Jimbo and I were having this philosophical discussion about why we hike as we slogged down the trail. What are your top 3-5 reasons for hiking? Mine are, in no particular order: exercise, getting away from it all (technology, busy pace, etc.), beautiful scenery, and adventure/excitement

a philosophical discussion at 3:00 a.m.....how many drinks were involved ?
But seriously, my reasons are I love a physical challenge, I like the rewarding and full filling feeling of completing a good hike, and last but not least....just that feeling of getting away from it all and being in such remote and scenic area's feeling so far away from work that you can't remember when you last worked..........it's called "PEACE"

Agree with all of the above, with the addition of one more.
Did not have much time last weekend so I did The Chief for a quick work out.I always get a kick out of some of the people I meet on the trails. This day was no exception. Met a couple of young kids at the top.He had on baggie skater shorts the kind where the crotch is down at the knees and spiked multi colored hair. She was of the Gothic Clan.BLACK makeup, hair ,finger nails,tatoos,... yes they were a bit out of place. They were also very excited about this new found pastime and had a million questions.They were both very hot and sweaty and told me they were hooked.They wanted to know what other Mountains in the area they could climb that day ?.... oh to be that age again eh ! It was really cool to see the excitement on these young faces . It reminded me of why I go and how sometimes we take this part of the world for granted .

No trail is long with good company.

The primary reason I hike is for the almost spiritual high I get from standing on top of a mountain. I need it like an addict needs his next fix. I have to do it in the summer to sustain me through the long wet winter. Even so, my stores are pretty depleted by March. I don't think I'd make it if it wasn't for snowboarding. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get from reaching a goal that was not easily achieved. I like getting out of cel phone range. I like getting away from the riff raff that seems to dwell at lower elevations. No matter what's going on in my life, I always feel better about it from the top of a mountain. It helps to put things in perspective. It's also good exercise for someone like me who has the attention span of a grasshopper. I need constantly changing scenery and terrain to hold my attention for very long.

Spent 3 days at Mamquam lake last year in the early fall. I had the whole place to myself. That gave me enough to go on untill this spring.I would have stayed a week if I would have known how much rain we were going to get this year .

No trail is long with good company.

I'm up there with Spidergirl. I remember one time I was on top of 3rd pump of Seymour with my daughter and some friends. It was a Sunday and the view was picture perfect and I said, "Welcome to my church". I love being in areas of supreme physical beauty and hiking gets me there more often than anything else. For me, hiking is the closest I can come to an everyday spiritual discipline. I love the physical challenge and feeling of accomplishment, the reconnection to the earth with my feet, the silent wisdom of the trees-especially the old ones, the views from up top, the isolation as soon as you go past where almost everyone else stops. And there is the meditative aspect of just walking and trying to minimize any impact so that its as if you were almost never there. And I love taking pictures of those areas to share with friends who can't go there and to remind me of where I've been. I also love pushing myself past what I thought I could do. But the bottom line is what I always say to my hiking buddies. I just want to go somewhere with a nice view for lunch. It tastes so much better that way. Hope that doesn't sound too wishy-washy to you athletic types.

HikeOn,

Rich


HikeOn,

Rich

To move. The simple pleasure of putting one foot in front of the other. As soon as I shoulder my pack and round the first bend of the trail I have arrived.

At that place where the rest of the world has been left behind. Whatever happens next is gravy.

Happy trails!

I've only been hiking for a few years now, and backpacking since only last summer, but I really enjoy it. Since I enjoy it as much as other things, why not get some exercise out of it as well?

Also, I like packing stuff and seeing how my pack gets lighter and lighter and how I can organize it better. Getting away and getting some peace from the city is a great thing as well. If I would live in the country, I probably wouldn't enjoy hiking as much. Plus, the camping part (if I go overnight), just makes it so much better (especially when you get to see the quiet wilderness at night and the sunrise/sunset over the mountains)....

I think this says it best. This poem was sent to me by one of my readers. She loves to hike and her husband loves fishing.

The Hiker

I take the shady trail ahead of me
By the cascading blue steel waters of
The waterfall, looking up to the mountain
Where clouds wreath its crest
And eagles circle free

A land of beauty and still so pure,
Mine to behold,
And watch amazed
The sun's timeless dance
Through lush, green branches

I let its light enfold me,
Hiking in the thickest woods of ancient trees
With nameless flowers and
Ferns with hazel leaves,
In awe I look ahead of me…

Nature is sacred, these trees are a temple
And the forest a cathedral
Granting me the wisdom of understanding
And learning the language of earth
Carried through time, the gift of life and truth

This is a place where I go to be myself,
To be alone and think things through,
It encompasses the essence
Of what I am and
What I want to be

I climb to find
All my emotions stored here,
My mind, body and spirit need
Wind and rain, moonlight and sunrises,
Mists and music of wind among trees

I gain wisdom and beauty
By resting on the grass, watch the clouds drift and
Listening to the water's song,
I reach serenity and
Learn the truth about myself

Here, at the top of the world
I am never alone, for Mother Nature
Is holding my hand while we listen
To music of the earth, and I reach
A place where clouds and sky reflect my heart

I relax and know my path is before me,
The earth guiding my senses,
Water nourishes me and
Wind embraces me,
I am conquered
By Nature


No trail is long with good company.

beautiful poem!

hiking, for me, is about many things.. fresh air, exercise, spending time with my friends, and the beautiful scenery. but most of it, for me, is the challenge. i'm not in the greatest shape, i'm a recent ex-smoker, and i have quite a few medical problems. getting to the top of a mountain really makes me feel proud of myself.. because it's not easy, by a long shot.

For me it's about pushing myself. I used to quit when I got sore, but I realized that I could keep going although I was sore. You can keep pushing yourself to new limits, hikes that I previously considered hard are now easy, and hikes I previously would have considered impossible are now hard. There are some hikes that I don't think will ever become easy. I've learned that I can improve myself in just about every activity I take part in if I just keep pushing myself.

I also go hiking to get away with friends... and get away from people I don't like. And on almost every backpacking trip you can be assured that you or somebody you know will do something you previously thought was too stupid to be humanly possible.

When I'm up in the alpine, I'm fully alive. When I'm up there I don't want to be anywhere else. It's also very spiritual up there for me. My church. The rest of the year I dream about the mountains. Unfortunately I don't particularly like snow activities so in the winter I do a lot of low level hiking and a bit of snow shoeing but it's not like the summer alpine. I feel like I can be at any time in history up there, there are no signs of technology or human habitats/degradation, except for occasional clearcuts, depending on where you are. It's so beautiful up there with the summer flowers and now the fall colors and I love the starkness of the rock and snow, the marmots and pikas. I do get scared up there sometimes on a high ledge but when I see the views... Sometimes I think I'm in one of Tolkien's stories. My favorite year was probably last year as I spent 2 1/2 months exploring/hiking in New Zealand in our winter/spring and then came back and continued hiking. The more I go the more I want to go. My dream is one day to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, although I'm not sure right now if I'd like to make that dream a reality.
Hiking,aah!

I've always simply wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain....<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Foxtrots

Short, simple, and absolutely true.

Hi, in these times of snipers, bombings, kidnappings, and all I saw an interesting bumper sticker on my way home. It stated “Life is a Mountain not a Beach”. Now if you look at this …duh so what. Sitting there in traffic, I thought, so a beach is flat, you can't stub your toe, and there is little danger of you falling down anything. The view is the same, the ground level and flat and uneventful. You can see far ahead, your destination is clear and in front of you, just off in the distance. Your boundries are clear, water on one side, shore on the other. Now think of what you have to do to climb to a mountain top.
The many forks in the trail the dangers what with wet roots rocks, wild animals, missing the trail, steep cliffs a glimpse every now and then of what may lay ahead. Finally the view once you reach the top.
Sad to say but many people would choose to be on the beach rather than climb a mountain. Not me!
Russ


No trail is long with good company.