Just before the floodgate opens and the crowds return. It was eerie to see the airport so incredibly deserted. I'm very happy to be home safely. We took the First Burroughs Mountain loop. I've been doing a lot of reading about climbers and mountains lately.
Climbers try to describe why they climb mountains.
They say it strips them of everything except the essential imperative to survive. Hiking, even on tough trails, doesn't come close to that kind of experience, but there is a similarity. I think Ted put it best. When I'm hiking on a snow covered trail, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my balance, I don't need any mediation of that experience. The experience itself is the point.