Tag Archive for 'motivations'

Hiking is Better Than Sex

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on August 12, 2008
in The Great Outdoors, Uncategorized, climbing and hiking
. 2 Comments

… and that should get a few more interesting hits from Google.

But it’s true, according to a recent CNN story about “natural highs.” Hiking and mountain climbing rank among such other risky and rewarding activities as going to the gym, public speaking, skydiving and … um … shoe shopping.

If you’re looking for motivation to hit that next peak on your list, listen to Ramani Durvasula, a professor at CSULA, describe her hiking experiences:

When you pull yourself up onto a summit — and climax, so to speak, particularly as a woman — the sheer physicality, beauty and endurance are like no other feeling on earth … My favorite ‘lover’ was Half Dome … I fell to my knees. It was one of the best moments of my life.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make plans to visit Yosemite.

I wonder what Durvasula would have to say about the rock formations in Cappadodcia …

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image by Jeff Werner.

Looking for the Meaning of Life? Climb!

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on July 10, 2008
in climbing, hiking and motivations
. 1 Comment

nullThe next time you find yourself in a bit of a philosophical rut, questioning why we’re here and what’s it all about, you may want to put down the Tao and pick up some rope — because a recent study from New Zealand concludes mountain climbers have “a good grasp on life.”

Lee Davidson, a senior lecturer at the University of Victoria’s museum and heritage studies program, spent some time interviewing and socializing with some Kiwi climbers to find out their outlook on life. She found that overwhelmingly, climbers had “a strong sense of identity,” and that this identity most often came from having “an opportunity to test yourself in an environment where making a mistake means you pay for it.”

Focus on a singular, achievable goal is also important:

“Many said the mountain became (the climbers’) point of reference, it gave them a solid grounding, a core to life where everything else revolved around it.”

The study was also sure to note that climbers aren’t necessarily adrenaline-fueled wild men, and that most were cautious outdoorspeople who took calculated risks and learned from their experiences.

While the study focused on mountain climbers, I’m certain these same qualities would apply to the vast majority of hikers out there, too. Seeing a peak from a trailhead and then working to get to that summit is one of the most rewarding things I do — and the problems of the workaday week and urban existence rarely enter my thoughts when I’m hiking.

Have any of you stumbled upon the Meaning of Life while scanning for rattlesnakes or doing tick checks? I haven’t yet, but I feel like I’m on the right path.

Until then, I’ll just defer to DSD.

via Backpacker

Image by argreen.

2007 in Numbers

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on December 20, 2007
in hiking, motivations and site news
. 5 Comments

Well, I’m about to fly off to New England for the holidays, which means it’s probably the end of meaningful Southern California hiking for the year.

Although I didn’t get to all of the places I wanted to, I still had some pretty impressive milestones — I went on several long-distance day hikes, qualified for the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peaks Chapter, and had my fair share of backpacking adventures — both ill and well fated.

My mileage for this year was actually a bit lower than last (I’ll blame hot summers, fire closures, and my new discovery of ‘The Beach’ for that one), but I almost doubled my elevation gain numbers for ‘06. Peakbagging will do that, I guess.

Total Mileage: 209 miles.
Total Elevation Gain: 89,090 feet (15.2% average uphill grade)
Total Time Spent Hiking: 3 days, 22 hours, 18 minutes.

The site itself has taken off a bit, too. From a lil’ ol blogspot site to some adventures on my former host to the current, sponsored-hosting, I’ve been lucky to find myself a little web-niche and gain an audience of tech-savvy outdoorsfolk — as well as (hopefully) some Angelenos who are just learning our sprawling megalopolis has some great nature nearby. Traffic has been steadily increasing since I launched last November, and I’m grateful for everyone who reads and explores.

2008, hopefully, will hold more improvements and adventures. I want to get my Map working again, and continue tweaking the site design to make information easier to find and access. I also have a nice chunk of Paid Time Off stored up, and want to hit up those elusive Utah National Parks — as well as bag San Gorgonio, San Bernardino, San Jacinto, and (maybe even) Whitney.

I’ll be doing some sporadic site work from New England — and hopefully going snowshoeing, now that they have seasonal weather again.

So congrats to everyone who laced up a hiking boot this year — let’s get ready to do it again in 2008.

Times Can Be Rough

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on December 5, 2007
in motivations
. 0 Comments

But folks like Nathan Colishaw know what’s up:

Life is good you know, but times can be rough. That’s why sometimes you have to get out and smell the juniper and pinion, and listen to the wind whistle and cut through pine needles. It is a healing song almost, just to hear the wind and the creaking wood of those old trees.

More wonderful writing and photography at the West Desert Journal.

200 in 2007

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on December 2, 2007
in hiking, motivations and site news
. 3 Comments

Just hit my 200th mile for 2007, hiking Iron Mountain in the western San Gabriels. I’ll have a full write-up soon, and it will have the honor of being the first major post to come from my shiny new Mac. We’ll see how it goes…

Year to Date

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on July 2, 2007
in hiking, motivations and site news
. 1 Comment

Over the weekend, I climbed Mount Hillyer - my 25th peak over 5000 feet - and now qualify for membership in the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peaks Chapter! That’s one New Year’s Resolution down, several more to go.

But as it’s a big number, I thought I’d take a peek at how I’m doing so far this year. Also, GPS programs make it easy and fun to keep track of all sorts of fun numbers. So here’s the first half of 2007:

Hikes done: 19
Total Mileage: 168.15 miles - 72.23 uphill, 78.07 downhill, 14.96 level
Total Ascent: 66,805 feet
Time Spent Hiking: 5 days, 12 hours, 28 minutes.

To put that in perspective, for the entire year of 2006, I hiked 234 miles with just under 47,000 feet of incline. So I could be doing better, but I’m definitely going to destroy last year’s numbers.

Hopefully.

Here’s to another six months of high-quality hiking time!

The Right to Roam

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on June 15, 2007
in in the media and motivations
. 0 Comments

An article in today’s Daily Mail bemoans how today’s children have lost the ‘right to roam’ in four generations, due to a combination of automobiles, overprotective parents, and an over exaggerated news media.

It profiles a family in Britain whose ‘roaming radius’ from their homes went from six miles in 1919 to one mile in 1950, down to just 300 yards today. And unsurprisingly, this has adverse affects on peoples’ mental states.

According to representatives from Natural England, people are “healthier and better adjusted if they get out into the countryside,” and that “people deprived of contact with nature are at greater risk of depression and anxiety.”

Nothing we didn’t know already, right?

(Fast) Hiking for Fitness

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on June 8, 2007
in hiking and motivations
. 0 Comments

I was all set to write about the New York Times’ coverage of “Speed Hiking,” a new fitness phenomenon threatening to turn our precious backcountry into the world’s largest Bally … then Tom beat me to it.

I can understand how gyms and outdoor fitness are cut of the same cloth - and I’d much rather spend time in a forest than I would in a stuffy gym. And while I do generally exhaust myself when I’m out on the trail, that’s never my intent when I go there. The gym is for physical maintenance. Hiking is for mental maintenance.

Tom agrees, saying:

I never deluded myself that (speed hiking) was hiking, which to my mind is a condition of being in the wilderness rather than passing through it. It requires letting go of your hard-charging, achieving self and giving at least four of your senses a workout (I draw the line at taste).

I’m all for people getting fit. And I’m really all for people enjoying the outdoors. But I remember hiking Mt. San Antonio last year during a trail race, and having to stand on the side while dozens of runners made their way downhill.

It’s a scene I’d rather not see again while I’m out in the woods.

Daily Ray of Hope Pool

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on May 31, 2007
in Web Sites and Apps and motivations
. 1 Comment

The Sierra Club’s ‘Daily Ray of Hope’ is an inspiring little email list. So much of what comes out of the ‘environmental news’ section of the internet can seem a bit dour, which is why it’s nice to get the occasional blast of good news, inspirational quotes and - now - nature photography from Flickr users.

The Sierra Club set up a new Flickr pool where you can submit your photos for inclusion in the daily newsletter. It’s also a great place to just browse some great amateur nature photography, and see what other folks are up to out on the trail.

The pool is invitation-only to join, but you can browse openly without signing up for anything. If you’ve got some shots you’d like to share, all you have to do is send a message to the group moderator.

Blogger Summits Everest

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on May 19, 2007
in Geek Stuff, climbing and motivations
. 0 Comments

Samantha Larson, of nearby Long Beach, successfully summited Mount Everest this week. She’d been keeping track of her progress on a blogspot blog, and now her story’s hitting the rest of the media.

At 18 years old, she is one of the youngest people ever to summit Everest, and may be the youngest ever to climb the “7 summits (a claim she’s making now, but will probably take a while to actually confirm).

Either way, congratulations to Samantha.

And thanks for making us all feel old.