I have come to find that I like almost everyone I encounter when I hike. With few exceptions, they are people who enjoy the outdoors for more than that which they can take from it. On my hike today, we found only two pieces of discarded refuse. The people were all cheerful. Many of them were helpful. Several of them treated us like old friends.
It felt like you belonged to a club. There are no dues, no regular meetings, and only one rule: leave the wilderness as you found it. Our shared interest made us instantly close unlike most people I encounter in the real world. Like me, they came to the mountain (10,200 feet above sea level) to escape most people and their incessant quest for things of little worth.
Now, there are exceptions. I have taken people hiking who came because they had an agenda. I have taken people hiking who were forced to go. Those people don't come again. The mountain is not a place for those who take the path of least resistance.
Atop the peak we climbed today is a very ancient tree. All of those we saw under its branches treated it with the reverance one has for their own elders. It stood up to the buffetings of the elements. It, like the people who came to see it, seeks strength.
Why do I climb mountains? I love the beauty of God's creations. Even the humans I encounter on the mountain are full of felicitations and fascinations, and we know there that we are brothers. It is a glorious place to be.
It felt like you belonged to a club. There are no dues, no regular meetings, and only one rule: leave the wilderness as you found it. Our shared interest made us instantly close unlike most people I encounter in the real world. Like me, they came to the mountain (10,200 feet above sea level) to escape most people and their incessant quest for things of little worth.
Now, there are exceptions. I have taken people hiking who came because they had an agenda. I have taken people hiking who were forced to go. Those people don't come again. The mountain is not a place for those who take the path of least resistance.
Atop the peak we climbed today is a very ancient tree. All of those we saw under its branches treated it with the reverance one has for their own elders. It stood up to the buffetings of the elements. It, like the people who came to see it, seeks strength.
Why do I climb mountains? I love the beauty of God's creations. Even the humans I encounter on the mountain are full of felicitations and fascinations, and we know there that we are brothers. It is a glorious place to be.
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