This week I asked the crew, what continues to draw them to the outdoors. I’ve always wondered why others continue to come back for more, even though they have been tried by mother nature at times.
– Sarah
Carrot
When I look at this from a behavioral point of view, I might say that I have been conditioned to get “enjoyment” from climbing or from spending time in the outdoors. From that conditioning, there continues to be reinforcers that propel me to maintain my current interests. A reinforcer being something that increases the likelihood that a specific behavior or response will occur/continue. So, from a behavioral perspective, there are probably too many actual reinforcers for me to even track. Everything from beauty, to the dynamic experience of feeling connected to something bigger, everything from the awe which cannot actually be put into words, to the mildest of breezes that barely touches the tip of my nose, from the adrenaline that comes with sending a route that seemed a bit outside my ability, to the sigh of relief when I clip the rope just before I fall. Perhaps my strongest reinforcers would be the community, i.e. those who share my love for the outdoors (especially Gaia and Sarah), and the simple fact that being in nature makes me feel happy.
How many reinforcers draw me to nature, draw me to the rock? I couldn’t even venture to take a guess, but as I sit here (outside) with my dog to my right (PEPPER THE DOG!!!), and a hot cup of green tea to my left (FANNIE THE CUP OF GREEN TEA!!!) I can only hope that I get to spend the rest of my life counting each one, one after the other.
Gaia
For our group post we were asked to write a little about what draws us towards nature/outdoor activities and, in all honesty, I found this assignment to be a little challenging. I cannot put into words what mother natures evokes in me without sounding cheesy or overly dramatic ! Although simple, it is honest and it even makes me blush to think about posting it but…
Why not ?
Because I find peace when I am with her.
Because It transports me to different places when I look straight into her.
Because with her I can be one and many at the same time.
Without her I lose myself, without her I disconnect.
She fuels me, inspires me, and makes me whole.
Because she is a part of me, I always go back to her.
Sarah
I would have to agree with Gaia, the question posed was a difficult one to answer even for myself.
What keeps me coming back is simple…
Every time I step foot in nature I learn something new. Whether it be about nature itself or myself, it continues to push and pull me. Teaching me that I can handle things I would never think of. As most of you know, I grew up living for the outdoors, I was raised to worship mother nature and the things she does for us and can do to us. As many times she has burned me, she has provided and I will never lose sight of that. Soil of the earth runs through my veins and the call of the wild is constant.
As always, Thank you for the continuing support and reads!!
TheDIHEDRAL.
thedihedral.com 
I also spent most of my childhood and teen years outdoors. Living now in the city is a bit jarring. I have to make an effort to travel outside the city limits to restore my sanity. It’s worth the trouble.
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I love that comment — “worth the trouble.”
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I’m a city girl but I have to answer the call of the wild from time to time!
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I spent all my time with nature as a child. It was kinder to me than people. A couple of times, I’d go naked and run around in this little glen no one knew about. (I was 8 or so). I would have these great heart to hearts with God and then I’d go home. Seriously though, I’m with Gaia and Sarah and find it never ceases to enchant.
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I think we have much in common regarding our childhoods. Outdoors, alone and naked in the wild, the only times I wasn’t depressed.
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LOL Yes, those were good times, longing to be closer to God and perhaps safer.
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This is so beautiful
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This is so beautiful. I’ve never really thought in detail about why I love nature but I definitely relate to all of the reasons mentioned here!
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“Hiking has never and will never be about fitness for me. I hike for the love of the mountain; The sights, scents and sense of accomplishment; The view sumiting a peak after a particularly challenging scramble; Adrenalin coursing through my veins inducing endorphin; The quiet time connecting with my self; Connecting with like-minded mountain lovers and sharing our joy. It’s my tranquility away from normal every day city life.”
https://myhikingmylife.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/hello-world/
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I so agree. I forced my boys up a 12,000 foot mountain once, grumbling and carrying on and when they reached the top, they looked around and thanked me. They’d never seen anything so beautiful and were so grateful. In the end they thought it was worth it. Since there had been areas where snow was still on the ground, the trip down was an added bonus as they sat on their jackets and rode the slopes down. Great fun for 10 & 12 yr. olds.
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lol…my first experience
‘My passion for hiking started on the 11th October 2009 when I did my first hike (in takkies mind you) with the then known, Muslim Assembly Hiking Club. We did Tranquillity Cracks and I complained all the way up! There was nothing tranquil about this hike! But these people whose names I was yet to memorise were so very patient! THANK YOU! When we got to the peak and I saw the views! OMG the views! The pain going up was forgotten (like childbirth…yes, I compared my first hike to post childbirth and I can because I gave birth to two children so I know what I’m talking about). I was hooked.’
*takkies – sneakers
‘Going down however was another story. In takkies remember, I got blisters. I had to take off my shoes and each step was painful! (Haha, I was earthing then already ^_^) Mr Jaffer stayed by my side all the way down (side note. Mr Jaffer turned 60 that year and beat luekemia by eating clean and basically living a healthy lifestyle). I will never forget the lessons I learned with this club.’
‘By 12pm, I couldn’t wait on the rest of the group so decided to go down Platties by myself. My first solo happened to be when I started out hiking haha. It may be haha now but I was in agony going down in takkies with my toes getting sore. I had to take off my shoes as I had blisters and the rocks were burning my hands. At this stage, I was sliding down on my buttocks. Other hikers saw my pain and offered me water and a banana as my water was with someone else and it was probably about 40 degrees Celsius by then. Not knowing that I wasn’t far from the road, I decided to take the contour path back to Kloof Nek car park and I was only done by 3pm. It was torture all the way down Platties then along the contour path in the afternoon heat. I’m a newbie hiker to experience something like that that I avoided Platties whenever I could. As a more experienced hiker now, I love Platties!’
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LOL There’s a lot to say about being properly attired. And good shoes are a must!!! In fact the most important, next to water. The first trip my husband took my daughter on, he said she looked like she’d hopped off the cover of a hikers hi-fashion magazine. Not that there is such a thing. Is there? She did fine though. (That was before we were married)LOL
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“a hikers hi-fashion magazine”
Oh yeah. Most outdoor shops cater to this. See it in Backpacking and Outside magazines and others. Never see anyone on them in a boonie, fatigues and combat boots or baseball cap, jeans, tennies and T-shirts and carrying an old external frame pack. Always expensive and colorful Gortex, $200 internal frame ultralight pack, coated 850 fill down, styled to show off an athletic build, brand new $300 dollar boots, brand name prominently featured. Mostly the young and beautiful, flown or driven to spectacular remote locations for a shoot. Product placement in articles as well as ads for the products themselves.
My hiking shirts and hats are mostly souvenirs from parks I’ve visited. My hiking boots are years old and beat up. Who can afford a new pair every year? Socks are also years old and from the REI garage sale. Pants come from Cabellas.
If it is warm I might just be wearing nothing but the boots, socks, hat and a smile.
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LOL Good one. I’m with you on age old socks, but boots I keep in good shape.
Yeah, he said even and her friend was all made up, but he said, they did great and went up Mt. Sneffles, a fourteener no less, like troupers, so he had to give them that. Never a complaint nor whining from either of them. I still chuckle at that. I don’t know if she’s been up anything since though. She started her family after that so climbing was put on hold.
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There is such joy to be found in the rediscovery of one’s own insignificance. The smaller I feel, the more impressed I am with the little bit I can do. Long trail, tiny man, yet here I am.
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Proper attire? If it is warm I might just be wearing nothing but the boots, socks, hat and a smile.
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Dodge the boots and socks and feel the mountain under your barefoot 😀
There’s a man, no matter the weather, he is hiking barefoot and shirtless…if he it were appropriate, I bet he would dodge the shorts too
https://fatsmountainadventures.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/earthing-platteklip-gorge-in-memory-of-steven-otter/
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The shirt and shorts are the first to go. Not that I think there is anything wrong with it but if I meet others, I’ll do a quick cover with a wide brimmed hat until I have assessed the situation. If I see kids, I’ll try to avoid the situation entirely. Not everyone shares my values and some of them might have bear spray on them.
Done a bit of barefooting (and bare everything else) too. Usually much too hot on the ground to suit my taste. However, when I was a silly 20-something I did spend a couple weeks along the Kern River by a hot spring without s stitch anywhere. However, another time I managed to lose all the skin off both feet and most of my toenails on a steep slope of decomposing granite. After that, I decided that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.
https://aunatural.org/2016/11/28/get-naked-go-hiking/
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Yikes! That does sound painful! I don’t think I’m brave enough to hike au naturale… Our trails are way too busy and I’m way too shy
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This is beautifully written. It’s like hearing the tangled thoughts in my own head at times. When society intrudes and madness crouches at the corner of my being, I have to find my little escape hatches… sitting on an old log deep within a forest, at the top of some sheer precipice, or getting lost beneath some hidden waterfall. I am reminded of Lord Byron’s words… “There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more…”
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I’m keeping the Byron quote. And why doesn’t this stupid browser let me click the “like” button?
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Chrome has issues. IE is working.
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Next month, I will embark on my first outdoor experience here in Alberta. I’m so excited because other than my personal experience, I’d like to share it to other people as well. I believe that we can get many benefits from spending some time outdoors and the nature. Thanks for your blog!
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Well pu Mariella, if you would like to do a guest post about your adventure, we’d love to post it for you. Thanks for the comment, and we are excited to hear about your adventure!
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❤ Wonderful idea. Mother nature connects us all because it is truly our life source. The natural affinity between humans and the rest of Earth should be recognized and fostered, not diminished and ignored like so many do today. I like Gaia's perspective, how it's hard to even put these feelings into words without being dramatic or cheesy… I definitely relate.
Often times I'll spend minutes just in awe with a plant, sunset, or beautiful insect. It may be something I've already seen a million times, but the sheer joy of life bring me great excitement and admiration.
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If I don’t have a communion with nature at least once every 2-weeks, I get “edgy”. Being in the wild always makes me happy, even when the weather is difficult. Happy Trails.
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I spend my entire youth in the outdoors. I love it to this day
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I’ve been reading through your posts and enjoying them very much. I had to comment on this one though. I relate to everyone’s reasoning of why they love the outdoors. The more time I spend outside the more time I want to spend outside. Being in the forests/mountains calm me and exhilarate me simultaneously. It’s always a grand adventure! I’m never disappointed in what I see, feel, hear, smell, learn, and the sense of freedom and accomplishment. It’s so much more than just a physical activity!
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Karen, you are basically crushing life, your blog is as inspirational as it comes! It’s fantastic to get to greet such a driven person! Thanks for the comment, you hit the nail on the head…it is always a great adventure indeed!
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Aww, thanks! 🏃🏼♀️🌲🥂🏔⛺️🌄 cheers to the next adventure!
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