I never knew how strongly one can be supported (mentally) by choosing hiking to be their number one pastime activity. I never knew how immune one can become to all the hustle and bustle of the world, once up there, looking at it all from a bird’s point of view. Just like a dog is naturally conditioned to wag its tale at the mere sight of its leash, my mind gets an oh so jolly and sudden kick when putting on my hiking footwear, right before I close the door behind me. With no walls to constrain me, Nature is all that contains me, and I contain her all.
Barefoot walking and sun-gazing taught me how alienated we’ve become from what is eventually and ultimately – us. My eyes still tear up and my feet hurt from doing what’s supposed to be quite normal to a being that belongs to this world. With all of our tech and concrete’s cold breath, I am well aware that going back to our roots completely is crossed off of our evolution’s list.
“The most intelligent being on the top of the food-chain” – the concept that immediately fades away once I’m up there, facing my own limitations compared to the fully integrated and spontaneous spirit of everything else around me. My backpack filled with food, water and extra clothes, my quality hiking footwear that gives me the ability to sneak among the tall whispering trees, and protects me from the sting of dangerous snakes, spiders or even bees, my fully charged phone and mobile data on that is to ensure I can contact someone in case unable to get safely home… I am not saying a hiker is to give it all up cause honestly, it’s pretty obvious we don’t stand a chance. On the contrary, I am embracing it with an attitude of satire and continuous contemplation.
This new-found humility is what gets the best of me lately and charges my ‘deal with the rat race’ batteries. All things considered, hiking has carved me into a better person, giving me a fresh perspective regarding the great outdoors that are still to be the real and coolest outlaws that outsmart us – the tech masters and force us into having to be thoroughly (and almost ridiculously) equipped for every hiking trip. Our view of the world, so powerfully shaped by Western science is forever in the hands of the explorers and inventors and exploration is forever in the hands of nature. So before I head towards the door, a quick nudge to you: What are you waiting for?
