THE HIKE
I went on a hike yesterday on this small mountain named Helgafell. Named after a man from over a 1000 years ago, it is a popular place to hike and get the blood pumping. It was a windy day yesterday, with furious bursts of gust at the summit. Despite this, the people kept going up there in droves. You meet a lot of people at this place, and have many conversations with people you know or are meeting for the first time. All pleasant dialogue and uplifting for the soul.
But why do people use the hours in their pastime, to break a sweat and toil up this mountainside? One is humbled every time one climbs up the steep hills and the tails are barely paths. The ground is uneven, with rocks ad boulders ready to trips you at a seconds notice. Your knees feel the effort and your heart tries to keep up with the pace of your eagerness. You ask yourself why the hell you didn’t just go to the park or to a café. Still you go hiking up a mountain and will keep doing it. Maybe you are trying to stall your aging process. Maybe you just love nature and the view at the top. All of the above are correct answers.
But I think that the real reason is more simple and primal. Even spiritual. Hiking and climbing is equal to the flow state, but not the same though. When hiking and climbing a mountain, you have to keep your wits about you constantly and you have a single task to accomplish. Reaching the summit. In the process of reaching the summit and the focus thereto, all your daily worries are stricken from your mind temporarily and this perfect state of mind overrides the physical effort exerted. That is mental wellness. Brilliant isn’t it?
A.G. Munson
