Photographs do not explain why I hike. Gorgeous vistas and little mossy vignettes float in and out of my consciousness, but they do not define the experience.
I love the freedom I feel as I head out on the trail knowing our entire earthly possessions for the next few days are on our backs. My thoughts can flow freely, we can talk or not talk, people we meet along the way tend to be happy and civil. All this while negotiating our way through rocks, roots, mud, mosquitoes, weather, with none of the disappointments of a sightseeing trip. Hiking is good.
Maybe it’s the gratitude I feel after a 20-miler: thank goodness it wasn’t 21 miles.
