Among other things, I am a giant hippie. I will follow people around to turn lights off after they leave a room, I berate people for buying bottled water and I compulsively pick up litter. I like this planet a lot, is what I'm trying to say.
That's why I spend time hiking (or, at the very least, trying to hike).
As often as I can, I get in my car, drive to a parking lot, find a trail and then start moving.
The exercise from hiking is nice enough. Four miles up and down hills and on uneven footing will do wonders on shaping muscle and cardio; I think, anyway. That's not the important part for me.
True, the burn that comes after a hike is nice. It's rewarding to feel an ache in your thighs that you know is happening because of that giant incline that you thought would never end.
But for me, that's not the point. The point of hiking is nature.
Even if you're with a group, you can't go hiking and not encounter nature. You're spending time surrounded by it and challenging it.
You dare nature to try and stop you as you struggle up a hill or over a large fallen tree. You dare yourself to keep going when the trail requires you to climb over rocks in a river that's a bit deeper than you'd like.
And, in the end, you're rewarded. Maybe it's an unbelievable overlook. Maybe it's total quiet down in a valley. Maybe it's a waterfall that you didn't realize could be so close to a college campus.
And then again, maybe you don't see anything. Maybe the only reward from hiking is the time you spent outdoors. But oh, what a reward that is.
You can't spend time outdoors without coming alive from all the fresh air. The mountains are full of life, yes, but they're also great for making your life full.
Do I sound crazy yet? Good. That's how important this planet is to me. That's how important hiking is to me as an experience of this planet and an encounter with nature.
It's fall, and that means it's cool enough to hike a few miles without sweating through your clothes. Get out and explore. It's good for the spirit.
