I like to be out in the woods. I love to sit by a rushing brook or stream and watch the water flow. I like to see the wild animals and take pictures of them. I enjoy meeting people out of doors and hearing of their life experience and the experience on the trail. I like the peace and quiet of the woods when no one is around. I like to look at the sky and see the stars that are not visible from NYC. I like to listen to the voices in my head and to recall the experiences from my life as I walk alone. I enjoy the repartee that comes when walking with a group. I like the memories that pop up seemingly from nowhere as I trudge along. Sometimes those memories require some action on my part and sometimes they are just pleasant reminders of my experiences.
Hiking is also a sport that requires varying amounts of information and which is progressive in terms of accumulated knowledge and skill building. So one learns not to put hands or feet in dangerous places (where poisonous vipers lie for warmth or where venomous insects reside). It is experience that lets a hiker know when to drink water (“drink before you get thirsty, eat before you feel hunger”) or when to stop and rest. The fundamentals of packing a pack are learned in the early days of hiking and then refined for the rest of a hiker’s life. To tent or hammock or rely on shelters and when each is best is also something one learns as time and conditions permit.
Why hike? Because it gets one away from the everyday experiences of life and gives opportunity to grow and flourish. There is a renewal of spirit out in the woods. There is accomplishment felt as trails are traversed and as each season is experienced. Hiking gives energy to living as spirit is renewed. There is something Primal in experiencing nature and being a part of it day after day.
And hiking regularly makes one fitter than if one merely sat in front of the computer and read the journals of those who actually are out on the trail. Even if the journals provide an incentive and motivate one to get out there and I wouldn’t have missed the ones I have read I have come to realize that they are not a substitute for being out of doors. The more one hikes the fitter one becomes no matter how much one weighs. Even if one gains weight on the trail the muscles are strengthened and help to burn even more calories. Hiking is a good way of exercising and getting in better physical condition.
There are many reasons for hiking. Each hiker will find their own reasons. And their own reasons will give motivation to continue even when it is difficult to take the next step.
Jack
Don’tcha boy?