Why do you love it?

[Luc-Porter]

I recently got asked why I love being in the bush so much. I really didn't know how to answer.
It wasn't something I found myself able to put into words.
It was more how I felt when I was there. Sure, I've had some miserable times, often I'm wrecked at the end of the day, almost every walk, canyon, abseil or " I'll just go a bit further" has left me physically worse off than when I started the day. But I still love it. I still can't articulate it though.

[spacemandave]

I've lived the past decade in a small but high density and poor south-east asian city (Dili), and it has sapped my soul. Some people can handle it and can find their peace amongst the chaos and pollution. I admire them for being able to do that. I can't. Luckily my work often took me to the rural areas and mountains, and the space and organic growth of geology, plants and animals was like a tonic. It made me feel connected to the universe. And even on the bad days of sore feet, the trots, etc, etc, that connection is always a good thing.

[Aardvark]

I expect, for most people it's a combination of a number of reasons.
Certainly for me, a key one is that feeling of exhaustion from a good hard effort. That can come from completing something new or doing something already done by me many times over. It can be from trying something familiar but changing the conditions. Such as a different season, time of day, amount of time to complete it. Even the pleasure of introducing someone else to the activity. Meantime skills are being honed or gained. Experience is mounting.
I must say though. The experience of doing any activity can be vastly different between an occasion when alone and an occasion when many people are around.

[Tortoise]

Hard to confine to words. A few that come to mind: beauty (vast and tiny), clarity, freedom, rhythm, simplicity, meeting the challenge, endorphins, satisfaction, joy, peace, health (body, mind & spirit). At home.

[crollsurf]

It's the adventure, yeah that's it, it's an adventure

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Hiking Exped]

It’s not even just the Bush for me, it’s the whole process.

The research, the planning, the organisation, the packing, route assessments, meal planning, safety, weather, like minded people you talk, share with and meet along the way. Then the space, tranquility, adventure, challenge, fitness, wildlife, fauna, scents, colours, skies at night, and solitude.

What’s not to love!

[johnw]

It's all of those things that everyone has already said, to varying degrees. But put simply, escape. I immediately become unstressed and relaxed.
My blood pressure drops and the endorphins kick in. I'm not completely unsociable, but if I see no one I consider that a bonus.

[Dexter]

I feel at home amongst nature. Much of what's been mentioned here already. I live in the burbs and work in melb CBD. I really feel like it resets me to be around trees, green, animals, the sounds of birds, wind, streams and rivers. I instantly de-stress and feel so much happier. I've never felt more like i'm living my life than when traveling the world or immersing myself in nature.

[headwerkn]

The air is nicer above 1000m elevation. And fewer idiots up that high

[puredingo]

Because I've always done it and always will....I hope?

[dalehikes]

I love it for nature, the most primitive of places to a human, and yet feel most at home.

To escape the maddening march of human impact on the earth.

To treat my mind to a world of senses. The smells, noises, touches, breezes, all that are practically eliminated in a human environment.

To see sights that take effort and sometimes skill to reach that for the majority is out of reach.

All these things and still more.

[north-north-west]

Who says we love it? Masochists bushwalk too, y'know.

Freedom. Belonging. Achievement. Joy. Solitude. Peace. According to recent studies, "overactive" or hyperconnected mirror neurones also have a lot to do with it.

[Heremeahappy1]

Reset the cognitive fatigue, more so since working from home since March 2020 and seemingly endless zoom meetings.

[ofuros]

For the heart jumping wildlife encounters, off-track mental & physical challenges, skinny dipping, wild weather conditions, the anticipation of finding what's around the next corner (especially waterfalls & cascades), perhaps walking in the footsteps of past indigenous tribes....and the endless breathtaking views of course.

Frequent doses of nature...keeps me sane.

[Dexter]

A cool article here with some of the positive neurological effects.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-26/ ... /100552658

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Baeng72]

Not a storied hiker here, just a johnny-come-lately...
I vary between loving and hating it. But that's because sometimes I bring a competitive attitude to it and sometimes I just bite off more than I can chew or want to chew.
Like, I'm nearly 50, overweight, but *&%$#! that, I'm gonna do a hard shift, and see where I get.
Sometimes that ends in adventure and smiles, sometimes failure, where I wonder what the *&%$#! I'm doing!
I will say, sometimes when you fail on the great quest, and maybe scale down (but not just give up), you hit the sweet spot.
I was walking around Hotham/BHP in May, with ideas of visiting the Fainters and ascending Diamantina Spur to summit Feathertop over 3 days, didn't do either of those because fat *&%$#! walking slowly through calf-deep snow.
But! It was probably my best 3 day hike, my planning allowed me to have choices, the gear I took worked a treat and wasn't heavy, the sights, well, yep, just yep.
And then there's no other person for hours, no commitments for the next few days...