Why Walk?

Walking comes so naturally, we seldom realize it is a creative endeavor: the mind will register landscape, an assortment of upcoming hazards, the various delights of wildflowers, weather, and wildlife as well as the simple joys of the foot upon the trail. All these things seem to fully occupy the mind, and yet they don't. Not entirely. Certain problems we have encountered during the day, during our lives—personal, mental, or emotional—find their solution in the simple matter of a few thousand simple strides. As my coach used to say when I got my bell rung in high school football, "Walk it off." Perambulation is therapy.

Consider a walking vacation something of a retreat, in the religious sense. You are not imprisoned behind a pane of glass in some motor coach where you will have to deal with the loudmouthed ignoramus you've named Captain Loud. If Captain Loud is on your walking trip—and 10 to 1 he isn't—you are not confined to his presence. You can walk ahead or behind. Pace is a matter of personal choice on such trips. Anyone who can stroll to the mall from the parking lot is capable of taking a walking trip.

Walkers feel the road. They notice more at their chosen pace than does the coach-bound passenger, whose world whips by at 65 miles an hour. Sure, the bus stops at all the must-see sights. You get to hear Captain Loud tell you all about them while others of your group belabor the guide with questions about where you're going to stop for lunch.

The walker, on the other hand, takes pleasure in solitude, then stops to chat with the men building a rock fence, with the woman hanging her wash, with a tinker looking for his lost horse. Walking brings you in touch with yourself and with the people of the countryside. It raises questions in the mind—such as how come you see so many foxes in the fields?—andt hese matters give you something to chat about when you eventually stop in a pub that caters not to coach traffic but to locals. For those of us who enjoy the occasional adult beverage, walking has it all over coach traveling. Bus passengers may want to "try" a different porter. The walker doesn't "try" a Guinness or a Murphy's: the walker has "earned" it. Whatever the preferred beverage, the walker finds it tastes better and the conversation is more convivial and enlightening.

Finally, a walker does not worry about calories at dinner. He or she has already walked them off. Enjoy.