react.

realize.

reform.

rinse.

repeat.

Why we walk

People often ask me why I enjoy being outside. Why I would choose to give up the comfort of a home to spend multiple days in the dirt. No shower, dried food, heat and cold, aches and pains. I typically avoid a heart felt reply and give them something short and sweet. It's just something I enjoy. Need to "get away from it all". Its good exercise. While this all may be true, I think it only scratches the surface and the root of my passion is a bit more complex, which is in itself partly why I never tire of it.

Hiking is meditation. The quiet of the trail welcomes the mind to explore itself. The turmoils of everyday life no longer matter. As the dust settles behind me I wonder what I will find around the next switchback.

I have an option. Let my mind be clear, blocking all the thoughts that tie me to a materialistic world. Aware of only my surroundings, I focus on the ground beneath my feet. Each stone has its place and I am a guest in their domain. The trees, birds and wind teach me how to be at ease with myself. I let nature wash over me and the transient messages she tells bubble up like a spring of life water. Take a sip of its meaning before it drifts away out of mind. The other option is to allow myself to think. Hiking is philosophizing. Hours upon hours to collect my thoughts, evaluate my choices, and realize what direction my life is taking. To look at the world I live in and figure out my place in it. To appreciate the people that I am close to. The trail teaches me to be humble. Reminds me that life really can be very simple. Eat, sleep, and walk. And walk. And walk. Reminds me that the people of this earth really are all the same.

The differences we create are artificial. And it reminds me why the human race is special. I dont believe that the dirt and stones I walk on question their existence. The birds and trees dont feel love and passion. They dont cry for their comrades, tears of joy or sadness. Nature is simple and complex at the same time. And while she does provide an example of how we are to live, there are some things she cannot explain. Some things that can only be experienced through the sharing of life with the people around us.