[CDT-L] Re: [pct-l] Re: [at-l] Why do I hike?

Why do I hike?
That is a question all my friends and family ask me.
At 45 I also "need" the experience that only a long backpack trip will give
you.
I guess you could say it is my fix.  Jim and Ginny, you put it beautifully.
Being close to nature and experiencing everything she throws at you makes
you realize how very small you really are in this vast universe!  Eventhough
I have never thru hiked, I have done several long term hikes in Washington
and on Isle Royale.  My job and family do not always allow me to take the
time I would like to, but I get out to hike whenever I can.  It is hard to
explain to a non-hiker why you enjoy sweating uphill for hours, feeling cold
and hot, experiencing hunger and fatigue, and finally reaching the summit --
it could be the top of a mountain range or just a grassy knoll, a flowing
stream or an alpine lake, a bull moose staring at you, a black bear
attempting to steal your food,  and miles and miles of emptiness -- these
are all summits of one kind or another.  As I sit here in my Michigan
home -- I dream of my next hike and the hike after that and the hike after
that - - -    When I stop hiking -- I will stop breathing.
Celebrate life and hike!
Deb
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