iangpark wrote:I'd agree that for some (myself included) it is a good way to 'fill the void'. I had only climbed a handful of hills before my first year in university and after what was by far the worst year of my life, plagued by a constant influx of depression/neuroticism/idleness/sedentary living (some stuff a bit too dark to post here), I knew I was going to need something to keep me busy in a social environment I wasn't used to. Other people were definitely the most important thing I got to get me out of a 2-3 year rut (after going 19 years without a solid friend group, I had no idea what I had been missing out on) but hillwalking greatly helped too, and continues to when nobody else is about. I don't think it actually calms me down, or allows me to focus my thoughts (as I do that far better at home) but it keeps me physically fit and provides a purpose/challenge, which I seriously struggle with going without. I continue to find living with my neuroticism hard, my actions becoming less frequent but more dangerous when they happen, but hillwalking gets me out the house, the sweat dripping and the worries temporarily subdued!
That sounds tough!
While I've never experienced anything like what you describe, I certainly feel that the hills have benefits in our stressed society - a few personal thoughts:
[list=]readjustment of values / perspective. That report that needs to be written, that sales target you so fractionally missed, that promotion you could have got if you'd said something different... among the hills, those things matter less
silencing the inner voices - in my experience, when people aren't talking (or "talking" via social media) then they have an inner dialogue running. Silence is the healthiest sound in the world, and you can hear it better in the hills
focus - decisions become simpler (albeit sometimes more life-threatening). Do I follow this vague path in the mist, or keep to my compass bearing? Modern society creates a morass of tiny choices - but the hills allow you to forget them
the sense of challenge. Achieving a goal that you set yourself does a lot for self-confidence in a world where marketing and peer pressure are cleverly devised to tell you that personal goals are always around the next corner, just out of your reach (buy this, they say, and you'll be happy. Oh no, you need to buy that too!... And upgrade your smartphone - what, you're still using that old thing?)[/list]
But for me, there is one that is much bigger than all those.
[list=]the beauty of the hills and the connection with nature. Ever since, aged around six, I saw Tryfan, I have been obsessed with the hills, with scenes of wild beauty. Aged fifteen, I finally got to climb a hill, Cnicht. All around me I saw a wonderland of snow-capped peaks above the endless sea. That sense of magic is always with me, and always will be, when I go into the hills.[/list]
As Wainwright said about his guidebooks "They are, in truth, a love letter".