Go Backpacking
     In recent years, new backpacking routes have opened up some of the most scenic places on earth to backpackers and hikers. There’s world-class backpacking everywhere: Bolivia, Japan and Morocco to name a few. Actually, backpacking is a great way to get fresh air and experience nature on foot. While people have long traveled the world on foot, the late 18th-century Romantic artists and poets celebrated walking as recreation for Europeans. Earlier walkers simply traveled overland or followed traditional routes. These early backpackers sought connection with nature, adventure and beautiful places. Today, we praise that spending extended time in the wilderness has a powerful impact on well-being. Exposure to nature really boosts creativity, generosity and happiness. Indeed, our walking pace lets us tune in to the natural world. We, then, only take in the scenery, listen for elusive wildlife and try to spot trail-side plants that we’d never see from a car window. In other words, we just need to take it step by step, and try to have a good time. That’s all.
Nowadays, hiking and backpacking have become two of the country’s most popular outdoor activities. In broad terms, hiking is the activity of walking, or using mobility aids, in nature. Backpacking is a multiple-day hike where people carry their overnight essentials in a pack. Backpacking typically involves heavier loads compared to day hiking because people need to carry more gear, such as a shelter or tent, sleeping bag and pad, and multiple days of food. Backpacking normally involves walking to destinations that aren’t accessible by vehicles. Therefore, backpackers often venture into more remote areas and backcountry. When we go backpacking, first of all, we commonly find some favorite beginner-friendly destinations, such as the White Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Park in America, etc. Secondly, a well-fitted backpack and comfortable boots are top priorities on our gear list. There’s always extra gear, like some shirts and spare shoes. Then, a battery-powered satellite device, such as a SPOT beacon (衛星追蹤器), can provide peace of mind and potentially life-saving access to emergency services. Learning and planning ahead of a backpacking trip is essential to ensure safety, and maximize the enjoyment of a backpacking trip. The skills and the know-how are crucial to staying safe and having a great overnight in the backcountry.
Relatively speaking, a backpacking trip is an inexpensive vacation alternative. With no premiums for flights or hotel rooms, we can easily stay within budget and have the experience of a lifetime. Moreover, not surprisingly, we might probably lose cell service the further we go away from the cities. With bright screens and constant noise permeating all aspects of civilized life, it’s nice to shut off everything and truly experience nature without our smartphones or laptops sometimes. Besides, the changing seasons influence when specific regions reach peak season for backpacking. During the summer season, northern regions and higher-elevation locations tend to be more cool and popular. From late fall to early spring, southern, low-elevation trails with warm climates become favorite hiking and backpacking destinations.
Through traveling, we learn that people of all cultures share basically the same hopes and aspirations that we have. The outside appearances are often vastly different among people. Some cultures are outgoing, and others are more reserved and stoic; but all cultures love their children, are proud of their heritage, and want to improve conditions for their families. Through traveling, our preconceptions are challenged and we will see other, perhaps better, ways of accomplishing positive things. Often, behind our borders, the bad stories are the ones we hear, and the good ones go unreported. It is because the world seems focused on negative things. We, thus, not only need to see for ourselves, but also need to be informal ambassadors for what is good in us and our country. Instead of building walls and barriers to understanding, we should be searching for common ground, celebrating our differences and encouraging humankind to be more tolerant of each other. Learning about this world, through traveling, gives us freedom over those who would use fears to cynically and selfishly influence and control us. Becoming a better person requires being open to knowledge and willingness to change. If we can go to faraway places and get outside of the comfortable zones that we build around ourselves, we will become more informed. That is good for us and the planet. Freedom is something that we get from traveling. Acquiring the knowledge to examine our circumstances and to take action is freedom. Traveling, going hiking and backpacking allow us to have such freedom for broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things all over the world.