Many people make long distance hiking a part of their lives, but it's not necessarily an easy idea for everyone to get behind. And I don't blame them! Not everyone finds the idea of sleeping on the ground, subsisting on top ramen and powdered butter, and dealing with tremendously frightening foot-health dilemmas all that enticing. Nor do I for that matter... But it's still a part of the draw.
Back to the "Before I Die..." movement. Last year, Adam and I travelled to Nevada City with some friends (family really), and encountered a wall in the middle of town. We perused the dreams of others, and each took a turn with the chalk putting our own dreams into writing. I snapped a photo as I realized what Adam had written because I think it really illuminates the way we live our lives. And it sheds light on why we do what we do. Adam's response: be uncomfortable.
I feel like those two words say so much about being privileged members of society. Sure we have faced our share of hardships, and things have not always come easily, but compared with the vast majority of humans on this planet, we have lived nothing but the good life; a life of comfort. And there is something truly profound about being uncomfortable.
I saw the Dalai Lama speak recently, and he spoke of being deliberately poor, and how it can lead to such joy. That's what being uncomfortable is all about. It is an acknowledgement of our privilege, a reminder of how good we have it, and every challenge helps us further embrace the inconceivable joy and comfort we are privileged enough to call "the norm."
So, why hike? Because it provides an opportunity to be uncomfortable, while being surrounded by the most glorious and simple things our world has to offer. Because it is a way of paying homage to the fact that we can. Because nature is too beautiful to not be immersed in. And of course, because it would be rude not to.