A group of us go hiking and biking fairly frequently. We are pretty much of the same age, not yet old old but surely not young , but at that stage where we know the hands of time are moving forward fast. So when I suggested that we needed to cure our collective ADD---Adventure Deficit Disorder the others in the group perked up and started listening. For those who think I might be disrespectful in referring to ADD as Adventure Deficit Disorder instead of Attention Deficit, let me assure you that I am not. I am totally serious and totally commited to the idea.
There is a body of scientific evidence ,growing by the day, that says human well being can and is influenced by exposure to nature, the natural world and exercise. There are those who believe as do I that many maladies can be helped by exercise in the open world. Depression and anxiety , not to mention physical ailments such as arthritis and diabetes and heart conditions may be helped by getting out and getting moving. Depression and anxiety treatments now prescribe open air exercise and they are proving to be as effective as medications. Get moving.
So with that in mind I suggested to my group that we do a little more, and we did , we packed up our bicycles with our tents, sleeping bags , cook stoves and went on a three day bike ride covering about 120 miles . We would bike down the trail for 40 miles , have breakfast, lunch look at the sights and head for a campsite around 4 PM. Our days were full of conversation, long periods of working the pedals and silence, observation and awe at the beauty about us and later after camp we would have a few laughs . We were magically transported back in time to the time when we were 13 year olds.
We had our cure and it was good..
The weather was sweet even with the 30 degree wake up temperatures . And each of us grabbed hold of an endorphin high that seems to be lasting to the point where we want to jump right back in and plan our next adventure.
