Hiking - connecting people
The first weekend of March didn’t exactly offer us the crispy, sunny weather we had hoped for. In the mountains of Vosges, northeastern France, a damp wind greeted us. And most of the views, that we had looked forward to see, were covered in thick mist. From time to time the clouds also managed to encourage themselves to sport a little sprinkle of rain upon us. Despite this small setback in the weather, we took our course towards the peaks.
Somehow, hiking when the weather isn’t perfect actually makes you invest more of your time to the people you are walking with. We kept our spirits up by telling stories of our homelands and teaching each other to whistle in different ways. When we got a little higher in the mountains, we found small patches of snow that still clung down to the warming soil. The only logical course of action after that discovery was a fierce snow-war.
Many people think that hiking is simply putting one foot in front of the other and walking in some kind of Zen-silence. Of course it can be that, too, but it doesn’t have to be all the time like some religious experience. Sometimes it feels like walking in the nature is just an excuse to get to know new people. When there are no distractions of modern life surrounding you, you are forced to focus on the very basics – talking, listening and helping others to pass their time. In your normal nine-to-five –life, when do you have the chance of simply talking and listening to people freely, without interruptions from telephone, e-mail, television or some routine chores?
I think some part of the relaxing effect of hiking comes from the fact that you know you can’t be interrupted by anything of minor importance. That you are in no hurry to get to any point in your conversation, or that you don’t have to pass any important information to others.
