Why I love hiking

I hike because I’m tired of using disposable plastic gloves in supermarkets to pick a banana to put into my polyurethane shopping basket, I’m tired of buying green cakes topped with artificial cherries on foam pads which I use for a minute and then it stays in our soil for a thousand years, I’m tired of earning money to pay for the things I need for earning money, I’m tired of dealing with people I don’t like but I need to cross the path with to continue being a money machine, I’m tired of waiting in the queues in the white offices to get done something that I don’t really understand what, I’m tired of perfumed blue nailed woman with long heels walking in front of me and spreading her chemical smell around which makes me dizzy, I’m tired of hearing cars during the day and seeing lights at night which is so hard to escape from, I’m tired of the driver of silver Volkswagen who stares at me contemptuously while I’m crossing the street just because my clothes are baggy and my hair tangled, I’m tired of considering normal to work for 20 years to earn money for a piece of land where I can plant my veggies and live in peace, I’m tired of forms I have to fill I don’t know why but “fill it, Michael, because that’s what they want”, I’m tired of people who own set of multicoloured serrated vegetable peelers and change their IKEA rugs when they get dirty because “it’s so cheap, why should I bother washing it?”, I’m tired of an ambitious guy in polished shoes who let the corporation he works for to steal his spirit, I’m tired of talking machines we call politicians who keep saying that we should consider starting to talk about starting to talk about changes that don’t really change anything, I’m tired of seeing people judging others based on numbers in Excel sheets, tattoos or country in their passports, I’m tired of a young girl considering entertaining to spend her Sunday afternoon in a shopping mall buying things just for the pure “fun” of buying, I’m also tired of her young boyfriend wearing pre-torn jeans and carrying iPhone which he’ll put away when the new one is issued, I’m tired of looking at the colorful billboards around penetrating our common public space and advertising things I’m not sure what to use for, it makes me so tired to deal with each single thing which is not essential in my life and therefore doesn’t make happier, I’m simply tired of being tired of things which make my life complicated despite of the only thing I want is to keep it simple, and I’m tired of the effort to make my life simple again because it’s something what we should start with and not to end with after a lot of effort.

I love hiking because it brings me back to simplicity. To simple stories. Simple life. Thoughts. Sentences. To life without commas and “but” kind of words. You don’t need to watch the time. You go to sleep when it gets dark. You wake up when you wake up. You eat. You pack. You go. Numbers are not important once again. All the straight lines of the cities are suddenly gone. Things around have different shapes but still perfectly fit into each other. You hear the trees whispering in the wind. You watch the birds whirling around. You smell the ground. You feel the cold of the forest. You see the clouds moving on and when the sun comes up, you have time to close your eyes and feel its warmth on your eyelids. There’s just you in the middle of the universe. You’re alive again.

When you hike, you cut all the ties and realize what’s important in your life. This is where you come from. This is where you are rooted and for what your mind is natural to feel happiness for. You smile without a reason. You love without a condition. You perceive your breathing. You realize your heart beating. Your feelings. Moods. Each moment is special. You know that this is it. This is life. That’s why I hike.

About the Author

Michal
I lived a pretty ordinary life for a while. I did my studies, my second studies, my third studies, my first job, my second job, and my third job. I wasn’t really sure what’s going on so, in 2014, I left my home country (Czechia) to learn about the world. I’m still not sure what’s going on but I enjoy it much more. I lived in a few countries before settling in New Zealand.

12 Comments on "Why I love hiking"

  1. Just found your page today, and all I can say – thank you for your stories you share on here!
    You have described in words those feelings I have discovered on this winter when started to hike. Its like to find a new way to get to know yourself and life. To discover, to realize, to feel. To open your eyes. As to reborn. Amazing… Such a feeling of happiness.
    In case you decide to walk Eastern Balkans Way – Via Dinarica, that would be really interesting journey to know about more 🙂 They say, the whole trail takes 3 months…

    • Hi Linda, thanks for your lovely comment. Via Dinarica sounds really awesome. What a great way to spent a few months! Unfortunately, I can’t say what I’m going to do in the summer. I’m currently going trough an auto-immune disease and it doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to hike soon if ever… That’s life, too. I wish you all the best, enjoy every day!

  2. François | 1.3.2017 at 2:59 | Reply

    I think I got the same ‘virus’. Maybe it’s New Zealand beautiful mountains that made me change or these great people I met. Have a good life hiking mister Michal.

    • Hi François! Good to hear from you. First of all I have to say that your icon with Gandalf is really funny 🙂 Change is pretty normal thing in everyone’s life. I think people usually change for good and if you do change in a good way, you feel it that’s good for you. You feel better and you’re happier. I hope you are happy whenever you are and we’ll catch up at some point!

  3. Hi Michal, True words… I get frustrated by thinking what & how we living our lives. It becomes norm and you just follow others. Awesome to see you doing what most just thing about doing…best of luck & its great to c u on the web world.

    • Hi Lovee, it’s great to hear from you! I hope you & Sam are doing well. Norms are something what most of people agree on but there is no law which would have forced you to follow them 🙂 Best of luck to you too

  4. Can’t agree more. I find myself smiling when I realise how similar some of what you said is to what I’ve been thinking about. It makes me both smile and feel sorrow. I smile because I’m happy that we share the same view on something very very important, but I feel sorrow because of the effort people have made to give up that kind of simple life and happiness, and instead to chase a much more complicated self-confusing and self-denying lifestyle. I feel sorry for the people who keep telling me it’s ok and they’re fine living like everyone else, and I should stop thinking things like this, because I have a good life and I don’t need to worry about money or where I can sleep tonight. I’d rather worry about my next meal than losing my conscience and kindness.
    I’m in Shanghai, one of the biggest and maddest place in China. It’s funny because I just came from the countryside in the southwest of this country, where people get up when the sun is up in the mountains and have nothing much to do in winter except celebrating the new year (although this has got more and more complicated with mordenisation).

    • Hi Emma, as usual, thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂 Your comment is so nice that I don’t really know what to answer because whatever I write it won’t be as nice as your comment. I bet we share heaps of the same views about the world. I think that one of the nicest things everybody can do is to try and be a good person. And you already are an awesome girl with a big heart – just keep on being and that’s enough 🙂

  5. SO GOOD Emily | 27.1.2017 at 8:35 | Reply

    That is so true M. We don’t question our actions because it is the norm, which is a very expensive mistake. Mannnn words of wisdom: “The only thing I want is to keep it simple, and I’m tired of the effort to make my life simple again because it’s something what we should start with and not to end with after a lot of effort” i cant get enough of this sentence hahahah

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