Thoughts on why we hike...

To me travel and hiking are two very different things.

Although hiking can involve travel, I live in CA and have several lifetimes of trails to hike within a few hours of my home that don't require real travel. The draw for me is the hiking, not so much the travel. Hiking is generally quiet and peaceful and travel can be the opposite. While travelling I'm always on guard, always on the lookout, there are always dangers and scams to avoid, and often unpleasantness to endure.

The thing I really love about hiking is that nobody tells me I'm doing it wrong/not good enough. The feedback I get from the world around me and even my own body & mind is always very positive.

I don't know about that, there are perhaps one or two members here who might...

Here is a reposting of some thoughts on the subject.


I don’t want to live forever. I just want to stay healthy till I die.

To that end, I eat right (all things in moderation.), exercise (an active lifestyle) and maintain a positive disposition.

Backpacking has to be one of the best methods for doing all three of these. We get to bring exactly the foods we want. This kind of diet control is almost impossible in our daily lives. Walking and exertion strengthen muscles, heart and lungs. Plus, there is the purging that comes from deep regular breathing and sweating.

And I’ll tell ya, there is something about getting out to see rare hues and smell the damp green and hear the silence and feel the wind. Add to that the knowledge that everything you need, you have. Using wits and lore as we navigate the wild areas allows the time for contemplation and retrospection. There is the chance to reinforce our definition of self as we walk along. Reaching the ridge or peak, or what ever is the climax of the day, subtly creates a positive outlook. We have arrived and we were rewarded. Man, that feels great. Then you remember that life is great and that there is so much beauty to behold and so many more things to experience.

Yeah, I think it’s the journey. Life, like hiking, is about the trek. It’s a reminder that we are all just passing through.

I can understand all the reason listed above and agree with them all - the love of nature, being outdoors, the time alone, etc., etc., etc. All very legitimate. But when I thought about it a little more I came to the conclusion that the chief reason I hike is that I just plain like to walk. It's one of the greatest joys in life for me. Walking in the backcountry just makes it that much better.

My story.

As a youth, I was terrible at sports. Wanted to be play baseball so bad, but failed Little League tryouts in an expansion year. In pick-up games I was always the last kid picked. Sometimes in the pick-up games, Rick Wyatt, (big kid, homers every other at bat) let me run for him. Learned that youth sports are often about parent ego and vicariously living their lame lives' through their offspring. Love the game, but could never participate as a player. Needed an alternative.

A neighborhood friend suffered a serious ski race injury at age 12 that permanently semi-disabled him. He was still determined to ski so his father would take us both skiing at Cannon and Wildcat. Even got to see Jean-Claude Killy win a downhill. I was uncoordinated and not so good on the hill, but with a semi-disabled friend it was OK. This introduced me to the White Mountains and eventually 30 years later becoming a half-way decent telemark skier in Utah. I found out I enjoyed being in the alpine environment.

Back to hiking. Lots of woods back home in New Hampshire so it was our natural playground. Following streams to springs, rock hopping brooks and hiking power lines. Eventually started down the wrong road as a teenager when my ski friend introduced me to peakbagging White Mountain 4,000 footers. It was a natural expansion of playing in the woods and required mental toughness, a commodity I had vs. athleticism which I did not have. So in the end the combination of enjoying forests, mountains, skiing and the ability to do so led to a lifelong skill and activity.

Like Hikerjer inferred, being ambulatory is good!

A little off topic, but so true. After coaching competitive youth soccer for years I finally realised that the fate of western civilization and the entire future of parent's children did not rest on how many games our team won. At that point, I got out of it. As my son , who was quite good at the game, pointed out, "it's just a bunch of guys kicking a ball around".