Sometimes I come back filthy and tired from a hike anticipating a shower, or if it was a backpacking trip, looking forward to sleeping in clean clothes in my bed and waking up to a pot of coffee in my own kitchen and I wonder why I like to hike so much. At those times, I can understand why some people just don't like it.
But after a day or two (often already on the ride home) I am looking at photos, thinking about what a great trip it was and ready to do it all over again.
On a recent weekend two friends and I went hiking and camping for two days in the mid-level mountains of Taiwan. At the end of the first afternoon, we made camp in the forest beside a stream in what will remain an undisclosed location. I don't want to make too much of it. Its not a secret place and I'm sure many people know about it but some places you just want to keep to yourself. I have been camping there for over ten years and though its a fairly popular spot for day hikers, you are extremely unlikely to see any other people after about 4 pm.
On this occasion one of our hiking companions climbed into his tent for a nap before dinner and I left my other friend to walk to a nearby waterfall by myself.
It was late in the afternoon and close to dusk. Just as I was crossing the stream I saw movement. There was a pair of animals. One slipped under a log and away. The other paused and looked back at me and I got a very clear look at it. Sinuous body, grey--almost spiky--fur. Later I found out they were crab eating mongoose.
Walking on, I came to the trail for the waterfall. I had never been here but my friend had stumbled upon it on a previous trip by accident and told me about it. The trail was indistinct and sometimes there were fallen limbs across it. But going slowly I could make it out and sometimes see a flag marking the trail. I walked until the trail crossed a small stream. There was no sign of a waterfall and I could not see a trail continuing up the opposite bank. It was starting to get dark and even though I had brought a light my first thought was I should head back.
First I sat down on a stone and just sat in the forest for a few minutes. Sitting there, the path ahead slowly became clear and where before I had not seen anything I could now see a faint but clear path. I went on and soon I could hear the waterfall. I crossed another stream-- above the falls-- and then climbed down to a beautiful little waterfall falling into a pool in a forested alcove. I took it in for a few minutes and then started heading back.
Walking back I had to pay close attention because it was getting darker by the moment and the trail was unclear. When hiking we need to bring a certain amount of attention to what we are doing and for me I think that is close to the heart of why I enjoy it. I am always present when I am hiking. Certainly my mind wanders and if I am with others we talk. Its not meditation but you have to pay attention to what you are doing. You have to keep your eyes on the path and your surroundings, to listen to the forest, to feel with your feet, the rock or mud or wood you are stepping on. In this state, several hours can go by and I never feel bored.
As I walked back I was aware that I needed to return to camp before it was fully dark or I would have to negotiate the indistinct trail in the dark. I didn't feel any anxiety about it and knew I could make it back with my headlamp even in the dark if I had to. It would just be more difficult. As I walked I used all my senses to follow the faint trail and felt completely present.
I saw a flash of movement and heard what sounded like a bark. It sounded so much like a dog that I expected to see another hiker with a dog. But rounding a bend I saw nothing. I just heard whatever it was bark one more time from off the trail. I think it must have been a Reeves Muntjac deer, also called the barking deer.
I am an introverted person who in certain circumstances is afflicted with social anxiety and always aware of myself and the impression I want to make on others. Its hard to explain the feeling, in contrast, that I had as I walked on this path. I felt all my awareness was directed outward and I was not thinking of myself at all.
I was made even more conscious of it as I approached our camp and saw my friend across the stream. As I got closer it was as if I could feel my sense of self coming back into me. It was something I had never experienced before. I was glad to see him but was also grasping at the ineffable feeling I had just had.
Soon we were joined by our other friend. We cooked dinner and settled in for an evening of drinks and storytelling. The next day we hiked out. I got home dirty, hungry and tired but ready to do it again soon.
