Let me tell you something: I absolutely despise exercise. Any sort of physical exertion is excruciating to both my mind and body, leaving me no option but to detest the very thought of even rising from my bed and walking downstairs to the refrigerator for extra snacks. And the burning...oh the burning! You know, the one that starts on the right side of your stomach as a sort of prickly sensation and by the end of a hideously long (ten-minute) period of activity has spread not only to your entire torso, but to your legs, arms, and head as well? Let's just say that my respect for professional athletes has increased tenfold. But there is an activity I greatly enjoy, something that, while forcing me to lose some of my precious calories, is rewarding in its own, unique way. I love to hike.
Having grown up right outside Richmond, Virginia, I've had almost unlimited access to the gorgeous Appalachian Mountains. I've seen them countless times through the car window on my various excursions to Nashville, Birmingham, and Harrisonburg. I've looked out upon the Shenendoah at dawn, when the sun's splendorous beams reach over the mountaintops like a plant's tendrils and flood the area in a warm, morning light, at sunset, stunned by the array of colors ornamenting an extraordinarily clear sky, and at night, when thousands of stars twinkle over the valley as if the Almighty Himself were knowingly giving me a wink, promising me everlasting peace. I've hiked Old Rag, McAfee Knob, and Humpback Rock to name a few, and I've stood on each summit like Moses looking out on the Promised Land, but the funny thing to me is that in every single one of my encounters with these natural marvels, I'm just as amazed as the first time I laid eyes on them.
However, while, yes, the mountains are beautiful, what makes hiking unique? How is experiencing nature in this form different than simply going on a run or a bike ride through your local neighborhood?
First, it's calming, taking us away from the worries and distractions of our hectic lives. You've heard it a thousand times, I'm sure, but we are part of a busy society. We all harbor a desire, a persistent need, even, to be doing something, to be occupied, a necessity that results in extended periods of time using our cell phones or tablets or computers and in long hours working or studying or reading. On the contrary, hiking gives us a chance to escape this lifestyle, to put aside the struggles and preoccupations we experience day after day and to simply marvel at our own existence, to hear the voice of God away from all the noise.
Next, it creates and strengthens relationships. No one goes hiking alone - that's just unsafe. Thus, the activity lends itself to conversation and to an entire day (or days) spent in communion with friends or neighbors, an ample amount of time to learn about one another, to share thoughts or feelings, and to laugh.
Finally, it shows us how small we are yet how big our God is. Standing thousands of feet above the ground below can be a little humbling, for compared to nature's giants, how much can a a six-foot piece of organic material have any sort of meaning? However, the experience also reminds us that there is a God who created every single one of these exquisite ridges, One who holds the world as a man would hold a marble, One who spoke the seas and forests and valleys into existence, and One who loves unconditionally meager grains of sand such as ourselves. Who wouldn't enjoy an experience like that?
