[at-l] Boredom (was Bryson's bookl)

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

The discussion on boredom is something we have discussed from time to time
while hiking.  Why do some people burn out after 500 miles, while others can
hike 10,000 without getting tired of it?  It doesn't just apply to hiking
either.  Some people can live life fully, never bored, while others try to
find ways -- often unhealthy ones -- to relieve their ennui.  One option is
easy, just go home, turn on the TV or radio, call your friends and go out
partying, and let something outside of yourself fill the emptiness.  Or
learn to fill it yourself -

In talking to other hikers and reading journals, I see some who live fully
in the moment, alive to small details and the joy of small things, and
others who are only happy at big events and pleasures.  On every trail I've
hiked, the only times I've been bored are when I shut my senses down because
I was preoccupied with something (pain or getting to town usually). When I
am really aware, I don't get bored.  Living in the moment is quite exciting.
  I've seen every section I've hiked and every day on the trail as unique
and paid attention to see what made it so.  North Carolina was very
different from Maryland which was different from New York which was
different from Vermont which was enormously different from Maine.  The land
is different, the seasons different, my hiking buddies were different, I was
different.  On my second thruhike, four years later, everything was changed
again, because I was changed. Same was true on the other long trails.  We
had 600 miles of wandering the manzanita mazes in southern California - yet
each week was like starting fresh.  Each had highlights to look forward to
and experience. Some days were terrific, others really hard, but each was
unique.

Have any of you seen O.D. Coyote's AT presentation on how he lived his ten
month hike?  It is a revelation.  Learn to see the world through the senses
of a child and you can't be bored.

It starts with looking small - if the flowers aren't in bloom (and they
won't be when you start your hike at Springer) look for the colors of the
fungi on the trees and the lichen on the rocks.  Look at the patterns that
the rocks make. See the beauty of sunshine glistening on snow, or ice
crunching underfoot and listen to the creaking and groaning of winterbare
trees as they rub together. When spring arrives, take time to look and
listen, to learn what birds are singing and what flowers are blooming.
Spend time watching sunlight sparkle on the water or shadows dancing on a
forest floor.  Shut your eyes and enjoy the caress of a breeze against your
hot face.  There have been times I've just sat and listened to the wind, or
stopped hiking to appreciate a thrush singing in the bushes.  Learning a
little about flowers, trees, birds, the history of the trail (why I like
guidebooks), helps.  I don't just see a 'flower' I see iris or trillium or
shasta daisy.  It keeps me alert and focused to learn as I hike. In the
fall, each tree has its unique colors and patterns, no two alike.  To me it
was endlessly fascinating to watch the changing of the seasons as I hiked.

A lot of the hikers who burn out are those who are so focused on the final
goal (Katahdin) they ignore the value of the journey. Some of the speed
hikers get bored because their focus is set only on how many miles they are
hiking, not why they are hiking the miles.   Reaching Katahdin just means
getting back to work sooner - I'd rather focus on how to stretch out my time
to spend more time doing what I really enjoy doing - experiencing nature in
all of its manifestations.

A lot of us are so used to being entertained from outside ourselves, we have
forgotten how to amuse ourselves.  Aside from being aware of the world
outside, I sing, make up silly songs or poetry (really really bad), talk
philosophy with my husband, argue endlessly in my imagination with various
people I will never talk to in real life ("Why did you route the trail over
this hopeless PUD?"), formulate long prayers of thanksgiving, think about
the fascinating question of pasta vs rice for dinner, etc.  When Mountain
Roamer and Outta Chocolate hiked, they had a real advantage because they had
never lived with TV or radio, so they knew how to make up games, sing songs,
and live life with the uninhibited joy of children.

Not everyone knows how - but it sure is fun to try.

Ginny

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