Zen and the Art of…Hiking

Dr. Z (someone I worked with once) gave me a book to read called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair. It was an interesting book about how the author correlated a bike ride and his life through peace. I went on a hike on Saturday from ElkHorn City (a ghost town) to the tops of ElkHorn and Crow Peaks. While hiking, I did a lot of thinking. Hiking, for me, is a very introspective time. The following were some of my thoughts.

Hiking. It’s not so much a sport or an exercise as it is an experience. It’s the “I want to go THERE” attitude that pushes some people to take the first step into an unknown area. To blaze new trails into new areas, or to follow old, unused, trails into the forgotten. Hiking alone, while potentially dangerous at times, has its allure. You get to experience the quiet sides of things. Of Nature. Of your surroundings. You get to go on your path and just feel.

Life is a lot like this as well. It’s not a chore or something to dread, it’s an experience. It’s the “I want to LIVE!” attitude that pushes some people to look at their life, notice things that aren’t right and to choose to make the changes that lead them down a better path. Going through life alone is also potentially dangerous, but it, too, has its allure.

While I was hiking, I came to a fork in the road. To the left, the path was almost level with rocks and small obstacles in the way. To the right, the path angled uphill much more steeply and the rocks and other obstacles looked more difficult. I stopped there for a second and chose the path to the right. What I didn’t know at the time was that the right path started out very difficult, but then evened off and was a much better choice. On my way down, I took the other path and was surprised at how difficult it would have been on the end.

Again, this also mirrored life, or has mirrored MY life, anyway. You come to a decision and you have the opportunity to choose which path you decide to go down. One way may seem easier than the other one, but you never know how long it’ll stay easy, or if it will at all. Likewise, you can choose the path that starts off rather difficult, but you can be rewarded in the future when the path is easier.

After hiking for several hours, I came to a clearing in the saddle of two peaks. The breeze was blowing hard enough I had to remove my hat for fear of it being blown away. I walked to the edge of the saddle and looked around and chose the peak to my right to go up first. My legs were a little sore. I was having a little difficulty breathing (I was about a mile further up in the air than normally). It was windy and very bright. I got to the top of the lower of the two peaks…and stood in awe of the views. I then knew I had to get to the top of the other peak, and after a half hour of scrambling over loose rocks and piles of stones, I was rewarded yet again with amazing views.

Life isn’t easy. It’s a day-to-day struggle. Choosing how you want to respond to one thing or another will put you on one path or another. You come to a fork in the road, make another choice and continue on. This goes on, I’m guessing, for your whole life. The way is difficult sometimes, but when you get to your personal goal…life is good, and you will be amazed.

Pictures of hike: http://mccombs.scott.googlepages.com/elkhorn2008hike