There is something puritanical about a thru-hike. That’s because thru-hiking is work. You must plan ahead, work toward a long-term goal, and apply the requisite discipline, diligence, and frugality so that you can wake up and do it all again.
That’s Ken Ilgunas on his blog, Out of the Wild. I have done a few hundred miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, and the thought that long-distance hiking may not be the best way to experience nature has occurred to me as well.
The alternative Ilgunas proposes is bushcraft, which he defines as identifying edible mushrooms, navigating with signs of nature, building a fish trap, constructing a shelter, tracking animals, and a million other things. These are all fine pursuits, but to me, structuring time around bushcrafting is still overthinking how to spend time in nature. An even more open-ended alternative is to try to reach places that seem interesting, camp there for a few days, and explore them. I bring a fishing rod, food to cook, and a good book, and I know I’m not going to get bored. Most of my days I’ll spend exploring the peaks, creeks, valleys and meadows close to my camp. This way, I’ll get to visit places that far from any trail. If my camp is in a place that’s already remote, those trips may lead me to places that haven’t been visited by anyone else in many years, which is a thought I enjoy. Here is one example of such a trip from last year, and here‘s another one I’m planning for this year.
Here is my post about applying the same philosophy to reading.
Nehaveigur 