My love of hiking and camping started with the Boy Scouts and has continued throughout my life. There was something about the beauty of nature that drew me as well as the self-reliance required to be successful. You can’t blame politics, religion, or other people for your situation and you have to deal with what nature throws your way with what you have onhand. Everything is very practical and not theoretical. After you do it for a while, your body knows exactly what to do and you do not even need to think about it. You are off the beaten path and will encounter moments that take your breath away. So join me on this journey as I share the early days, subsequent adventures by myself, with my reluctant hiking companion, some favorite scenes, and some animals I have met along the way.
Hiking as a Youth
My enjoyment of camping started with the Boy Scouts and has continued throughout my life. Most of these experiences ranged from a weekend outing to a week or so of camping and hiking. I gained experiences from canoeing and camping in the Okefenokee Swamp, hiking the Francis Marion Trail, and spending a week hiking at the Philmont Camp in New Mexico. Our camping equipment was bulky and heavy but we were kids and did not care. Every month was another adventure and I eagerly awaited the opportunity.
A couple of vignettes from these hiking trips:
- While hiking in Philmont, we did a most excellent job of suspending our food between two trees from a bear’s perspective. From a human perspective, it was too low. I awoke one morning to find the bear happily eating everything within the food cache about 20 feet away in our tent. I rapidly captured some out of focus pictures of the nearly bear. The bear ate everything including the soap detergent for washing dishes. We were able to track the bear for about a week from his scat.
- The Indians called the Okefenokee Swamp the land of the trembling earth. We traveled by canoe into the swamp and camped on land that moved as you walked.
Hiking as an Adult
Camping and hiking is much more my hobby than Eileen’s hobby so a good number of my hikes are solo. Eileen will occasionally join me and especially so if we are on a cruise.