Originally Posted by
Dogwood
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Is investing in health and future generations by reconnecting with Nature, and maybe more, as one hikes just a vacation in the sense of a pastime recreational activity? Hmm? Seems some of those throughout history who were avid walkers - hikers - had earth shattering impacts.
While there are an infinite range of definitions for thru-hiking and what categorizes a thru-hiker I respectfully disagree with opinions that state thru hiking has to be conducted in a selfish manner or thru-hikers are or purely as a recreational or leisure time activity. There are different definitions of what work is as well. Surely, we can agree that being immediately financially compensated is not a prerequisite for defining work.
Perhaps the most fitting definition of vacation is: "...vacation is “a change in the status quo.” A true vacation, in my opinion, is changing the course of your everyday habits, mixing it up, shocking your life with change." Can you imagine how this might change people and consequently societies if more engaged in this type of defined vacationing?
Often what's being inferred by labeling something a vacation is a period of lower productivity or...down time. Quite the contrary. Hiking can be a time of great investment in health, one of the wisest uses of time, wider awarenesses, and fabulous productivity. In these times perhaps more than ever we need those who travel, expand comfort zones, and take themselves, and maybe others, to a place outside of current cultural, national, regional, and societal norms?
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
Mark Twain
There is nothing that says a hiker can't also be working on/building their career on a hike. There are photographers, engineers, painters, Naturalists, outdoor writers, college students who earn college credit to hike, gear enthusiasts, ecologists, Horticulturalists(moi), architects(moi), geologists, FS employees, educators, designers from a vast array of technological fields, biologists, cartographers, hydrologists, sociologists, outdoor guides leading hunting/fishing/hiking parties, EMT's, SAR personnel, hired trail construction and maintenance workers, surveyors, and a whole lot more who I've met or are myself that have been financially benefitting through furthering careers as they/we thru-hike/hike. Some will accommodate work(as in a paid job) during longer hikes too.
Nature is one big classroom so much so that the education is so valued bioengineering innovators from a wide spectrum of disciplines go to Nature for clues to design a structure that withstands hurricane forces, a stronger cardboard box, faster computer chip circuitry, or improve food sustainability and global distribution. This comes about sometimes by those that go to Nature and "walk" and contemplate.
I respectfully disagree that thru-hiking is characterized by goofing off, lack of commitment, someone lacking direction, necessarily exhibiting an escapists or rebellious mentality, non productivity, one big long lasting party scene(nonsense!), only for the young of age, retired persons, those in a transitional period(aren't we all always going through transitions?), or being a barista.
Question the definitions assumptively imposed as quintessential - typical examples - as you may find those definitions and typicality don't have to shape your own reality or match reality. This is what happens when those inclined to short categorizations attempt to place people into neat little easy to digest quantifiable boxes.
