In reading certain threads recently I have, as stated elsewhere, come to the conclusion that I am no longer working on lists. This was a culmination of several thoughts going through my head.
One was a chance reading of a review of a new book out by David Roberts. I have never read any of his books but thought the review interesting: “he comes to see the selfishness of his own obsession, of risking everything not for a cause but for a kick. Without climbing, would he have been a better husband, a better son? It takes another kind of courage just to ask the question.”
Now I’m not saying that pursuing ‘lists’ are risking everything but are they not more for a kick than a cause? Does the pursuit of lists take you away from other things that are in reality more important?
Then I read the ‘who’s who’ of peakbagging and I question why are people elevated for doing more peaks, first list finishers, faster ascents, etc? I do find it interesting to see what people can accomplish but find that there are other people much more worthy of my admiration.
I also read the excellent discussion of what hurts or heals the forests we love. Should we follow others to these peaks? Should we share where we go? Will others follow us? Will we destroy what we are going for, for ourselves or for those after us? Should we just not go? Do we need to go or do we just want to go? I have decided there are places I want to go, maybe I will, but maybe I won’t. I don’t need to go everywhere. I do feel I need to hike as it is a source of solace to me but I don’t need to follow a list anymore to find that solace.
So where am I going with this? A suggestion if I may…trailwork. It is often mentioned that there are not enough trailworkers yet the trails need maintenance and perhaps more areas need trails rather than multiple herd paths. Could more time be spent on trail work in proportion to the time hiking?
I have found it to be immensely satisfying to see an area almost trampled to death coming back to life by a little bit of trailwork. And just this week with all the rain we’ve had, I was quite pleased with myself to walk up a trail that was basically a river and ponds, find the source of the problem, make some drainage, clean out and redirect the flow of a stream spilling its banks due to fallen and washed up debris and return down a trail that now didn’t even have a trickle. I come home dirty, tired and just as happy as I would if I had hiked to a summit.
So now if I am working on a list it is only a ‘to do’ list of trailwork interspersed with hiking.
One was a chance reading of a review of a new book out by David Roberts. I have never read any of his books but thought the review interesting: “he comes to see the selfishness of his own obsession, of risking everything not for a cause but for a kick. Without climbing, would he have been a better husband, a better son? It takes another kind of courage just to ask the question.”
Now I’m not saying that pursuing ‘lists’ are risking everything but are they not more for a kick than a cause? Does the pursuit of lists take you away from other things that are in reality more important?
Then I read the ‘who’s who’ of peakbagging and I question why are people elevated for doing more peaks, first list finishers, faster ascents, etc? I do find it interesting to see what people can accomplish but find that there are other people much more worthy of my admiration.
I also read the excellent discussion of what hurts or heals the forests we love. Should we follow others to these peaks? Should we share where we go? Will others follow us? Will we destroy what we are going for, for ourselves or for those after us? Should we just not go? Do we need to go or do we just want to go? I have decided there are places I want to go, maybe I will, but maybe I won’t. I don’t need to go everywhere. I do feel I need to hike as it is a source of solace to me but I don’t need to follow a list anymore to find that solace.
So where am I going with this? A suggestion if I may…trailwork. It is often mentioned that there are not enough trailworkers yet the trails need maintenance and perhaps more areas need trails rather than multiple herd paths. Could more time be spent on trail work in proportion to the time hiking?
I have found it to be immensely satisfying to see an area almost trampled to death coming back to life by a little bit of trailwork. And just this week with all the rain we’ve had, I was quite pleased with myself to walk up a trail that was basically a river and ponds, find the source of the problem, make some drainage, clean out and redirect the flow of a stream spilling its banks due to fallen and washed up debris and return down a trail that now didn’t even have a trickle. I come home dirty, tired and just as happy as I would if I had hiked to a summit.
So now if I am working on a list it is only a ‘to do’ list of trailwork interspersed with hiking.
