[at-l] Impact of Hiking?

[hikester@mindspring.com (Lynn Setzer)]

Hi everyone!

I've been dealing/thinking/wrestling with lots of stuff lately -- the
flotsam and jetsam of life -- and am curious to know if any of you have
discovered that being a hiker has fundamentally changed your point of view
about life.  Not just about environmental things, but things like your
patience level and your ability to put your head down and just muscle
through 'stuff.'

I know that over the last couple of years, I've become deeply impressed with
how apt hiking is as a metaphor for life.  I mean, sometimes it's all uphill
and you ain't sure you're ever going to reach the top of it.  But I've
learned to muscle through, which I think is a good thing.  I've also learned
to whine a lot less, which I also think is a good thing; at least the planet
is a little less noisy.  But I've also become somewhat intolerant and
impatient with others who don't suck it up.  This I take as a bad thing.

So, I'm kinda curious to know how my experience stacks up with yours.
Anybody care to comment?

Lynn