{"id":4574,"date":"2019-03-25T15:41:02","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T15:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4574"},"modified":"2019-03-25T15:41:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T15:41:57","slug":"the-art-of-self-propulsion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?p=4574","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Self-Propulsion"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p><\/p>[Please note that this was originally posted on 3.23.19 <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/2019\/03\/23\/the-art-of-self-propulsion\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Hiawatha Hiking Company is our new business!]\n<p>With the number of RV super-centers seemingly on the rise, the art of bipedal motion and cycling is not always on the forefront of people\u2019s minds.\u00a0 Before people sat in their cars and pressed levers to get from point A to point B, if you wanted to get somewhere (by land) you walked.\u00a0 People have been moving their bodies by foot since the beginning of time.\u00a0 Feet are the original Model T, shinkansen bullet train, and high-speed jet.\u00a0 There is a long history of humans traveling large distances by putting one foot in front of the other (and many four-legged animals continue this tradition seasonally!).\u00a0 Sadly, some human migrations are not voluntary and others illustrate the strife of humankind, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/aia\/part4\/4p2944.html\">Underground Railroad<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.nationalgeographic.com\/2018\/06\/when-and-how-did-the-first-americans-arrive--its-complicated-\/\">Bering Land Bridge theory<\/a>, and recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/what-we-know-about-the-latest-migrant-caravan-traveling-through-mexico\">migrant caravans<\/a> demonstrate the power of human movement.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3902\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3902\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3902\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/6a2fd6dd-477e-4ee7-8ce3-94dbf754b1bf-1024x576-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3902\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bullet train we took in Japan (slightly faster than walking!)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Hiking<\/h4>\n<p>While the term \u201chiking\u201d may intimidate some, it is simply walking.\u00a0 Commonly, the term is used in the context of a wilderness environment.\u00a0 Walking is probably the simplest way to get around.\u00a0 No high tech equipment needed, although a comfortable pair of shoes makes the journey more enjoyable.\u00a0 One step at a time and you can find a nice tree stump or rock to take a break when needed.\u00a0 As the slowest mode of human-powered transportation, it provides time to smell your surroundings (who doesn\u2019t like that moist earth smell on a spring day, or drying leaves in the fall?), hear a waterfall or call of a loon, feel the wind on your skin, and see the details of your surroundings.\u00a0 It is only at a slow pace that you can see frogs hopping along a stream, a complex spider web, or the subtle beauty of leaves dancing in the wind.<\/p>\n<p>When strictly moving with your two legs, you don\u2019t need to worry about getting a flat tire or bruised bum from too much time in the bicycle saddle.\u00a0 Sure, you have to deal with blister maintenance, but some band aids and athletic tape are easier to carry and simpler to use than a bike repair kit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3910\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3910\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3910\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.intothewideopen.com\/?attachment_id=3910\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intothewideopen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Episode4.jpg?fit=5472%2C3080&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"5472,3080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DSC-RX100M4&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1494641756&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;11.22&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Episode4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intothewideopen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Episode4.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3910\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1285-1-1024x576-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3910\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steps on the Pacific Crest Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Biking<\/h4>\n<p>Not to be confused with hopping on a two-wheeled vehicle, revving the engine, and letting a machine do the work, biking (commonly referred to as \u201ccycling\u201d) is another mode of transportation using self-propulsion.\u00a0 In addition to the extensive backpacking experience Domonick and I have gained over the years, we completed a bike tour along the Four Rivers Bike Path in South Korea in the spring of 2017.\u00a0 We spent nine days cycling 500 miles from Seoul to Busan and had an amazing adventure!\u00a0 Domonick also completed the Southern Tier Bike Route (3,000 miles from Florida to California) during the winter of 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Biking is much faster than walking and who doesn\u2019t like cruising down a hill?\u00a0 Because the pace on a bike is faster than on foot, you get to see more, although you may miss some of the details you would experience on a walk.\u00a0 Not to mention the dangers of clip-in shoes!\u00a0 On a particularly steep ascent in Korea, I ran out of gas near the top.\u00a0 Not having the wherewithal to un-clip, I comically tipped over and earned a large goose egg on my left knee.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3903\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3903\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3903\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/7bffb345-16e3-4c1b-9b77-69f45dbc49f3-1024x576-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3903\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Korean Countryside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Domonick and I haven\u2019t gotten into the mountain bike scene (and many areas including the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore prohibit bicycle traffic), so our road bikes are mostly confined to pavement.\u00a0 Walking on foot provides the flexibility to traverse many types of terrain.\u00a0 And on especially long and arduous ascents, one may end up\u00a0<em>walking<\/em> their bike to the top anyway!\u00a0 While biking is still an excellent way to get outside and use your body, it isn\u2019t quite as simple as hiking.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3908\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3908\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3908\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/ecbc447d-e784-413c-b796-160122d6dd75-1024x576-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3908\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A break on Domonick\u2019s Southern Tier ride<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Driving<\/h4>\n<p>I have enjoyed a road trip or two, playing tourist and hopping out of the car at scenic viewpoints.\u00a0 Some people may be physically unable, due to disability, age, or health to move themselves by foot or bike.\u00a0 In this case, using an automobile or shuttle bus may be the only way to see the wonders of nature.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you are able-bodied, there isn\u2019t too much of an excuse to emit car exhaust into the atmosphere when exploring natural areas.\u00a0 To get out of the city, we may need to drive or fly, but once we get to our destination, let\u2019s move those limbs!\u00a0 In his book Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey encourages people to exit their vehicles\u2026<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey will complain of physical hardship, these sons of the pioneers.\u00a0 Not for long; once they rediscover the pleasures of actually operating their own limbs and senses in a varied, spontaneous, voluntary style, they will complain instead of crawling back into a car; they may even object to returning to desk and office and that dry-wall box on Mossy Brook Circle,\u201d he writes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>Summary<\/h4>\n<p>Stretch those legs and join Hiawatha Hiking Company on a <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/day-hikes\/\">day hike<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/hiawathahiking.com\/backpacking-trips\/\">overnight backpacking trip<\/a> this summer.\u00a0 Humans haven\u2019t always had the luxury of automated travel, and I believe this is one of the many reasons why people have become removed from their natural surroundings.\u00a0 It is all too easy to hop in a car and find yourself at your destination without enjoying the journey in between.\u00a0 Don\u2019t spend the summer as a spectator behind the bug-splattered, broad windshield of a recreational vehicle.\u00a0 Take a walk and discover something new!<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-3911\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hiawathahiking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/img_1309-1024x576-1024x576.jpg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Please note that this was originally posted on 3.23.19 here.\u00a0Hiawatha Hiking Company is our new business!] With the number of RV super-centers seemingly on the rise, the art of bipedal motion and cycling is not always on the forefront of people\u2019s minds.\u00a0 Before people sat in their cars and pressed levers to get from point [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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