Hiking – “I don’t like either the word or the thing.
People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’
It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”
– John Muir
Saunter means to walk in a slow, relaxed manner without hurry or effort. Sauntering in nature is walking with curiosity and wonder. The natural world is filled with things to discover if you take your time and enjoy sauntering through the forests and prairies and trails.
Have you sauntered in nature? What was the experience like? What have you learned while sauntering in nature?