Is Hiking Addictive?- Greylock

[Ed'n Lauky]

Is hiking addictive? The question may seem facetious, but I'm really kind of curious.

I know that when you love something you want to keep doing it, but I wonder if there is not even more involved.

With my immediate goals for the summer accomplished I have given some thought to high-pointing. (Thanks I will admit to Trish who sparked my interest with her reports this summer.) Without giving any thought to high pointing, my hiking has taken me up the high points of ME, NH, VT. and NY plus at least three other high points in the south. So I thought it would be good to get Greylock. However, when I got to checking the distance from ME I realized I had a problem--five hours out and five hours back plus stops and X number of hours for hiking that makes for a long, long, day. So I asked my wife if she would like to do a little high pointing which would be done in the car. She literally jumped at the invitation and so off we went, with Lauky of course.

Saturday, 10/23 was a beautiful day, all the way to the Berkshires. In the course of the trip the leaves were in various stages from 'not quite there' to 'there' to 'past there'. The Berkshires themselves were completely bare, not a leaf left on the trees. Also once in the Berkshires the sky was totally overcast and there were signs of a bit of rain here and there.

The road to the top of Greylock is very good and seems to have been recently paved. The pay station at the top was closed and there was no charge to park. There were a few signs of snow above 3000' but nothing significant.

The focal point at the top is of course the tower.

Even with the overcast the views into the valley were good.

I asked in the beginning if hiking is additive because even though it was a great day, this was the first week in almost a year that I didn't hike and I almost felt like I was having withdrawal symptoms. It was really bad when I met some hikers at the top of the mountain. Well, at least there weren't any migraines or headaches of any sort, but next week for sure I'm going to need a fix.

Here's Lauky staking his claim as the highest dog in Massachusetts.

 

[paul ron]

I was just there last week n had a wonderfull time seeing all the colors n the first snow of the year.

Nice views up there. Interesting seeing the Catskills range as well. Next time I'm atop Hunter or any of the Devils Path Mtns I'm going to look carefully for the Pawn, we should see it just as clearly.

Did you go to Bash Bish Falls while you were up there as well? That's a beautiful area in the fall.

Just an observation... all the small towns in the Berkshires have lots of churches and right accross the street is always a few banks. Never seen a town without em.

 

[erugs]

Addictive? As in habit forming? Yes. As in anything pleasurable. I was feeling "withdrawal" from not seeing my little granddaughters this weekend. I tried to make up for it by using some of my 2 1/2 year old words, such as "wa wa" and "poppopcorn" and "gohavfun."

 

[TrishandAlex]

Congrats on highpointing MA!

Yes, I think hiking is addictive. For me, it's about setting a goal, pursuing that goal, and hopefully obtaining that goal (weather permitting). At the end of the day, I've accomplished what I set out to do, and I've done something good for my body in the process. That's a nice cycle to fall into, week after week.

 

[TDawg]

Having just recently finished a Long Trail thru-hike, I can say that hiking is indeed addictive. Days filled with activities not as rigorous as hiking 10-20 miles a day, have left me tired, semi-anxious (restless legs?), and bored (withdrawal. )

Slowly getting over it and back into the swing of things (rehab/recovery. )

I can just imagine the shock after a 4-6 month AT, CDT, or PCT thru-hike after experiencing the immediate aftermath of our almost 300 mile/26 day trek from Canada to the MA border, then a "victory lap" over Greylock and down to Cheshire, MA.

Glad you enjoyed Greylock. For a developed summit, it's really not too bad.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I don't know if it is addictive but it does affect one's point of view. Case in point:

Today we had a candidate in for an interview. Her name was Mariah. I immediately thought "Oh, like the mountain?" Of course not, like Mariah Carey, you geek

Tim

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

From the responses so far I would say that those responding agree that there is at least a psychological addiction. I have been wondering if there might not be a bit more.

From Wikipedia I found this concerning a runners high: Runner's high
Another widely publicized effect of endorphin production is the so-called "runner's high", which is said to occur when strenuous exercise takes a person over a threshold that activates endorphin production. Endorphins are released during long, continuous workouts, when the level of intensity is between moderate and high, and breathing is difficult. This also corresponds with the time that muscles use up their stored glycogen. During a release of endorphins the person may be exposed to bodily harm from strenuous bodily functions after going past his or her body's physical limit. This means that runners can keep running despite pain, continuously surpassing what they once considered to be their limit.[citation needed]
In 2008, researchers in Germany reported on the mechanisms that cause the runner's high. Using PET scans combined with recently available chemicals that reveal endorphins in the brain, they were able to compare runners’ brains before and after a run.[12] The runners the researchers recruited were told that the opioid receptors in their brains were being studied, and did not realize that their endorphin levels were being studied in regard to the runner's high.
The participants were scanned and received psychological tests before and after a two-hour run. Data received from the study showed endorphins were produced during the exercise and were attaching themselves to areas of the brain associated with emotions (limbic and prefrontal areas).[13]

It makes me wonder if the body, once use to the endorphin levels, might not put out a bit of a physiological response to the lack thereof. Maybe that's pushing it too much, but it might explain why runners "HAVE" to run and hikers "HAVE" to hike.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Indeed...

I know when I cannot get to the mountains for an extended period of time I become depressed. I need my fix. It might be the hiking, and it might be the mountains themselves that I'm addicted to, I don't know. When I get my fix the "high" keeps me going for another week or so before I need another one. Sounds like addiction to me!

KDT

 

[Jay H]

The road to the top of Greylock was paved within the last two years. In fact, Bascom Lodge and the road was closed for a bit in that you could only hike to the summit in the summer...

I rode to the summit of greylock via my bike and the road was awesome (and so was descending down the north side.. WWWWWhhhhhheeeeeeeeee )

Jay

 

[Mike P.]

Hiking, addictive, nonsense!

Everyone walks 18 miles to stand on that rock in the middle of nowhere just because it's higher than the other rocks on a wooded ridge in the middle of some wilderness most people can't pronounce.

All non-addicted people spend big dollars on rain gear so they can walk miles in the rain to a sign in the woods and back to their car soaking wet. (Normal people don't listen to their moms "Don't you when to come in from the Rain")

I'm addicted to car driving tourist asking me if I knew the mountain had a road to the top, not the hiking (I didn't know my car was allowed on an auto road)

12x to Pierce, 14 to Washington, 20 to Monadnock, everyone does it, many more than me. (I'm addicted to paying tolls in NH - I miss them in CT )

New Hampshire? I thought I was going to New Jersey, The toll booths looked similar.

Normal people don't cross streams in October or April in order to stand on a rock thousands have stood on before? (R U sure)

As someone in insurance I'm just interested in doing red-lining that is legal

I'm not addicted to hiking, I'm getting in touch with the generation before and after me. I don't have 15 books to stuff in a book bag (not counting guide books) so I stuff clothes in my bag, Instead of gigi pets or whatever toy is enjoying it's 15 minutes clipped to the outside, I hang the latest snowshoes or crampons (soon to be micro spikes )

To my Dad's generation, I'm walking five miles to the school (of hard knocks) each way in deep snow, uphill both ways (&%$* PUD's)

Addictive, ha, all that much fun is joyful, addiction is usually something painful or harmful you know is bad or too hard but you can't stop doing it.

(Until recently see 1918, 1972, being in High School during "America's Team & not knowing if you wanted something bad to happen to the Cowboys, Yankees or Canadians yet youcouldn't stop watching to see Doomsday, or Bucky Bleepin Dent, or the Habs (* then Gretzky see 1989) tear your heart out. Speaking of which.time to go watch the 1-5 Cowboys now that the hangover from the Yankee Elimination Party is over)