I have many outdoor hobbies and it took me a while to merge them under one umbrella, however I am pretty sure that it is "Chasing the Horizon". Now, this can be a fun hobby and one in which anyone can participate. I am by no means an expert in it and I must confess that I have never actually made contact with the horizon. I can only offer you the experiences that I have had so far and perhaps tell you a little about my plans for the coming year.
I like to walk, living in Scotland offers me many places to go and views to behold. There is no sensation quite like standing on top of the highest mountain and looking over towards the horizon. I have on a few occasions, stood on top of the clouds, bathed in warm sunshine yet knowing full well that a couple of hundred feet below me it is miserable, cold and dark. Yet as I gaze out over the mountain tops I can vaguely see the horizon, quite some distance away, distinct and welcoming. The upside of walking is that it is relatively cheap, easy to do and good for you. If I am walking alone I tend to get into a meditative state, rolling thoughts over in my head, creating stories and generally having a whale of a time. There really is no problem that a long walk and a good think won't sort out. The downside to walking is that it is slow, you never approach the horizon fast and there are many distractions on the way.
A more expeditious (damn I've been wanting to use that word for ages!) alternative is motorcycling. Unlike driving there is a sensation of engagement with the world around you. There is nothing that quite compares to the thrill of accelerating so fast that you have to hold your breath. Again Scotland offers some amazing roads, from the benign and beautiful main drags through to the highlands, to the tricky single track ribbons of terror that weave through the country. I like both and they all lead towards the horizon. However, motorcycles require a constant vigil, an alert mind and to a small degree some luck.
My luck ran out once. I was driving to work one morning, not going particularly fast (let's face it who races to go TO work?), suddenly the back wheel of the bike swung round on some unknown substance (I suspect silicon or something similar spilled from a works van and if I ever find out who I shall harm him :)), I was facing the wrong way and then the back wheel catastrophically got traction, bucked forward, smashed my head and left shoulder into the ground before landing on my leg and trying to remove my foot. I broke my shoulder blade, four ribs, collar bone, fibula, tibia and a handful (footfull?) of bones in my foot. I spent two months in hospital and a long time rebuilding myself. Just between us, I am a little apprehensive of going back on the big bike again, but I think it will happen.
So there you have it, walking and motorcycling, two ways of chasing the horizon. I have a third, it is possibly my favourite - sailing! Now this does require a little more investment if you wish to actually own a boat, it is an endless burden on finances, however it can also be endlessly rewarding. Sailors are remarkably sociable, if you wish to give it a go, make friends at your nearest sailing club and there is a very good chance that you will find yourself crewing a boat in short time. If however you are the type of person that does not make friends easily I then recommend that you buy a modest boat. The ensuing requirement for constant help and assistance will hone your social skills to such a level that you can almost pass for being friendly. I know quite a few chaps at my local club that easily fall into that category!
The particularly nice thing about sailing is that the horizon is a known distance away - easily measured by calculating the distance of your eyeballs from the water's surface. There are plenty of ways of calculating the distance and free of charge I enclose a table:
How strange I hear you say, so the lower to the ground you are the closer to the horizon. This is true, but crawling to the horizon is going to be slow going. I like sailing instead, it is leisurely, moderately slow but can be quite comfortable. There are a remarkable amount of things to see while on a boat and an endless number of ways to occupy yourself, from the routine actual sailing parts, to the joys of gazing at the stars or using ancient technologies to work out where you are.
Occasionally the Horizon will cheat by sneaking over and past things that you cannot sail on. This is called "land", happily I suspect that just about everybody who will read this essay is quite comfortable with "land" and already has much experience in negotiating your way over it. On a few occasions now I have met folk from strange and foreign lands. They are in the most part lovely, buy one of them a local beverage and start talking!
Chasing the Horizon is a hobby that is open to all, regardless of finances or ability. I relearned this in hospital. The old man in the bed next to me liked to talk and we shared many stories. I told him how I was determined to resume my horizon chasing preoccupation, he said that all he wanted to do was take a piss standing up. I ruminated on this for a while and realised that he was also chasing his own personal horizon - something we all do.
So, my fellow adventurers, please join me in Chasing the Horizon, I look forward to bumping into you and hearing your tales!