HikeArizona.COM

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 ... ket-newtab

What do ya'll think-- interesting article with some killer pics and the life long debate--- the destination or the journey or both??

That was indeed interesting, and the pics are gorgeous. I don't know how many people will be able to view them. I'm a NYT subscriber so it was just a normal click for me.

I think there are legitimate reasons to consider it a dilemma, which the author articulated well. Jurgalski's summit zone concept and how he proposes to apply it is probably better than anything I'm likely to concoct.

I did two 'treks' in the Himalayas in the early 90's. The second trip was to the village of Langtang (which was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake). The village had a hill behind it that you could easily climb and I did. At approximately 18,000 feet this brought you up to a saddle and the snowline. Crossing the saddle put you in a zone of the high peaks of the Langtang Himalayas. The interesting thing was that many of these summits from just over 19,000' to over 23,000' seemed easily ascendable. Does the fact that these summits were (seemingly) easily within reach, make them any less important than the verifiable insane ascent of K2 and other more challenging higher Himalayan peaks? The same is true for the cascades, rockies and virtually every mountain range in the world where some summits come with the prestige and acclaim of the ascent.

The trip to the village of Langtang and back to Kathmandu were 5 unforgettable days of backpacking up the Langtang River Valley. I didn't have a peak to bag that trip and don't most trips in my current life. The adventure of the journey has and I believe always will be enough for me. The majority of triplogs I read here on HAZ have a similar vein of the journey as primary catalyst of adventure even when there is a 'peak' to bag. Maybe this is why I feel at home here rather than some of the other options available on the internet.

@AugustWest
None of the mountain summits are important, neither are Olympic Medals or Treks or anything else

Awesome article.....I lean towards the journey rather than the destination myself.....and I agree Big Load......wicked cool pixs!!