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    • I'm not sure I've ever given much of anything to the trail, I am a taker. There is a peace and calmness I get when I am camping and I let nature 'wash my spirit clean.'

      The other day I read something my oldest daughter posted online. She was telling someone how lucky she was that her father instilled in her a love for nature. It has been a rocky road with my daughter, so I was very happy to see her say that, and to see the trail give her some peace and happiness.

      When it comes to the trail I have been a taker, but I have tried to share the many riches I have gained.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • Da Wolf wrote:

      i don't get it
      Uh OK, for someone that has hiked the trail as much as you have, there have been things that have happened to you to make you a better person, or made you happy. Or you have an uplifting experience. You have gone the"extra mile" from hiking the trail to trail running and keeping fit after what I remember was a triple bypass or stents. (If I am wrong that isn't the point) I am looking for great moments or positive feedback about what motivates us to do the trail. Does this make more sense?
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • Hey I am guessing this may be an awkward thread.. but with the best intentions. My early motivation was to spend a little time with my dad because it was so hard to get time with him. He worked too many hours at a major company, and his friends said "Hey, if you are so into climbing the French Alps, why not come and hike the AT? And by the way - bring your son... "(9-10 years old.) That was 1971.

      10 miles. I hurt.
      I never forgot it, but I got over it.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      I like hiking with my brain in neutral, thinking about nothing in particular and yet thinking about everything. Yeah I know that's weird.
      I was reading an article about the benefits of medtation. It occurred to me that the process they described described perfectly what hikers go through. Also the mental effects described by many thru hikers matched the benefits described in the article. Hiking with the brain in neutral is probably giving you those meditation benefits. The hiking gives the necessary focus and physical exertion.

    • odd man out wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I like hiking with my brain in neutral, thinking about nothing in particular and yet thinking about everything. Yeah I know that's weird.
      I was reading an article about the benefits of medtation. It occurred to me that the process they described described perfectly what hikers go through. Also the mental effects described by many thru hikers matched the benefits described in the article. Hiking with the brain in neutral is probably giving you those meditation benefits. The hiking gives the necessary focus and physical exertion.
      Have a reference to the article?

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Dan76 wrote:

      odd man out wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      I like hiking with my brain in neutral, thinking about nothing in particular and yet thinking about everything. Yeah I know that's weird.
      I was reading an article about the benefits of medtation. It occurred to me that the process they described described perfectly what hikers go through. Also the mental effects described by many thru hikers matched the benefits described in the article. Hiking with the brain in neutral is probably giving you those meditation benefits. The hiking gives the necessary focus and physical exertion.
      Have a reference to the article?
      this is not one I saw, but here is a recent article leading toward the same conclusion.

      sciencealert.com/runners-brain…cted-than-most-study-says

    • that article talks about the benefits of repetitive activity, which is why I see the connection to meditation and hiking. They also talk about music having the same effect. I know from personal experience music can have a profound effect on the brain and body, much like that zone Jimmyjam describes.

      When I was in high school I played in a string quartet. At one concert I had a cold with a bad cough. I could not go more than a few seconds without coughing which made playing difficult. After the concert I was still coughing uncontrolably, but my father pointed out that I had not coughed once during the 20 minute concert. Not only had the focus of playing surpressed my cough, I was completely unaware of this fact.