Tag along on one of my recent hikes.
The sights, the sounds, the experiences. Knowing you can only reach some of these points by hiking, thinking about the history, about the ancient peoples of the area, about how the first person to stumble upon these landscapes must have felt. Trying to mentally figure out why they picked this spot, what they did, how they felt and why they left. It opens doors for more information to learn about where people came from, what brought us to this point in time as people, and as a culture. It opens up another realm of knowledge to be pursued.
This is a deep question. I share because I am aware not everyone has the same privileges; I must experience these things because I can. Not everyone has the physical capabilities, I share it for those who, even if they pushed their limits, still could not experience it. I started looking at things from an accessibility aspect while traveling and hiking because I was considering how my parents could visit the area and what they were limited to considering my mom has been on disability for over 15 years and my dad had knee problems and a back injury. Places ten miles back weren’t even a consideration for them, so I’d take pictures, I’d describe a place in detail so even if the pictures couldn’t capture the sounds, smells and feelings of the area, maybe my words could help formulate an entire scene filling all of their senses.
I hike because not everyone is able to, I hike to experience unique things, I hike to push myself, I hike to test my limits, I hike to test my skills, I hike to find peace, I hike to build relationships with people and places, I hike to escape, I hike to live and feel alive.
A big take away from long distance hiking for me is you strip away so much. You have to go in knowing and accepting it won’t be a completely comfortable experience. You will face challenges, physical and mental ones. You will learn about yourself, you will learn about others and you will find a better understanding of what you need and what you want. You find new and inventive ways to take care of yourself and your body. You discover life can be simplified if we choose to do such. I find so much more joy through nature than anything else.
If enough people fill this out, who knows what hiking, travel, or photography content will come your way!
Do you have a question about one of my hikes? Do you have questions about hiking and backpacking? Have we connected in the past and you just want to say hi? Shoot me a message and I'll see what I can do!
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