Why do we climb?

by **Sierra Ledge Rat** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:11 am

FortMental wrote:Why do we climb mountains?

I can't, for the life of me, figure that out.....

Just thinking about mountains is a colossal waste of time. I get crap done.

Gear is expensive And I HATE organizing all that shit, packing it, and then putting it all away afterwards. Getting to the mountains is always a long, dangerous drive. Ice, large animals, boredom.... just waiting for the chance to kill, or paralyze you.

And then there's the climbing itself. Hiking in with all that crap is a pain in the ass. I hate going uphill. Then there's the heavy breathing, the body odor, the bugs, the aches and pains. Oh, and let's not forget the "Alpine Start"....

Never mind getting gripped out of your mind, shitting into a hole, flying rocks, and the potential to devastate the lives of loved ones. No wonder people look at us funny when we say,

"If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."

WHAT HE SAID

by **Castlereagh** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:15 am

so when I die I know that I lived

by **Morlow** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 4:04 pm

Lots of great replies here. I do it for the exercise, the views and scenery of the outdoors, and the challenge, but mostly because I enjoy it.

by **Princess Buttercup** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:26 pm

FortMental wrote:"If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."

+1^infinity

by **CindyAbbott** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 8:03 pm

Castlereagh wrote:so when I die I know that I lived

Addition to my first answer.

by **Joe White** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 9:47 pm

probably for similar reason(s) that kids climb trees

by **Ejnar Fjerdingstad** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 4:41 pm

Because there is no more rewarding way to spend your time!

by **Jukka Ahonen** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:19 pm

Joe White wrote:probably for similar reason(s) that kids climb trees

I think not. Kids climb trees because that's where the monster base is hidden, or where the tree-octopussy lives. Or because everything on the ground is lava, and you cant touch it. You know, cool reasons!

by **Tangeman** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:40 pm

"The mountaineer returns to the hills because he remembers always that he has forgotten so much."

by **Gator** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 3:58 pm

The simple answer for me is that it makes me feel more alive than any other thing I do.

by **Dow Williams** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:43 am

I climb for the chicks (or bunnies!)

by **dclimb14me** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:13 am

Physical challenge. Mental challenge. Planning (love it when a plan comes together...). Camaraderie and teamwork. Weather is cool. Jokes are funnier after you bonk...

Sense of accomplishment ("It's not the mountains we conquer but ourselves." Sir Edmund Hillary). Goal is tangible and easily measured, unlike most things in our everyday life. Ramen tastes great when you're there. Food and beer taste better and colder when you're done. Life's simple pleasures are amplified.

Awe and inspiration and the requisite sense of wonder - "Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." JRR Tolkien

Cheesy, huh?

by **PellucidWombat** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:27 am

I think Shatner says it best - Video Interview

by **aglane** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:34 pm

"not for the achievement, but for the joy"--Noel Odell (paraphrased from memory of his AAC journal obit, ca. 1989)

Amended: Just found Houston's obit. in the 1989 AAJ on-line, and embarassedly note that my memory recalled it there, where it is not.

The point remains the same. And I'd wager Odell would subscribe to the judgment, even if he hadn't uttered it.

by **PAROFES** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:20 pm

I'm always searching for freedom in the mountains, that's it.

Freedom from people
Freedom from our crazy society
Freedom from the money lovers (and i hate money)
Freedom from the cities....

Why do we climb?

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