Hiking

“What’s the difference between a hike and a walk?” I was asked. I’ve wasted more thought than you can imagine on this question. Is it terrain, distance, intention?

Following slithering, sliding footprints through a morass, I mentally chided the unseen person ahead of me on their awful choice of shoes with no traction, and it came to me: the answer is footwear. Hikers wears hiking boots, and that’s all there is to it.

You’re also hiking when you bring a stash of toilet tissue with you. If I need to explain that, this painting is not for you.