Reflection on American Camino #3 - Jonas Miller

In the final pages of American Camino, Dr. Redick discusses the challenge of the trail, and how the physical, mental, and emotional turmoil hinge so heavily on the completion of one's goal (p. 247). The longest I've hiked at this stage of my life is 9 days, although there was a time where I swore I'd complete the AT one day. Nowadays, that goal is less of a priority, although I still think it'd be pretty neat. The part of Dr. Redick's thought that got my gears turning the most was his comparison against day hiking and the relative ease of that activity. To that I offer: searching for highly venomous serpents in mosquito-ridden, thigh-high, black-stained swamp water. 

All jokes aside, I do understand the sentiment of easy day hiking. In the same places I partake in the ridiculous pastime of "field herping," others are engaging in relaxing dog walks and picnics. That is where I think the element of having a relatively difficult objective on a day hike-style activity can elevate the experience to the next level. Of course, the aspect of time and how it makes the three major challenges of long-distance hiking cannot be replicated in a day hike. Nonetheless, finding a particularly challenging hike or setting a difficult objective takes a casual afternoon and turns it into something where one can actually learn about themselves. I've had so, so, so many days were I just sit on a stump and curse at myself for falling short, letting the target escape, or just process whatever the hell I'm going through. In my life, that kind of exertion helps remind me about the scale of my problems, or what my problems really are in the first place. 

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