Why it is essential to hike

Quathlamba

“A mass of Spears. Named thus by the Zulu warriors before the white man came. Today called the Drakensberg, Mountains of the Dragon. Evocative names, both equally applicable to South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks – reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.”

“Listen to the streams as they gurgle from their cradles and you will hear the story of the mountains. You will hear fascinating tales if only you listen! Lie next to a stream and listen to the song of the mountains. The smiling faces of the flowers, dancing in the wind. Venture into the remote valleys or stand on a peak at sunrise or sunset, after snow has fallen, and you will hear a song that you will never forget - the Song of the High Mountain".

DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS © WILLEM PELSER

“MAN CAN ACHIEVE WHAT HE ‘BELIEVES’ HE CAN ACHIEVE.”

UNKNOWN

Why it is essential to hike

Without disregarding the joys and advantages inherent in hiking, let’s look at some of the factors inherent in modern society which might explain the popularity of hiking.

Perhaps the most important factor is the lack of physical exertion from most people’s daily work. Our wonderful technological advances have also contributed to most of us being sedentary beings. This is not only true of our daily work, but also our movement from one point to another: this we achieve in a sitting position – car, train, boat, or plane.

Our technological society of course has many disadvantages notwithstanding the advantages. It is not all good for one’s health to drive to work, to sit at work the whole day, to drive back home and to sit down in front of the TV at the end of the day.

More and more people are discovering that it might well be comfortable but definitely not healthy to have all your work done by a machine. It is when they begin with some kind of activity such as walking or jogging that they experience the joy of being physically more active.

The second consequence of our culture is that often the laborer no longer really experiences much joy in their work. In earlier times a craftsman could take joy in the fact that every time he created something with his own hands, each product would carry a stamp of uniqueness. Today man stands at some distance, watching and controlling computerized machines endlessly spitting out identical articles for the global market. Man has, through the invention of labor-saving machines, and these include items like computers, created for himself the deadening effects of routine and monotony.

It is no wonder that many modern people now seek the pleasure, which is denied them in the work place, in recreation when they – fortunately – do not have to work.

Another consequence of the fact that machines do the work faster than men is that, compared with previous centuries, we have a great deal of free time. The average working week in the 1800’s was about 84 hours. Today the average is only about 40 hours, and a working week of 30 hours and less is being envisaged. It is estimated that the average professional activities of somebody who is 80 years or 700 000 hours old will soon amount to only 40 000 hours, so that out of every 100 hours, only six will be used for working. No less than 600 000 hours therefore remain. And once you subtracted 290 000 hours for eating and sleeping, about 370 000 remain for recreation.

People however, have to learn a very important thing, and that is to use their free time in a meaningful way. A few hours spent a few times a year on hiking might be a very good investment of time.

It is also very strange that in spite of all the free time we have, we still live in a restless world – everything happens at top speed. The faster something can happen, the better. This does have its advantages, but once again man does not realize its boomerang effect. Man is simply unable to maintain such a tempo, and inevitably becomes anxiety-ridden, always in a hurry, tense, and tired to death.

Where could one fine a better cure for this confusing rat race than hiking in nature, which is never in a hurry? Walking as the oldest and slowest way of moving, helps you return to yourself, connect with your own inner resources, and find what you have lost in the wild rush that we call life.

It is so important because all of us need a place to get away from it all. This over populated, polluted concrete jungle we live in can also suffocate one. How many city-dwellers still see the horizon where the sun rises and set? From day to day they live in an artificial world far away from nature in its original form. Whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, this has an influence on one’s spirit, for apart from simple claustrophobia the human being who is caught in such a situation also begins to suffer from a narrowing personal horizon.

It is remarkable that one can walk all alone in the wilderness and not feel lonely at all, while within the human antheap of a modern city you can become totally isolated and lonely – reduced to a mere number.

The wide horizons and absorbing vistas do not only give you an opportunity to feast your eyes and stretch your visual muscles, but also widens your spiritual horizons.

The End.

Safe Hiking.