- A physically strenuous method of contracting Lyme Disease, snake bites and/or poison ivy rashes
- The act of communing with nature through subjecting oneself to continuous torture by nature
Usage Example: “If I just hadn’t broken my ankle and required a helicopter to airlift me to the hospital for emergency surgery, it would have been the perfect hike.”
Background: Hiking (or “backpacking”) is an activity for people who enjoy a challenge. Of course, there are much easier ways to contract Lyme Disease, receive multiple bee stings, or attain a full-body Poison Ivy rash. However, hikers want to enjoy all of these acts of natural terrorism while scaling large rocks and steep inclines. Hikers choose to commune with nature by allowing nature to repeatedly terrorize them.
Hiking is sometimes referred to as “backpacking”. The term “backpacking” is employed because hikers will often pack their jerky, toilet paper, medical supplies and energy bars in a backpack for their hikes. Referring to hiking as backpacking communicates the idea that the packing of the backpack is the central activity involved in the hiking process. This is the etymological equivalent of referring to camping as “sleeping bagging” and vacationing as “car packing”. This type of word usage is slightly unorthodox, but hikers are not generally known for choosing the most reasonable path to anything.
