Thoughts for a Day

Tigger

Tigger, the one thru-hiker with the coolest real name, Elvis, and with a fun, positive attitude

I’ve been meaning to share a little analysis of what I think about while I hike all day and today is the day that I’m actually following through on it because today was a bit out of the ordinary. So I’ll share a little about today along with some of the main things I think about while hiking all day.

Today we hiked almost the entire day with a young guy named Tigger. His real name is actually Elvis, he is a college student, and was originally born in Bosnia and came to the States during the war there. He has a generally optimistic attitude and asks lots of questions. He is a philosophy major and we were able to carry on a conversation for almost the entire day. He pressed us on what love is and then we followed it up with a conversation on happiness and what we can do to bring it about for ourselves and the world. It was very enjoyable to actually be able to carry on a conversation all day.

Julie and I talk everyday but certainly not all the time. There seem to be certain times of day, the late morning and later in the day that we talk most but there are many times of the day that we’re simply walking quietly together. I’ve noticed a few common thought patterns while walking that seem to coincide with the time of day. For example, in the mornings I tend to spend much of my time thinking about the future and all the things we could do. After lunch, I generally listen to my lectures – I’m enjoying a series on Calculus currently. Later in the day and into the evening, I often find myself reflecting on the past and indulging my feelings of nostalgia.

The morning time is awesome. I love the coolness of the air and the quiet that surrounds us. It is fertile ground for great thinking. I really enjoy coming up with some sort of game plan for what to do after the trail and then go through playing the scenario out down to the minor details. Construction of this type typically takes quite a bit of time and is one of my favorite pastimes.

I don’t have the evening nostalgia every night, but it is frequent and it’s a road I will go down with pleasure. I love looking back at my time at Fisher, my coworkers and the clients I used to work with. I had the opportunity to interact with some very good and gifted people. I remember the running group and everything we have done together over the past few years. I sometimes go further back to think about times in Maryland or California. I’ll go back to Ethiopia on occasion (when I get Teddy Afro on the iPod usually) or I’ll think about my family and growing up in Ohio.

I think this is all constructive. There is so much time to think about my life, to evaluate what I’ve done and dream about where I’m going. I don’t tend to have much time for introspection in normal life but it’s almost forced upon me out here. It’s one of the main reasons I hike. I think it makes me a better person with a more enriched life and I am thankful for these opportunities.

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