When you are on a hike, you come across different kinds of people. 

There are some who are so focussed on the walk that they don’t even look at the scenery around. They are solely focussed on the time and the walk. Then, you meet others who are not in any hurry to reach anywhere. They take their own sweet time and seem to enjoy each and every little progress they have made. They pose for pictures, instantly upload them on social media and walk at their own pace, finishing it when and if they can. 

Some of those who speed up initially take a small break in between analyzing their journey so far and understanding that a little breather in between is a good way to keep up the spirit for the rest of the journey. Others who maintain a medium pace are able to do the whole hike at that pace and it seems as though they have worked out that pace after some calculation. They enjoy the beauty around without having to break the journey. Taking pictures and writing notes without slowing down their pace. 

There are some who start  with so much enthusiasm and then you meet them somewhere on the way completely drained down and wondering if they can even make it to the top. In contrast, there are some who gain momentum and energy during the course of the journey, making it to the top like underdogs. 

Some of them who come in pairs or groups do a major part of the climb discussing things that are completely unrelated to the hike. Some of them seem to huff and puff during the steeper climbs and others seem to have mastered the techniques of steep climbs. 

There are some who come there aspiring to climb a hill but at the same time fighting the act of doing it so much that they start with a wrong note. They try to run up thinking they just want to get done with it and then stop half way, cursing their shoes or their clothes. They find the weather either too hot or too cold and the wind too gusty or too calm. 

Some of the couples finish the entire trek holding each others hands and focussed on the climb. Some others who come together do it at their own pace, but, keeping an eye on each other to make sure the other person is comfortable. Then, there are others who are competing with each other right from the time they step out of their vehicle. 

There are strangers who become friends during a hike and there are others who choose to ignore anyone walking with them. 

You meet all of them during a hike and when you finish the hike and get down on the road of your life, you meet exactly similar people in the journey of your life. The journey of life is no different from an uphill hike and you realize that similar choices are made by people during both. You realize that everyone chooses their own pace and style and all that is important is, understanding your own walk. 

Just when I finished writing my observations about the different types of people I meet on a hike, I heard Michele Obama speak at Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour. What better way to end this blog than to quote a small part of that interview where she speaks about what she thinks during a hike.

 “Everybody has their own way of hiking. Some are fast, some are slow and methodical. I always felt that I was not happy about my walk when I was comparing myself with someone else’s walk. So I had to keep telling myself, to stop comparing myself to the person walking ahead of me or behind me. Walk your walk. How fast do you need to go ? How fast do you need to take that incline for you to get through it? What is my journey? It is important for me to understand my walk. And that is all that matters.” 

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