The Outdoors Will Never Grow Old

You've entered the age of technology full speed ahead and are drowning in the newest technological gadgets. Every time you turn around you bump into someone with a blackberry or a cell phone. Stop in at the coffee shop and somebody is on a laptop computer. Drive down the road and the other drivers could be on any of these things. Where will it all stop? It probably won’t. Even in the midst of the technology boom the outdoors will never grow old. Hiking to the old fishing hole is still a pastime that doesn’t take a lot of money or hi-tech savvy and you don’t need a computer or iPod to find a few fish and have a great afternoon doing it. There is something exhilarating about being outside. The sun pumps you full of vitamin D as the fresh air fills your lungs. The awesome creation just sings to your soul, speaking of the One who brought you and it both into being. A true connectedness occurs with Something much larger than yourself and the distractions of work and worry can be temporarily laid aside. Hiking is an age-old outdoor hobby, and in the past a necessity, that seems to have been doctored up considerably in recent times. Seemingly gone are the days of tromping through the countryside just to see the sights. Today, many hikers aren’t feeling up to par without expensive running shoes, Walkman CD players and connectivity via the Internet on the ever-present blackberry. It seems that hiking has taken on new dimensions that have nearly destroyed the calming and physically beneficial effects it was designed to produce. Hiking can be restored to its rightful place if you leave everything at home. Life’s fast pace will wait until you return. Fishing is an art is finding is falling out of favor. Fishing license sales across the nation are decreasing, threatening the sport and indicating a future with diminished opportunities to wet a line. Anglers in the past have been attracted to the sport for the relaxed concentration of seeking their quarry and the great meals that success on the water produce. But even here the techno-gadgets have made inroads and created a demand for electronic fish finders, incredibly high-priced rods and reels and boats that cost nearly as much as a house. In the minds of many, gone are the simpler days of dropping a worm in the water. There may be miles of difference and a lot of acceptable terrain between the hook and bobber and a Rapala Original Minnow balsa wood bait, and that’s okay. What is not okay are the gadgets that steal your peace. Do you really need a fish finder? Whatever happened to a little skill? If the truth be known, both the offices of medical doctors and psychiatrists would be a lot roomier if more of us spent time outdoors pursuing those outdoor pursuits that used to come so naturally. Hunting, fishing, hiking and camping are but a few. Even kite-flying and astronomy are healthier than video games and surfing the Internet. For more information on outdoor hobbies, visit http://fishingmicroblog.com and http://hikingmicroblog.com