Collecting quotes on the subject of the outdoors….
From AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller.
But I have come to recognize that most of what is memorable and pleasing about my time on the trail is ordinary moments in the outdoors. Simply sitting unhurried in the shade of leaves is an irreplaceable moment. It is a joy in itself to amble through the woods for hours, even when views are limited to the dense trees surrounding me. It is fulfilling to be saturated with the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors.
…
Humans are creatures with a longer history of living in the outdoors than of living within the confines of concrete and artificial light. We have an atavistic sense of well-being when immersed in the natural world.
From Walkin’ On the Happy Side of Misery by JR Tate.
The Trail seemed to speak to our hearts: “Come see what lies beyond the next range, the next bend. Come meet the challenges of this new day; put forth your best effort and purge your soul. Rise up and become one with the Earth, for wholeness and belonging are within your grasp.”
From A Hunter’s Road by Jim Fergus.
…sometimes the act of hunting, successful or not, provides added dimension, direction, and focus to a walk in the woods, as well as special purpose and cement to a friendship.
…
More than anything, the hunter seeks solitude, and like his prey, fears noise and crowds.
From Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.
That my complicated life could be made so simple was astounding.
(and)
It had only to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles for no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental.
From Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail by Erin Miller.
I won’t lie: I’d rather be reef diving off the back of my sailboat into water so warm I didn’t even need a wetsuit than I would be hiking through the dank forests of Washington. But since I don’t actually own a sailboat, being on the PCT, even in the pouring rain, was a pretty close second. It sure beat being bored to death in an office.